The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1923-07-27
REVIVAL OF The
0LDL|BERAL SPIRIT
Business Men OF OrOville Contribute
Liberhlly Toward Eliminating
the Dust Nuisance,

Ihere was a time wnen II money
was wanted Tor any civic enterprise
a soliciting committee could go forth
IN Oroville and in very brief period
secure contributions running into
hundreds of dollars. Rarely could
there be found people more liberal In
the giving to support public enter
prises than the residents of Oroville.
and the calls We're frequent, In the
aggregate running into a large sum
| or money. Then times commenced to
pinch and the spirit OF giving gave
out. For the past year or two 1t would
nave been difficult to go forth on the
highways and byways and gather so
much as would feed a we'll developed
appetite and solicitor would be In
danger of being Drained II he should
suggest contribution.
But evidently the old spirit has re-
vived, the tight wad has loosened up
and cheerful and generous giving Is
again In evidence For some time the
business men have been considering
the dust nuisance With the dry. hot
summer days, without the mitigating
aid of the old time sprinkler. the
streets have become cut up by the con-
slant auto travel and the air Is con-
stantly charged with clouds Of dust.
Moving vehicles kick up the pulveriz-
ed surface of the streets, and when an
active breeze sweeps down or up the
oil
bearable. This dust is not only a nuis-
ance to the public but it damages the
stocks of goods to a greater or less
extent. At one time this spring 1t was
proposed to oil the streets, bur when
a representative Of the company thai
Is engaged in the business submitted
figures the price was too great for
the town resources to meet. Then 1t
was proposed to put the sprinkler on
the job again, but sprinkllng has prov
ed an unsatisfactory experiment In
past years and at the same time is
quite expensive.
At last few of the business men
took up the problem and decided to
cover the graded streets with crude
oil. The city authorities offered to put
the oil OH the streets If the citizens
would buy the oil. A sufficient quantity
of oil to cover the streets to be doc
tored would cost some $500. That is a
pretty stiff sum for a small number of
business men in a small town to dig
up, but F. V. Covert took the petition
out Monday afternoon to secure sig
natures. and within an hour or two,
with the assistance of G. M. Scott. the
necessary sum was signed up, and
that sum was contributed by business
men along two blocks. Considering the
rather quiet condition of business Just
at the present time it strikes us that
the amount obtained from so few con-
tributors was very liberal response
to the call.
We cannot explain exactly the
modus operandi of applying the oil to
secure the best results. That will be
attended to as soon as the oil arrives
by those who understand greasing the
streets. 1t is the intention to put on
coating Of oil and then cover the oil
with light coating Of shale rock.
This application Of shale will I'LL In
the depressions that have been cut
out by the heavy traffic over the
streets to be oiled 1t is said that this
is the process followed In various
places where crude oil has been used
for dust elimination and road preser-
vation. 1t cannot be stated just when
this oiling process will be carried out
is required to secure the liquid and
solid material to be used in carrying
out the proposed Improvement.