Oral History Interview

Mr. W. W. Mears

By Russell Crump

Agent Beaumont, Texas

1959-1967

Mears: I went to Beaumont as second trick operator at Calder Ave station at Beaumont after being on that job for about three years then I became agent at Beaumont. Supervisory agent at Beaumont for about 5 years.. I was at Beaumont 1959 to 1967.

Russell: Do you have any knowledge about the Kirby lumber operation of log trains.

Mears: They operated log trains out of Silsbee much as they did out of Pineland. Silsbee up through the big thicket on the Conroe district up to votaw honey Island. Honey Island especially after the honey Island mill cut out.

Russell: Do you have any idea when the honey island mill cut out

Mears: In fifties sometime. I would think in the very early fifties if my memory serves.

Kirby had a mill at Voth, one at Silsbee one at Honey Island. The one at Voth and the one at Honey Island cut out at about the same time in the early fifties

Russell: I think it was the mid fifties they built the new consolidated mill at Silsbee.

Mears: At that time the other two mills were gone. When they opened the new mill at Silsbee.

Russell: Then they supplied the new mill at Silsbee with log trains on the Santa Fe.

Mears: I donât know when they started shipping logs on the Santa Fe and when they stopped using their own equipment on the over the Santa Fe with their own equipment. I would like to say they never logged their new mill at Santa Fe with their old rail operation but I my timing may be off a little bit their.

At one time Kirby had mills up and down the Santa Fe San Augustine and Longview district and Conroe district to. They had a number of mills.

Russell: Do you have any familiarity with the other mills.

Mears: No they were cut out. They had one at Bessmay that was still in operation when I worked agency at Bessmay a time or two off the extra board while the mill was still in operation at there. That was the Bessmay mill went and the next to go were next two to go were Voth and Honey Island. The other mills the Kirby Mills were gone before I started work with the Santa Fe.

Russell: What type of operation did they run over use while you were at Bessmay what type of trains?

Mears: they did not have any logging operation over the Santa Fe out of Bessmay. Silsbee was the only point Kirby operated their trains after I went I worked for the Santa Fe. Silsbee had the operation there and Pinland Temple Lumber Co. had their operation over the Santa Fe When I went to work for the Santa Fe in 1941 those were the only two points were logging companies were using the Santa Fe for their operation.

Russell: When you were down in Beaumont what type of traffic or activity did you have.

Mears: We had a lot of interchange traffic there with Missouri Pacific, Southern Pacific and KCS. The bulk of our traffic in and out of Beaumont was bridge traffic to the other lines.

But we had pretty soon after I became Agent Beaumont The grain elevator there was under construction and they opened it up not to long after I became agent and that big boost to our traffic and also before the grain elevator opened the port of Beaumont was a pretty heavy exporter of flour and grain products and the like from interior points on the Santa Fe.

Russell: that was continental grain?

Mears: No, The first grain elevator opened up in Beaumont it was Beaumont Public elevator then they were in operation probably a year to a year and a half then Continental leased it from the port of Beaumont navigation district and I guess they still operate it today. That was a pretty busy and has been all these years busy export elevator.

Russell: Santa Fe had access to it?

Mears: At first the Santa Fe had access to it through the KCS. KCS switched the elevator and all the grain coming in had to be deliverer to the KCS for their switching. Later on we were able to build a line through the port of Beaumont to reach the elevator with out using the KCS and it is operated that way today.

Russell: Up Carrol street hill and so forth.

Mears: Yes

Russell: After your tour in Beaumont were did you go?

Mears: I went to Galveston as agent in 1967.

340, Back side of Calder Ave. Depot one of a series of views negatives 339-345. (picture)

341, View of track side of the Calder Ave. passenger depot on e of a series of views negatives 339 - 345. (picture)

342, Garden behind Calder Ave. passenger depot showing part of back of depot one of a series of views negatives 339 - 345. (picture)

343, Back side of passenger depot and garden Calder Ave. one of a series of views negatives 339 - 345. (picture)

344, Garden behind Calder Ave passenger depot does not show depot one of a series of views 339 - 345. (picture)

345, Garden behind Calder Ave passenger depot does not show depot one of a series of views 339 - 345. (picture)

Transcribed in altered form for the Web By Russell Crump

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