The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1923-05-04
VISITING A BOOM TOWN.
Two Orovilllans Drive to Longyiew
and See Town in the Making.

Last week M. l.. Reed, Jr., and Len
Elsie drove Carl Schassberger's car
| over to Longview, the new mushroom
town that is growing like Jonahas
gourd,- returning home Saturday night
by train. Mr.. Elsie reports that they
had very pleasant trip. Blewett pass
is not as yet open and they made the
trip by the way of Ellensbrrg, travel
ing for some distance on the celebrat-
ed Columbia highway, one of the most
marvelously beautiful scenic drive
| ways on the Pacific coast. The Oro-
vile travellers reached Kelso, which
| is just across very narrow river
from the new town of Longview, just
two hours before the shocking accid-
ent that has been reported in the daily
papers occurred in Longview by which
| five lives were lost. Six carpenters
were working near the top of the six
story hotel building when the scaffold-
ing gave way. Five Of the six were in
stantly killed and the sixth very SER
iously injured.
Mr.. Elsie and Mr.. Reed were fas-
| cinated at seeing a city in its initial
making. Longview is the conception
of an enormously wealthy lumber
company that controls a large timber
area east Of Kelso to which railroad
has been constructed, with Longview
as the terminus of tlis logging road.
AS chief backing and support of the
town there has been erected and equip
ped number of saw mills that are
going to eat up the timber that comes
down out of the timber land through
the medium of the newly constructed
railroad. The mills and the road en-
ployes a small army of men, making
a most attractive and regular pay roll
and it is pay rolls that support COM
munities. Mr.. Elsie states that already
the company has put up $50 modern
| cottages that are to be occupied by
employees in the mills. 1t is claimed
that the company Is spending in the
neighbohood of $40.OOO,0OO putting up
buildings, improving the streets and
providing all the modern conven-
fences and necessities that go with
present day metropolis Mr.. Elsie
mentioned one instance of a man pay
| ing $4,000 for 50-foot lot on the
principal business street upon which
he is to build 100000 business block.
And this is only one of tie many in
stances where large, permanent and
expensive buildings are to be erected.
| Messrs. Reed and Elsie report that
the Schassbergers are well and have
the brightest kind of prospects before
them. They are putting up large
brick laundry that will be equipped
with every modern appliance and
convenience that goes to make per-
feet wash house. From one establish
ment alone they nave a contract that
runs up into hundreds of dollars
weekly. Locating at Longview at
most favorable time, the beginning of
building operations, they were able to
secure choice business-lot putting
the establishment in direct touch with
the business center The laundry will
probably be in running order this
month, Mr.. Schassberger having eX
perienced considerable delay in carry
| ing out mis- original plans owing to the
difficulty experienced in the delivery
of machinery.
| The appearance of a busy burg, with
the hammer and saw puncturing the
circumambent atmosphere and singing
a song of progress, made a strong ap
peal to the strangers from the rosy
apple district. 1t was temptation to
mingle with and be one of the hustl-
ing, bustling city builders, and espec-
tally seductive as both Mr.. Elsie and
Mr.. Reed had opportunities to secure
a foothod in the yet raw though ratt-
ling good new town, but after getting
out of the zone of that mystic power
that booming town always has on
one and once more breathing the pure
ether of sunny Okanogan valley, and
gladdening their eyes upon incompar-
able Oroville, that sits like gem in
the midst of an oasis of vast posi-
bilites and surrounded by scenic
charms that have no parallel in the
west, the young men decided that