The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-05-08
lR ROAD CLOSED.
nish Settlers Complain
! Blocked Waterway.
1om ACROSS Esy sLoucH.
AGENT BaIl. Of tie I4ssd Depart
Reports That Navigsfisn Of
the slough IL Obstrueted.

~
~ oflee for this district. with head
- s Seattle, has Just forwarded 10
missioner Of the land Office IT
7<fneson, d. c.. a very carefully pre-
.tepors upon an interesting case re-
- s him for investigation last febru-
rnlusing 70 the alleged distraction Of
saoneb 81 Snonomish county.
enee was frst brought 70 the atten-
Y me interior department through
- fYum Charles w. Andrews and
fv.seyen other residents and property
- dong The slough. reciting facts in
100 Is follows. That Ely slough 10
- prong Of the Snohomish river. and
Ieabie st ail stages Of water. having
ourysyed and cleared Of snags by the
- States snagboat: that Msssrs. T.
1oupkins. James Pyri q Co. have
Is seven punches Of piles from three TO
~ - 10 . bunch across the slough for
IS Sufposeof hanging boom Of logs, said
6 1. and logs filling up the river mile
q = : bali, effsctuAiiy stopping navigation;
(he obstruction during frsshetS neces-
the raising of dykes one or two feet,
1hat the ebb and dow OF the tide viii
eat away and DESTROY the dykes If
9 belsclss are NOT speedily removed.
u. Tompkins flied an affidavit with
Apartment. making general denial OF
Easements made in the petition. adj
~. however. THAI the boom had been
q across the stream. He alleged that
sFing 10 the principal industry Of sno-
~ county. there being about one hun
= million feet Of logs cuton the Snohom-
S : xlyer each year, amounting In value to
ppo0; that II has proven impossible to
- 1ogs in any other way than by boom
Eby slough. which he asserts is not
fgahle above the boom at all stages Of
l1w and only by smaller boats At very
r water.
1hese papers we're referred TO Special
3 Ait Ball about March /. and he has since
IN the matter thorough investigation.
NJ report he states that be found the
oeing facts:
HAT Eby slough II . prong OF the sno-
niyh river and that Ii Is navigabie at all
0nrn Of water for ordinary river boats.
ne on m average from i5U to ESQ feet
NJ and from Is 10 20 feet deep at low
~ from its mouth to its intersection at
- 6nohoHish river proper. As to whether
~ slough has been cleared of snags by
pnitcd States survey and snaRboat crews
= alleged in the complaint OF the petition
-. BE- was unable to learn, lie finds that
IIchard v. Tompkins and James Pyri did.
y September, 1850. cause 70 he driven
sefoss the slough. piles In lunches OF from
ihyee 70 nine, from twenty TO fifty feet
apart In diagonal direction across the
stream. and obstructing it so that boats of
my and all kinds and sizes are prevented
nom passing through by having there a
toom Of logs one-half mile long and at
pieisly filing up the water course
He finds that the ebb and flow of the
tide has not cut away or destroyed the
dgkes along the slough. neither are they
hkely 10 pe destroyed By the obstruction.
6bouid the boom OF the logs be displaced
end removed the piles would not hinder
he largest boat from passing through be-
Tween the punches OF piles, although some
care would be required upon the part Of
the pilot. With the piles rnmaining
II Is claimed by the petition
~ that fallen trees. driftwood,
6ush and like things which pass down the
stream There being q heavy timbered
country above the obstruction) would lod 20
against the piles and ohstruct navigation.
Agent Ball further finds that Ely slough
the principal highway by which people
along the slough and of the country adjacent
hereto. transact their business In the ordi-
nary course Of trade with each other and
u purchasing their supplies and market
ING their produce, and that the obstruction
q the stream prevents citizens residing
above the obstruction from using il IN GO
ine TO and from the town Of Marysvil!e, a
place Of trade near the point where Eby
slough empiies into the Sound. In support
q these statements afsidavits OF large
number OF residents along the slough &C
company the report and form part Of IT,
4 copy OF the report has been filed with
Patrick Henry Winston. United States dis
rict attorney for Washington. and he will
probably be instructed by the attorney
general Of the United States 10 commence
proceedings for the removal OF the OBJ
sfruction.