The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-08
GRADING THE SITE.
Lively Work on the State Uni
yersity Grounds.
CLEARING A STRIP IN FOREST.
Thirty Teams and 125 Men Busy Pre-
pairing for the Main Building
Beautiful Location.

The work Of clearing and grading the
new site for the State university north of
the city is now going rapidly forward.
eome thirty teams and Us men are now
employed there, and they have already so
changed the forest that it is possible to see
the general plan OF the undertaking.
The place is most easily reached by the
cars OF the Seattle consolidated street rail-
way and the Rainier Power and Railway
Company 20 Brooklyn. The site lies about
half mile east of the Brooklyn ter
minus of the line, and the walk
to it is an easy one by the wagon road or
along the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern
railroad tracks. The tract granted by the
state is 100 acres of the school section iy-
ing between Lake Union and Lake Wash
jngton. The land is finely situated for
university, for it is slightly rolling and
sufficiently high to be free from dampness
and TO afford a good view of both lakes.
As the section is school land. the timber
has never been touched except for the
opening Of the county road and the rail-
way.
Some weeks ago the university land and
building commissioners gave directions 70
Fred G.. Plummer, the engineer, to
clear a belt 1900 feet wide right
across the track from lake to lake; and to
grade the site for the principal building
and the campus. Mr. Piummer went at
the task with energy and soon had the
trees felled on quite large tract; and
week ago a force OF graders, under III. p.
yerrnilye as superintendent, was put TO
work. At the same time the cyclone
stump-puIIer of J. G. Sharp began opera
tons.
a. posr-ISTELLIGEScER reporter who Wis
tied the spot yesterday afternoon came
npon busy scene. There was a large
clearing in the forest so that man could
look from lake to lake.
In one corner of the opening were the
sheds for the teams. temporary building
for the men who take care of them, and
cookhouse where they and others who
choose to do so can take their meals. The
teams, with the scrapers and harness, were
furnished by Contractor Fay, who was the
lowest bidder, at $4.25 for each outfit.
"The men have been hired" said Engi-
neer Plummer. "as they have come TO US
for work. Most of them are from Seattle,
and must say that they are the best force
for such work that have ever seen gotten
together"
As one enters the clearing he can see the
different squads of men, some telling trees,
some grading and some pulling stumps,
while all around are the burning heaps of
brushwood.
A lot of logs have been built into long
crib to support a railroad switch which
crosses the ground from the track to the
site of the main building The timber,
stone and other material will be hauled
over this switch. Much of the timber on
the ground is rather scrubby and hardly
worth saving. SO il is being burned up to
get it out Of the way.
Though only one building will be erected
at present, yet others will be needed as the
University grows, and so this first and
main building will be so located that
others may be put up afterward on good
sites. There is ridge sweeping to the
north and east, and the plan is to have the
line of buildings stand on this and face
east and southeast toward Lake Washing
ton. Between them and the lake will be
the campus. The site is a beautiful one,
with the waters of the lake in the fore
ground, and in the background the wooded
foothills, and snowy line of Cascade
mountains. In the rear is Lake Union,
and beyond it glimpses of the Olympics.
The highest point on the ridge is seventy
six feet above the level of Lake Washing
ton, but it will be graded to sixty-three be-
fore the building is begun. This cut will
furnish the filling for nearly the whole
building site line, which is about 1000 feet
long; so that in future years comparative
" little grading will be necessary, and,
with this stretch of land put in shape, the
grounds will always be more or less at
tractiye. The stretch for the buildings
tafr al,
campus some thirty more. A few clumps
of pretty trees will be left, but the dues-
ton of landscape gardening will, of course.
be more fully considered later.
A well has been dug on the ground.
which gives very clear cold water. There
has been some typhoid fever around Lake
Union, resulting, it is believed, from water
receiving only surface drainage. This
we'll has accordingly been dug down
twenty-four feet, where spring is reached.
The University commission may decide to
drive an arteSian well for the regular
source of supply for the University.
The stump pulier is an interesting ma
chine and many people come to watch it
every day. heavy chain of steel links
two inches through is fastened
around the stump at its base
fixed so as to draw tight as the pressure is
applied. This chain then runs up over
the top of the stump so that the force NAV
have leverage by pulling at the top. 4
two-inch wire rope runs nearly to the ma
chine and then is fastened to a chain
which the machine takes up link by link.
somewhat on the principle of capstan.
The power is applied by horses winding
wheel chain geared to a smaller one. which
pulls on the stump line As the rope
tghtens slowly the stump bends slightly.
she ground around shakes, and finally the
whole mass of earth and roots is SLOWLY
but steadily lifted into the air.
4 charge of powder is put into the earth
under the middle of the stump. and this
blows the soil of and splits the roots
apart They are then gathered up and
burned 1t costs 500 a day To operate the
puller, hut as it can take thirty or forty
stumps day, the process is much cheaper
and much completer than grubbing at
nom - TO SIS stump.
The intention is TO get as much work as
possible done while the fair weather lasts
90 that the grounds wilt be in fair shane hv
the time the rainy season begins in earnest
Seattle University.
Workmen are busy clearing the oy-o,,,, 4,