The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-23
TRACKS COVERED UP.
Twelfth Street Makes Another
Slide Down Hill.
A HUNDRED YARDS BLocKADED.
Trains Kept Out Of the City-Big
Crews at Work Removing the
Obstructing Earth.

The most extensive and damaging slide that
mas yet occurred at the crumbling cmbankmeuf
at the foot OF South Twelfth street, was that OF
yesterday morning shortly after O'Clock It
covers the Northern Pacific and Columbia q
Puget Sound tracks for distance of about
hundred yards, shutting trains out of the city
until it can be cleared away.
Alter the comparatively insignificant slide OF
sunday evening had been removed the section
men were kept busy at work all night. Although
the bank continued to slide and fall the railroad
authorities thought they could master the sitli-
atlon by maintaining big force of men at the
place engaged in sboveling of the loose Garth
as last as it rolled down upon the track. The
men had a hard task of it, and they were well
nigh worn out when down came the big slide
that completely buried the tracks for a space OF
lO0 yards under many tons of earth and mud
III was impossible for the small force tn do anS-
thingtwith the new obstruction, and the wori:-
out gang were sent home to get q much-needed
rest, after having been at work continuously for
nearly twenty-four hours.
Yesterday morning at 10 o'clock about 100 men
were put TO work under the direction OF Will
lam Dunn, the foadmaster of the Northern
Pacific, who came down from Puyalup for that
purpose. At late hour last night this big
iorce, aided by an Oregon Improvement sta
uonary engine, in charge Of Engineer Huston,
that had been stationed on Grant street bridge,
nau scarcely made an impression on the mass OF
dirt that completely Gov red the tracks. Mt.
Dunn was of the opinion that he would DC able
10 open the road at an early hour this morning,
as bis efforts were greatly assisted by the arrival
OF a steam shovel shortly after dark. The tracks
tered or departed from Seattle since the slide oc-
CURED. Passenger traffic is not Interrupted, as
passengers ard baggage are transferred al ounu
tue blockade, while the railroad officials ilre
confident of clearing the tracks in time to ALLOW
the running through of trains this morning.
several who were at the scene OF the trouble
all day yesterday were of the opinion that
several days would be required to open the road,
as there is still tremendous portion of the bank
ready to topple over onto the roadbed a. soon as
the support given by the earth now on the tracks
IS removed. Several shaeks and shanties. that
had occupied positions upon the hillside, came
down with the mass, but fortunately none OF
the occupants were injured or suffered any
serious loss.
The tracks of the Northern Pacific and Colum-
bia * Puget Sound railroads AT this point arc To-
Gated ut the foot of an embankment that Is fully
to the roadbed from Twelfth street above. The
street has but recently been graded and filed at
a cost of about $4,000, and the portion affected
by the slide probably covers distance OF two
blocks.
The railroad company attributes the trouble
TO the street being washed down by the heavy
rain, but while il would be possible for the I'LL
in the grade of the street to be washed down
upon the tracks il is claimed by the residents OF
that section that it could not carry the hill with
IL, but would be merely sluiced down over Its
side. The bank OF the hill has crumbed and
caved away, and carried the street down with II
in the general ruin.
Occupants of the shacks and houses on the
hill claim that the whole affair was caused by
the railroad people digging into the side of the
hill to get the earth to fill in the cribhing that
is in progress along. the railroad tracks at this
point. For distance OF nearly half mile the
railroad has erected a crib about four feet out
side of the tracks, and has been filling it in
with stone and earth to prevent the encroach-
ment OF the tide upon its railroad bed. Digging
away at the side of the hill, it is claimed,
caused the first cave, and the heavy rains of the
past week so weakened the hill that ii all came
down.
City Engineer Gardner yesterday said that the
caving in and sliding of the earth would
naturally result from digging out part of the
bank, but whether such had been the cause, he
did not know, as he had not visited the locality
since the road had begun to put in the cribbing
As the matter stands, the city will have about
two blocks of Twelfth street to refill and re-
grade in the spring.