Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-11-21
COMMITTEE MAKES REPORT ON
ROAD OILING DONE THIS YEAR

;; The road oiling committee of the
Commercial club has made the follow
ing report on it's work Of the past sum-
mer which shows considerable i'm
provement in city streets and country
roads,:
Board of Directors, Ottumwa Com
mercial Club.
Gentlemen:
Your committee. appointed to solicit
funds for oiling roads in the vicinity
Of Ottumwa, herewith submits for your
consideration the following report COW
ering funds received and disbursed
and work accomplished.
Your committee first conferred with
the board of supervisors with the view
of securing their cooperation insofar as
taking care Of putting the road bed in
good oiling condition and applying the
oil: We were assured by the board
that it would stand this expense and
have the roads ready as the oil arrived
Your committee then made general
campaign of the business men and
automobile owners of the city for
! funds :or the purchase of the oil.
This campaign with the publicity re-
ceiyed. created considerable interest
! among the residents on several streets
within the city and request to the
! committee that their streets be oiled.
! Meetings were held with the Interested
parties and committees appointed to
solicit funds for oiling their streets,
under the supervision of your commit
tee. This necessitated conference
with the city commissioners. who were
asked II. put the city streets in good
condition and to apply the oil on all
such streets where the residents pro-
vided the funds with which to pur-
chase the oil This the commissioners
agreed to do and assured us that they
would have everything ready on the
arrival of the oil. Your committee
also coooerated with the Agency road
oiling committee. They took up the
work when we left of midway between
Agency and Ottumwa and continued
on to their east city limits. which gives
us a continuous oiled road for about
six and one-half miles eastward start
ing at Iowa avenue.
The streets and roads securing the
oil treatment are as follows: Moore
street. Vine to Finley avenue. 1000
feet, "a feet wide: Court street, end OF
paving to city limits. 2.400 feet. "a feet
wide: Iowa avenue, Main street to Sec
ond street. 100 feet. '2O feet wide;
East Main street, Iowa avenue to city
limits, 4.400 feet, "a feet wide; Agency
road, city limits 20 one-half the dis
lance to Agency two and one-half
miles: Fremont road from city
limits TO Center school. two miles:
| Blakesburg road from the Jefferson
school to the bridge west Of Shaul
cemetery, one and one-half miles.
All country roads were oiled ap-
proximately 16 feet wide with the
exception of the north road from the
city limits to the end of the street car
track which was oiled about "a feet
wide. and part of the road in the
Hughes addition which was oiled 20
feet wide 1t had been our intention to
also oil the Eddyville road leading
from the city on West Second street,
but on account Of the lateness OF the
season, the committee was Of the opin-
ion that it would not be advisable to
carry out this work on this particular
street this season. however, recon-
mends that the first oiling done in the
spring be on West Second street and
the Eddyville road.
\ The residents living along the varf-
GUS roads oiled helped materially in
raising and supplying the necessary
funds 10 carry on the work Your COM
rlittee and sub committees confined
their solicitations to the down town
district, outlying stores, factories and
auto owners.
The prices paid for oil were 1920
and $4.As per 100 gallons. These prices
being about one.third higher than
prices quoted on oil one year ago.
Reeeinfa