The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1914-02-13
BLACKWELL'S FREE BALL
Largest Gathering and Most
Unique Entertainment In
History Of the County


When Chas. E. Blackwell & Co. an
nounced that they would dedicate their
new concrete store building at To-
nasket with a free dance and free
supper ON the night of Friday, Feb
ruary 6, it is doubtful if any member
OF the firm realized what a horde OF
people would accept the invitation and
swarm down upon the premises to
partake of their generous hospitality.
A large crowd was to be expected,
as wide publicity through the press
had been given OF the coming event,
and provision was made to entertain
a mob of great numerical proportions,
yet the total attendance was beyond
the highest figures set down by either
Mr.. Blackwell, his lieutenant or any
resident of the town. The size Of the
crowd illustrated two things, the value
Of advertising, and the pulling in
fluence OF getting something for
nothing However, far be it for us to
intimate that the majority was at
tracted to TOnasket by the free fea-
ture of the entertainment, yet 1t Is
safe to say that with that attraction
eliminated the jam that was noticeable
would hardly have been so pronOunc-
ed. AS great as was the number as
sembled there were provisions in
plenty to feed the multitude, and il
devotees of the dance did not get
all the exercise they desired it was
no fault of the Blackwell combine,
for the floor and the musicians were
there, musicians with vigor and en-
durance that never tagged, so that
all those who wanted to dance need
only help themselves. No such crowd
was ever before seen at a public
dance in any of the smaller towns of
the state, and in all probably the
like of it will never again be seen
in Okanogan county. 1t was an event
of life time, one to be always re-
membered by those so fortunate as to
be present. People flocked to Tomas
ket to join in the festivities from all
parts of the valley between Oroville
and Okanogan, utilizing the special
train that ran between those points
while the country to the east and west
sent in heav,s contribution by
sleighs. The number of people in
Tonasket on che niAht Of the dance
has been variously estimated at from
500 to 1900. 1t Is safe to strike an
average and place the number at 1000.
Arrangements had been made to
run a special train between OrOville,
Okanogan and TOnasket, leaving here
at p. m, reaching Tonasket at 6,
running down to Okanogan and re-
turning with the southern delegation
to Tonasket by 8:15. The return
schedule was to leave Tonasket at s
a. m. for Oroville, and then to carry
the people back to Riverside, Omak,
and Okanogan on the regular 8 O'Clock
trip. Messrs. Blackwell & Co. guar
anteed the railroad $10O. The receipts
were probably five or six times that
amount.
No provisions were made for an
extra coach at this place, simply be-
cause so large turn out was not ex-
pected, and when the Oroville delega-
ton swarmed into the two coaches
and express car constituting the train
at o'clock Friday evening there were
nearly as many people standing in
the aisles and on the platform as were
occupying seats. A caboose was taken
on, but that did not seem to relieve
the congestion. A fair representation
was expected to go down the line from
Oroville, but no one imagined that
there would be such an outpOuring of
pleasure seekers. The local band in
uniform accompanied the excursion
lists, and the presence of that organiza-
ton was very gratifying to Mr.. Black
well and his assistants. There was
nothing too good for the boys in To-
nasket on this occasion By o'clock
the train reached Tonasket, and was
met at the depot by large concourse
of citizens and visitors who had al
ready arrived from the country. Even
at that hour a great many were on the
streets, and the crowd was constantly
augmented by sleigh loads of merry
pleasure hunters sliding into town
from every point of the compass.
Among those who came in by sleigh
we're eight or ten loads from Loomis,
seemingly bringing in the bulk of the
population of that camp. Not only
Loomis and Conconully were early
representated, but recruits kept gath
ering from every section Of the sur
rounding country.
No attempt had been made at dec
orations, but the big store was pro-
fusely lighted with electricity. The
ground floor, an immense aera in
square feet, was free from all OBJ
structures save the heavy pillars sus-
tanning the roof, and the steam rad
iators. The floor space seemed suf-
ficiently large, looking at it before
any one was in the room, to accom-
modate all the dancers who might de-
cira m talxa mart in tho whir1 The
basement was reserved as a refresh
| reached by broad flight of stairs
is very large balcony. A section OF
this balcony was reserved for the mus.
icians, the balance was used by spec
| tators. 1t may be stated here that
during the night every stair and every
foot of space in the balcony were oc.
cupied by sight scorers.
Shortly after o'clock the store
room was already occupied by about
as many people as could comfortably
crowd into it. The orchestra engaged
for the occasion had not as yet ar
rived, but the Oroville band furnish
ed music and dancing commenced a
once. Flattering were the words O
praise for the band that could bt
heard on every hand, and the cage
dancers urged the boys to keep up thu
music Nothing loath the band con
tinued the merry strains until the ar
rival of the orchestra. By 8 o'clocl
the room was fairly jammed, and /
seemed impossible to work anothe,
person into the building with a sho,
horn. Yet after the train arrived from
the south upward of 900 more peopl,