The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-07-26
TO SURVEY HARBORS.
The Commission Hears Appli-
cations From Engineers.
THE WORK IT HAS IN PROSPECT.
Tide Land Commission Adopt Rules OF
Procedure-several Applications
for Purchase Filed.

The harb0r line commission met At the
Rainier hotel at o'clock last evening and spent
| the whole of the session ii hearing applicants
for the Office of engineer. Those present were
Colonel ". F. Prosser. of North Yakima: Colonel
II. T. Garretson, OF Tacoma: d. G. Guernsey, OF
Dayton; Frank h Richards, of Whatcom: with
Alfred Martin. the stsnogrs pher. Ex-Governor
Semple. the other member, teegraphed from
O,ympia thst private business would detain
him until August s.
There are a large number Of applicants for the
position of engineer and may of them have
still TO be heard. This business will occupy
nearly e. . whole OF the sessions to be held this
morning. afternoon and evening, and no APP
pointment is likely to be made until Monday.
This afternoon at low tide the commission
win probably make trip in q tug around the
water front of Seattle In order to form clear
idea OF the contour OF the bed of the bay. SIM
liar trips viii be made along the water front OF
the other cities of the Sound ard Pacific coast
A letter was sent 10 Mayor Moran yesterday
afternoon requesting him to furnish the com.
mission with map or chart of the harbor, or
any other information the city may possess on
this subject Similar requests wsll be made of
each city visited BY tho commission. The
charts of the United States hydrogrsphi sur
vey will also be obtained. From these data the
commission will draw up specifications for the
guidance OF the engineer in making his survey.
The law requires the commission to establish
harbor lines extending inland not less than 50
nor more than 600 feet from deep water. The
specifications will state limit OF depth from
which the harbor line is to be measured, the
opinion of the commission being that the outer
edge oil the harbor line should have thirty to
thirty-ive feet of water at extreme low
tide, sufficient TO foat the largest ships in
these waters. The engineer will be required to
show the contour of the bed OF each harbor
from this depth inland for COO feet-the extreme
width allowed ior the harbor line. On the
basis of this survey, the commission will draw
the harbor line. The with will vary accord
ing to the extent of comm rec At each port and
the character of the water front, Where the
commerce is slight or the bank falls away rap
idly to deep wafer, q narrower strip will be laid
out, while a gradually shelving shore or an ex-
tensive commerce will require Q broad harbOr
strip
On this strip streets will be laid out and the
ground divided into lots to be leased by the
state for no longer period than 80 years, pro-
vision having been ma e to guard against
monopoly of any harbor by q single person or
corporation.
The work OF surveying the hsrbors of the state
will occupy from one to two months, and when
the commission has put the engineer to work, 1t
will probably adjourn until this survey is COM
pleted.
Until the harbor lines are laid of, the tide
land commission cannot dc anything towards
carrying out the provisions of the tide land law.
Consequently 1t is likely to be late in the fall
before the tide lands are put up for sale.