The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1909-08-20
BIDDING ON THE BRANCH
Contractors Swarm in to Make
Estimates on Road Bed
Construction.
DIRT WILL SOON Be FLYING
After Many Days Work to Com
mence on the OrovilIe-
Brewster Branch.

At last it is go, and this popula-
tion has good reason for joining in
hosanas. That which is go, and
which has been looked forward to to
60 for 10 these may days, is the begin
ming of construction work on the Oro-
ville-Brewster branch of the Great
Northern. 1t is not intended to con-
vey the impression to those at a dis
tance that the hurley dago, hurley very
much in miniature yet sufficiently SO to
WELD a shovel and pick, is already
throwing dirt, yet it is SO near the
time when dirt is to be thrown that
there is justification in anticipating
that event by declaring that real, ac-
tual, physical building is just on the
eve of taking place. There is to be no
further postponement until next fall,
or next winter, or next spring. 1t is
an actuality in road building so near
at hand as to almost be visible fact.
Of course the people of Oroville have
been keyed up to keen expectancy of
possible early road building by an
nouncements by the daily press, and
the nimble but parentless local rumor,
yet as the first preliminaries to real
work must start at Oroville, the peo-
pie of Oroville are in "A better position
than all others to know when things
are actually to happen. They do not
have to look elsewhere for informa-
tion on that score. When the gang
gets busy it will be known here. Out
side information of prospective build
ing is thankfully absorbed as bracer
to keep the spark of hope ignited, but
experience has taught the public that
the power behind the railroad moves
in devious and wonderOus ways, that
promptnesS of action is not a virtue
conspicuous in railroad circles, and
when it comes to building time is not
taken into consideration. No man
knoweth when a move is to be made
until it is made.
But this time the hunch is right and
construction is to go ahead soon. so
soon that the skeptic is going to be
disappointed The time is close at
hand, so close as to be almost here.
The best proof of this assertion in the
flock of contractors and sub-contractors
that has concentrated in Oroville this
week, and made trips along the line of
construction. If the hint given out by
those who are presumed to know the
contract has been let, and the parties
in here viewing the lay of the land are
acting in the capacity of sub-contract-
ors and sizing up the situation to see
how they can break off pieces of the
work to profit by the figures they sub
nit. 1t is generally understood with
some foundation for the understanding
that the bids must be filed by the 10th,
which is today. After the fling OF
bids it is not going to take much time
to decide upon who is who in the mat
ter of satisfactory bidding, and at
present writing it looks very much as
though by our next issue announce
ment could be made that the much de-
siredhad taken place, or was taking
place.
When the work of construction Is
once under way building will be pushed
with all the zeal and peditiousness
possible. Much of the route to be built
over presents few physical obstacles to
railroad construction. Indeed with
the exception of a few short stretches
much of the grading oan be done py
scrapers, and no difficulty is antlcl-
pated from winter weather in the con
tlnuation of building. 1t will require
only few months to lay the rails to
Brewster, and in all probability the
road will continue on from that point
down the Columbia river to Wenatchee
next summer. When that link IN the
chain is completed Oroville Will be the
same distance from Seattle as Is Spo-
Kane, for it is l34 miles from Spokane
70 Wenatchee, and just l34 miles ftoili
Oroville to Wenatchee. AS stated at
the beginning the outlook Is so pleas
ing that the people of Oroville and the
Okanogan valley have celebration
coming.