LINSTER SAWMILL
Bend
July 24, 1908: "Bend was visited with the most disastrous fire in its history last Saturday evening, when the Henry Linster sawmill, situated on the river about a quarter of a mile north of the Bend townsite, was burned to the ground. Mr. Linster figures his loss at about $7,000 and Mr. J. S. Williams, who had but recently leased the mill, estimates his loss at $800.
About 8 o'clock Saturday evening Mrs. Linster and others living near the mill discovered that the mill was afire and in a few minutes a large column of smoke and the roaring flames told the same story to the people in Bend. Soon a number of men had gathered in the mill yard and began to fight the fire. As soon as buckets could be brought from town, the men formed in line and bucket after bucket of water was passed up from the river and thrown on the advancing line of fire. Another crew carried water from a more distant point and kept an almost constant stream playing on the burning lumber. It was mighty hot work and two or three men were temporarily overcome and had to give up the fight, but finally, after most strenuous fighting on the part of everyone for about an hour and a half the fire was gotten under control and was kept from spreading into the lumber yard proper. The fighting, however, was not ended until after midnight, and quite a number of men remained in the yards throughout the night to watch the fire and to throw on occasional buckets of water to keep the flames from spreading.
The mill and the mill barn standing nearby, and two or three small piles of lumber were totally destroyed. One large pile, containing about 30,000 feet, which had been sawed for Chas. Boyd and Archie Pattie, for which they had furnished the logs and with which they intended to build flumes for their desert claims, was burned. The fire, however, was kept from spreading into the lumber yard proper, which contained about $15,000 worth of lumber.
The most pitiful part of the whole affair was the burning to death of two horses in the mill barn. The horses were owned by Mr. Williams, who worked hard and endangered his own life to get them out, but the fire had gotten under too great headway and it was impossible to save the poor animals. As it was, Mt. Williams himself barely escaped from the burning building.
Mr. Linster valued the mill at about $8,000. On this he had been carrying insurance amounting to $4,000, but one policy of $1,500 expired about a month ago, leaving but $2,500 on the mill. The fire destroyed about 7,000 feet of lumber for Mr. Linster, besides the 30,000 feet for Messrs. Boyd and Pattie. This, we understand, is covered by insurance of $2,000. Mr. Williams' loss consisted in the burning of the team and a wagon and about $500 worth of lumber.
The cause of the fire is unknown. The saw had been shut down about 1 o'clock. The planer has been used during the afternoon by Mr. Williams, but shortly before closing down for the day he had changed the adjustments on the machine and is confident there were no hot boxes anywhere about the machinery, which some thought might have started the fire. The more reasonable explanation is that some one had had thrown a lighted cigarette or cigar stub in the shavings or sawdust. A large number of fisherman go directly through the mill as they pass to and fro over a foot bridge that spans the river at the mill. It is thus possible that some careless smoker is responsible, although the cause of the fire is purely conjecture.
Messrs. Linster and Williams will rebuild the mill as soon as the insurance is adjusted. A temporary mill will be built on the site of the old one. This will saw up about 150,999 feet of logs lying across the river from the mill, and will also saw out the material for the new mill. The permanent structure will be built at the north end of the yard. A canal will be built from the present location of the waterwheel to the new mill, thus enabling them to obtain about twice as mush fall and much more power. Machinery will be put in with which to manufacture doors and window sash for the local trade. This will be a great convenience for people throughout this section and is the beginning of another industry at Bend.
Under the new plans the sawmill proper will be a portable one. Instead of hauling logs from the timber to the mill at a big expense as heretofore, the mill will be moved from place to place in the timber and the sawing done there. Lumber that is to be surfaced will then be hauled to the river mill, but that which is sold in the rough may be retailed in many instances directly from where it is sawed. Evan when the lumber is hauled to the yards in town there will be a great saving over the old way of hauling the logs to the mill.
Mr. Linster and his boys had gone up river on a fishing trip a few hours before the fire. They were notified of the misfortune by Mrs. F. O. Minor, who noticed the men along the river near the Minor homestead. Mrs. Minor had received the news over the phone.
Mrs. Linster and several other ladies served a lunch of hot coffee and sandwiches to the wet and tired men. It was certainly appreciated.
