The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-02-19
A CINCH ON OIL
FOR ROADMAKING
IT IS NOW FOUND THAT THERE
is A PATENT ON THE USE OF
CRUDE PETROLEUM.

To man up a tree, says the San
Bernardino Times-Index, it begins to
look as if the California Dustless Road
Company would win out in it's efforts
to compel counties and municipalities
to pay royalties on oiled roads. 1t has
patent, and according to the experts
who have been sounding the legal
depths, the patent is a cinch.
The claim was at first secuted and
ridiculed. Then the Dustless Com
pany brought a test suit against the
county of Los Angeles for the royalty
of SIS a mile. All the counties of
Southern California are deeply inter-
ested and were invited to contribute
toward the defense, and most of them
responded to the appeal, including our
own county.
Now comes the move that the judi
ciary committee of the League of
California Municipalities has, after ex-
haustive investigation, concluded that
the claim of the Dustless Road Com
pany is valid and can be enforced. This
seems the more likely when it is con-
sidered that the Southern Pacific has
laid down its hand and is now paying
the royalty.
The oil treated road is no longer a curl
osity in California; indeed, it is get
ting to be common, although not yet
nearly as common as it ought to be.
There was, however a time when the
oiled road was not known and the bare
suggestion that such a thing could be
was greeted with derision, and the man
having the temerity to advocate it's
trial was treated as a well-meaning
but terribly mistaken individual.
Mr.. Mattern is the father of the OIL
made highway. About fifteen years
civ lNn t..
vestigation of the utility of crude pc
troleum as a road-making material,
and before long satisfied himself of the
commodity's efficiency for that pur-
pose.
Approaching the value of the idea
he had originated, Mr.. Mattern applied
to the United States Government for d
patent for the use of oil on any and all
kinds of roads. The application for a
patent was filed December 3, 1896, ana
the grant was made April 5, 1898, the
number being COZ, 023. The issuance of
the patent is shown in the Patent Ga
zette of the aforementioned date, which
would be No. l of Volume SO. Mr.. Mat
tern assigned his patent to the Dustless
Roadbad Company of New Jersey, re-
ceiving as part of the consideration for
assignment the right for the privileges
of the patent for the State of Califor-
mia, which right he subsequently deed
ed to the California Dustless Roads
Company.
| Mr.. Mattern's letters patent are COM
prehensive in their specifications and
secure him or his assigns, broadly in
the sole right to treat road, rail, wagon
and foot, with oil, regardless of the
manner or method of applying the oil.
| The Dustless Roadbed Company has
! given it out that the patent will be pro-
tected from infringement at all ha-
yards. The company is a strong cor
poratioI.
Now that the use of oil on roads has
\ become more or less common, a ten
dency to question the validity of the
Mattern patent has been evinced in
some quarters. Yet at the time Mr..
Mattern was carrying on the expert
ments whereby he demonstrated the
correctness of his theory, and even as
late as the date at which he applied for
letters patent, nearly everybody whose
attention was invited to the idea con-
sidered 1t so novel as to be either i'm
| practicable or ludTicrous.