HORTON & SAYER
June 16, 1906: "Clyde Shaver had one thumb and three fingers quite badly lacerated Thursday by getting them caught in a saw at the Horton-Sayer mill. Ches Carter brought him down to a physician." (The Times Herald)
June 11, 1910: "One of the most disastrous fires in the history of Harney county occurred last Thursday afternoon when the big saw mill of Horton & Sayer together with 700,000 or 800,000 feet of lumber was entirely destroyed entailing a loss to the owners of over $30,000. The fire started in the roof of the mill by sparks from the smoke stack of the engine and gained headway so rapidly that nothing could be saved. It took the entire mill and machinery together with blacksmith shop, Mr. Sayer's house and office, planer and all but a few thousand feet of lumber that was stacked some distance down the canyon. The bunk house cook house and some small barns were all that escaped.
None of the mill people have been down and there is no telephone, no authentic estimate of the loss can be secured at this time, but those who are familiar with the plant say it is at least $30,000.
John Cessler and Dan Harkey came by the scene of the fire yesterday morning and Mr. Cessler said that John Sayer Jr. stated that all the machinery is a wreck and nothing can be used again. The big boiler is warped all out of shape from the intense heat and even the big hewn timbers under the mill have burned to ashes. We understand there was no insurance.
This is not only a great loss to Messrs. Horton and Sayer but to the entire country. It will seriously cripple improvements and development for this season as new settlers are coming in rapidly and improving their places, besides much improvement is going on in Burns and surrounding country. It is a loss hard to estimate and one that effects the entire country.
No doubt the mill will be rebuilt but the machinery cannot be gotten in and installed before fall and therefore the entire season is lost." (The Times-Herald)
None of the mill people have been down and there is no telephone, no authentic estimate of the loss can be secured at this time, but those who are familiar with the plant say it is at least $30,000.
John Cessler and Dan Harkey came by the scene of the fire yesterday morning and Mr. Cessler said that John Sayer Jr. stated that all the machinery is a wreck and nothing can be used again. The big boiler is warped all out of shape from the intense heat and even the big hewn timbers under the mill have burned to ashes. We understand there was no insurance.
This is not only a great loss to Messrs. Horton and Sayer but to the entire country. It will seriously cripple improvements and development for this season as new settlers are coming in rapidly and improving their places, besides much improvement is going on in Burns and surrounding country. It is a loss hard to estimate and one that effects the entire country.
No doubt the mill will be rebuilt but the machinery cannot be gotten in and installed before fall and therefore the entire season is lost." (The Times-Herald)