The use of buckets was made necessary from the fact that the fire was without the limits of the town and beyond the reach of the Bend water system." (The Bend Bulletin)
About 8 o'clock Saturday evening Mrs. Linster and others living near the mill discovered that the mill was afire and in a few minutes a large column of smoke and the roaring flames told the same story to the people in Bend. Soon a number of men had gathered in the mill yard and began to fight the fire. As soon as buckets could be brought from town, the men formed in line and bucket after bucket of water was passed up from the river and thrown on the advancing line of fire. Another crew carried water from a more distant point and kept an almost constant stream playing on the burning lumber. It was mighty hot work and two or three men were temporarily overcome and had to give up the fight, but finally, after most strenuous fighting on the part of everyone for about an hour and a half the fire was gotten under control and was kept from spreading into the lumber yard proper. The fighting, however, was not ended until after midnight, and quite a number of men remained in the yards throughout the night to watch the fire and to throw on occasional buckets of water to keep the flames from spreading.
The mill and the mill barn standing nearby, and two or three small piles of lumber were totally destroyed. One large pile, containing about 30,000 feet, which had been sawed for Chas. Boyd and Archie Pattie, for which they had furnished the logs and with which they intended to build flumes for their desert claims, was burned. The fire, however, was kept from spreading into the lumber yard proper, which contained about $15,000 worth of lumber.
The most pitiful part of the whole affair was the burning to death of two horses in the mill barn. The horses were owned by Mr. Williams, who worked hard and endangered his own life to get them out, but the fire had gotten under too great headway and it was impossible to save the poor animals. As it was, Mt. Williams himself barely escaped from the burning building.
Mr. Linster valued the mill at about $8,000. On this he had been carrying insurance amounting to $4,000, but one policy of $1,500 expired about a month ago, leaving but $2,500 on the mill. The fire destroyed about 7,000 feet of lumber for Mr. Linster, besides the 30,000 feet for Messrs. Boyd and Pattie. This, we understand, is covered by insurance of $2,000. Mr. Williams' loss consisted in the burning of the team and a wagon and about $500 worth of lumber.
The cause of the fire is unknown. The saw had been shut down about 1 o'clock. The planer has been used during the afternoon by Mr. Williams, but shortly before closing down for the day he had changed the adjustments on the machine and is confident there were no hot boxes anywhere about the machinery, which some thought might have started the fire. The more reasonable explanation is that some one had had thrown a lighted cigarette or cigar stub in the shavings or sawdust. A large number of fisherman go directly through the mill as they pass to and fro over a foot bridge that spans the river at the mill. It is thus possible that some careless smoker is responsible, although the cause of the fire is purely conjecture.
Messrs. Linster and Williams will rebuild the mill as soon as the insurance is adjusted. A temporary mill will be built on the site of the old one. This will saw up about 150,999 feet of logs lying across the river from the mill, and will also saw out the material for the new mill. The permanent structure will be built at the north end of the yard. A canal will be built from the present location of the waterwheel to the new mill, thus enabling them to obtain about twice as mush fall and much more power. Machinery will be put in with which to manufacture doors and window sash for the local trade. This will be a great convenience for people throughout this section and is the beginning of another industry at Bend.
Under the new plans the sawmill proper will be a portable one. Instead of hauling logs from the timber to the mill at a big expense as heretofore, the mill will be moved from place to place in the timber and the sawing done there. Lumber that is to be surfaced will then be hauled to the river mill, but that which is sold in the rough may be retailed in many instances directly from where it is sawed. Evan when the lumber is hauled to the yards in town there will be a great saving over the old way of hauling the logs to the mill.
Mr. Linster and his boys had gone up river on a fishing trip a few hours before the fire. They were notified of the misfortune by Mrs. F. O. Minor, who noticed the men along the river near the Minor homestead. Mrs. Minor had received the news over the phone.
Mrs. Linster and several other ladies served a lunch of hot coffee and sandwiches to the wet and tired men. It was certainly appreciated.
The use of buckets was made necessary from the fact that the fire was without the limits of the town and beyond the reach of the Bend water system." (The Bend Bulletin)