The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-09-18


encroachment, Is would b fox the benefit
81 commerce, and The United etet1e would
of5er no objection unless The aggrsssion
were really very unreasonable.
Mr.. Finney believed the 80 wall 81 the
ifty-foot Low watsr Linz would bring the
wall about ct the extension Of Railroad
avenue; and be believed the city and rail-
road companies could arrange 70 build the
sea wall He urged - many slips - pos
sible. San Francisco, with 10000 inhab-
itants, Was using fifteen miles Of watsr
front, and " have only about sight miles
ct best- New York has slips every thirty
feet up to South streok In ten years Ne
shall have 5000 small steamers wanting
slips, and Ne must provide for them now.
He believed in waterways ct every street,
and at least four ways across the Oats each
500 feet wide.
Colonel Prosssr said there must be res
ervation Of right for the state TO regulate
tolls. wharf charges, etc, by which the
commerce shall be protected from the ra-
pacity Of private and irresponsible parties.
fifty to 600 feet wide under h control, in
which the wharves, docks, slips and sea
walls should be constructed. The belt Of
state to check excessive tolls and charges.
The territory in this belt would b leased
by the state. or the state might even build
strip only 100 feet wide would practically
nullify the power Of the state TO protect the
commerce of the harbor BY checking ex-
cessive charges.
Colonel Haines spoke Of the waterways
to the mouth Of the Duwamish. He said q
waterway 20 the east channel would cut
into valuable improvements and would
also interfere seriously with the proposed
railway lines across the 1ats, making their
operation BY drawbridges expensive and
dangerous. He thought . waterway at the
middle channel, and enc at the west cham
mel, would do.
Mr.. Finney thought . waterway to the
east channel could Be laid to clear all the
improvements, or. If IL couldn't, the way
should be opened back to Railroad avenue.
Colonel Prosser again asserted his belief
that the commission must open the way
back to the meander line.
Judge Burke said waterways to the me-
ander line at every street up to Belltown
would cut into the railroad line very seri-
ously, and practically destroy it.
Colonel Prosser said that if the city would
dedicate the ends of the streets a. slips. the
commission would not have to lay out
waterways. provided the city could not go
back upon its action and close up the slips.
Colonel J. G. Haines said that the phrase
of the law charging the commission with
the duty OF opening the ways across the
states tide lands, in his opinion, was in
tended to indicate the direction of the
ways-not the extent The commission
should Do able to fix the end Of the way ct
point which would be most advantageous
TO commerce. II the ways must always be
opened to the government meander line,
then the ways in some cases would run
through brick blocks into Front street It
was not reasonable TO do that and it was
reasonable to suppose that the legislature
intended the commission to take things as
they are, and to do as well % possible tor
commerce. The high-water line has been
considerably changed in the last few years
by deposits-natural and artificial-and
the legislature must have intended the
commission to have due regard for the ex-
listing improvements.
Councilman Hall, who came here twenty
years ago. said that at that time the east
channel of the Duwamish was the main one
used by boats and barges. But that whole
channel was closed. and hardly sign of it
was left. At the foot of Marion street high
water used to rise to the line of Front
street At Stetson's mill the water has
shoaled out 800 or 400 feet. In view Of this
rapid shoaling, We must look out to have
the sea wall placed in pretty deep water
now, or in few years We shall have no
water at ell. The earth taken out for build
ing. and all that goes into the bay, and the
shoaling is more rapid the larger the city.
The Yesler wharf used to be 400 or 500 feet
further in. If the inside harbor line was
fixed at thirty feet of low water now, the
place would be wholly shoaled in ten years.
he thought
Councilman TwicheIl told how he had
lived here six years. The harbor was
rapidly filing at the place where the steam
ship Mississippi sunk. decreasing the depth
of the water six or eight feet If the inside
of the harbor line was fixed at thirty feet of
depth ct low water. the water would soon
be too shallow. The water is shalloWer at
Smiths cove too
Mr.. Alexander Allen, q ship-builder. said
that six or seven years ago he put q set of
ways in deep water at Smiths cove. but
now there are four or FIVE feet of mud on
them. On the dry dock property he had
put another set of ways in thirty-three feet
of water. but now there was four or five feet
of mud on them. He thought there should
be water way at Smiths cove. He was
member of the legislative COMMITTEES to
which the bill had been referred, and he
could say that the legislature never in.
tended to have the ways opened way back
to the meander line. The discussion on
the BILL as was shown by the journals of
both houses, was mainly on the revenue to
be derived by the state from the control of
the harbor strip, not on protecting COM
merce. He thought the intention was to
have the ways opened by the commission
only through the strip between the inner
and outer harbor line. He thought the
inner line at thirty feet would soon be
shoaled to no water.
Mr.. F. A. Hill, engineer of the Oregon
Improvement Company, thought there
should be at least forty feet at low water
at the inner rim. He did not believe in
waterways at every street. The bottom of
the bay shoals out gradually. and so II
would not be difficult to lay foundation
for sea wall. For solid rock wall a hat.
ter OF one inch in twelve would be suffi-
cient to give a firm foundation.
Mr.. c. ]. Smith. of the Oregon Improve
ment Company, did not believe in running
waterways through blocks of property.
This city must have large piece of prop
erty close to the water for a terminal facil.
ity. This is necessary for the business in
terests OF the city. You can open streets
through such tract, because railway
tracks can run on the streets, but to oper-
ate the tracks over waterways by draw
bridges would be expensive and practically
impossible. The harbor is comparatively