Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-11-30
Oil Company. That oil is sold at tire
cents a gallon or whereabouts.

Oil Company That oil is sold at three
cents gallon or thereabouts
A bright mind out in California a
few years ago evolved the idea that
crude oil mixed with the coverings OF
highways would make the surface firm
er and prevent the accumulation OF
dust. Practical tests proved the worth
of the idea, and its protector went at
once to Washington and got patents
not only for the new oil-sprinkling ma
chine he had invented, but for the idea
itself as we'll Wheeling. Los An
geles cycling authority, calls prepos-
ferrous the claim that the patent covers
the general idea of the use of oil in
any form on roads. and that no roads
can be sprinkled with oil without pay
ing royalty to the California Dustless
Road Company. In this the otherwise
careful Los Angeles journal is mistak
en-, according to some of the foremost
patent lawyers in the land. There have
been no lawsuits, because the intelli-
gent counselors for possible defend
ants have found invariably upon prop
er investigation that the patent on the
idea of using oil in that particular
connection is covered and protected
in the patent issued by the govern
ment. That in itself is an interesting
feature of the new industry.
Now some of the greatest railroad
corporations in the country are using
the idea successfully in their efforts
to subdue dust along their routes, and
all are paying royalties of $40 mile
to the Dustless Roads Company for the
privilege. The fact that this refuse oil
is the best adapted for the purpose OPP
ened up the new avenue of profit for
the oil trust. The Long Island and the
Pennsylvania Railroad companies We're
the first important corporations of the
kind to experiment with the refuse oil
along certain stretches of their road
beds where stone ballast was imprac-
ticable. Both found the oil sprinkling
to be effective not only in laying the
dust, but in protecting the roadbed
and ties as WELL The scheme is an ex-
tensive use by both systems, and has
been adopted by the New York Cen
trail, Boston and Albany, Boston and
Maine and several other large rail-
road companies. The idea, borrowed
from the Peerless State of the Golden
West as the Los Angeles Times puts
ii, is likely to become one Of the most
important factors in maintenance OF
-, -oafw1al noo,,cy,,u
When w. II. Baldwin, Jr., accepted
the task of reincarnating the Long Is
land Railroad, about three years ago,
one of the first big schemes he under
took in the line of reform was the oil
device of the Californians for pre-
venting the clouds Of dust from mum
dating the trains on his lines in dry
weather. The new president knew
about the patents in existence and
vested full year before putting the
oiling system in use on the Long Is
land roadbeds. so as TO determine
whether or not the owners of the pat
Ell : were entitled legally to the royal
ties demanded. The most able patent
lawyers in the country were engaged
to hunt up the records, the result OF
their research being the opinion that
the novelty OF the idea entitled the
patent covering it TO fun protection
under the laws, and that the patentees
can collect royalties legally. That
much having been settled definitely,
the Long Island Railroad started an
active campaign against the dust early
in 1898. The operating train consists
OF locomotive and two fat cars, the
first OF which carries the immense oil
tank. connected by piping to the sec
ond car. which carries the oil-dis-
tributing apparatus, as shown in the
Illustration. This method OF distribut-
Ing the oil and the devices employed
for 1t are the creations of the machine
shops OF the Long Island Railroad.
The sketches show also the differ
ence in dust effect between the ordi-