The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1911-11-10
A PRINTER ADRIFT.
BY FRANK M. DALLAM.

editor tore loose from the eXacting du-
ties of the print shop Saturday and
struck a gait for the outer world. Thr
struck gait for the outer world
Three years is too long a period to
vegetate in any spot remote from the
larger and more populous centers If
one cares at all to keep in touch with
the progress of the age. After a Ions
absence from that with which you
were once familiar, you go back with
a feeling of timidity, as though you
were back number, as it were. Prob
ably in time that uncomfortable feel
ing may wear off, but it disappears
slowly. or that at least, is the expert
ence of this tenderfoot adrift.
But this is depression. Saturday We
headed eastward, took u.s. and the long
deferred trip was under way. The
train was in charge of that always
genial conductor, F. n. Dodd, with
Auditor Geo. Alstrom on the run with
him. NJ. Vetter was at the throttle,
Fireman Hull feeding the furnace Geo.
Mcintosh smashing baggage, and that
veteran Tom Welsh as brakeman, and
a more courteous and accommodating
combination of train men would be
hard to discover.
From Oroville 10 Spokane is a te-
diOus, long drawn out journey under
the running schedule. and 1t would be
misnomer to designate it as pleas
ant trip, but to one turned adrift after
several years exclusion from travel of
any kind. even day spent in crawl
ing over parallel steel rails between
the points mentioned is not wholly de-
void of interest and amusement. Much
of the present drawback to a run to
the outside that confronts the OkanO-
ganite will be eliminated when the
road is completed down the valley,
and in the meantime the tedious ex-
cursion can be endured by those com
PEELED to take it.
From Oroville to Spokane very lit
tie change is noticeable after an ab-
sence of three years, and the appear
anCe OF the towns enroute are such as
to make one better satisfied with Oro-
vile and it's prospects than ever.
Times may be considered slow in our
home town, but in comparison with
things as they seem elsewhere, the
denizen of OrOville has every reason
to feel that he is better off than his
neighbors. There seems little evil
dence of life. progress or prosperity
anywhere. There is a decided lack OF
snap and push among the people. Lit
tie discussion is heard along business
lines among travellers. People en- the
trains are not morose, but passive.
There are few indications of life and
stir. Few of the saw mills along the
line are in operation, and no activity
manifest around the premises, show
ing that the demand for building ma
terial is light At about every station
vacant windows of empty houses stare
out at the passer by, and nowhere is
the saw and hammer making music.
which, though harsh in note is about
the most pleasant discord that can
strike the ears OF community. 1t Is
not exactly condition of suspended
animation, but the fact that so few
marked changes have taken place in
the three years goes to show that the
upper country is growing slowly, a
fact that reconciles one to the back
wardness OF Orovlle in coming 70 the
front
While the towns have not materi-
ally changed, it must be confessed
that there have been changes in por-
tons Of the country through which
the road passes. This is especially
noticeable in the number of acres set
out to orchard. At various points
large tracts have been set out to
fruit, but even here the Okanogan val
ley shows to great advantage. The
large fiat a Grand Forks, portion of
it at least, was set out to trees sew
eral years ago, but the growth is dis
appointing. To all appearances the
land is we'll adapted to the rapid de-
velopment of trees, yet the growth in
three years seems hardly greater than
trees have made in a single season
around Oroville. North of Spokane
a large expanse of country that was
dense forest only few years ago
has been put under water, and col
umns of trees stretch out as far as
the eye can reach. But what scrawny
weaklings are these trees when
viewed from car window to the rich
and vigorous growth of single sea-
son on the reclaimed land about Oro-
vile. Large fumes carry water a
long distance to irrigate this land but
it is of gravelly, porous nature, and
takes all the water these huge canals
pour upon it, and cries for more. 1t
is said that this land is held at and
is sold for hundreds of dollars per
acre. Eventually valuable bearing
orchards may cover this land, but it
does not appeal to those who are fam
iliar with the capability and fecundity