The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-01-01

etu AL P4oNSintutS Oh u PUBIC nature HafS
been going on rapidly, and at present there
are forty-hve brick and stone business
blocks, within the fire limits, costing over
100000. OF these all were completed this
year with the exception of four bricks,
which were finished late last winter.
OF those completed this year the banking
house of Ben E. Snipes e Co., on the cor
ner Of Pearl and Fourth streets, takes the
lead, and probably there is nothing in fin
ish and beauty of design, both inside and
out, in the West, that will excel it, as no
expense has been spared in its construc-
ton. Next comes the public school build
ing now under construction. It is eighty
feet high with basement, and covers
block of ground, and when completed will
cost $4,000. In style it is Gothic with
Queen Anne roof and tower over the main
entrance lbs feet high, for which the city
has purchased town clock costing 81, 900.
The building is constructed of brick, tin
ished with cut stone and terra Gotta trim
mings, will be heated by hot air, and when
completed will accommodate 600 pupils.
1t has twelve school rooms, with a large
general assembly room. gymnasium, boys
and girls play room, and will contain all
the latest and most approved educational
facilities obtainable.
The city has secured block of sixteen
lots for the erection of the Normal school
which was located here by the last legisla-
ture, and will be built as soon as the lands
granted to the two schools in the state,
amounting to 100000 acres, are available.
In the meantime rooms in the new public
school have been rendered for the use of
the state until the Normal building is con-
structed.
The Northern Pacific railway has now
under construction here brick machine
and car shops and a roundhouse, which,
when all are completed, will cost over
100000 and employ about 100 men. At
present the roundhouse will contain
eighteen stalls, and is so built that others
can be added as needed. The machine
shops will be very complete and be capable
of doing all kinds of heavy work. In the
car shops all kinds of repairing will
be done, and, if necessary, freight
cars can be built entire. In adj
dition to this the company will put
in 5000 feet more of sidetrack. AS soon as
the weather permits in the spring, they
will begin the construction of large two
story brick passenger depot, with division
offices, costing about $4,000, for the ac-
commodation of their rapidly increasing
business here. There are numerous other
splendid buildings in the city, including
the Davidson block, with 300 feet frontage,
costing $4,000; the Shoudy block, with
$50 feet frontage costing $65, 600: the Kreidle
block, with 1876 feet frontage, costing $40, 900;
the Masonic temple, costing SIS, 900, which
probably has as hnely-hnished and COM
plete lodge room as any in the state; but to
describe them properly with their pressed
brick fronts, terra Gotta, cut stone and gall
vanized iron trimmings, would take more
space than is available for this article.
In the construction of residences little
has been done this season, only forty-two
dwellings having been erected during the
year, at cost of nearly 100000. This
small showing is caused by the fact that
nearly all the money available was needed
by the merchants on account of their heavy
losses in the great tire, also by the great
activity in other building lines.
On October the city voted bonds to the
amount of $15i 900 for the purpose of es-
tablishing water-works and a sewerage
now in use, which the town has outgrown;
ttoO W Lldkt OtAS< Improvements III a pun
lie nature. After exhaustive experiments
and comparisons for water-works force
system was adopted, with powerful auxil-
larry pumps and engines located at the
Yakima river, one mile west of here. This
stream rises in the Cascade mountains,
where it is fed by immense springs, and
lows for its entire length through rocky
channel, which acts as natural filterer,
and leaves the water clear, pure and spark
ling. The system will cost $40 900 TO $780,
600 and is intended to accommodate
a city of 10000 people. At present
about ten miles of cast-iron pipe
will be laid, with the principal
mains twelve inches in diameter, and
the lateral ones SIX to ten inches. For FIRE
purposes hydrants will be placed atNevery
corner throughout the thickly settled por-
ton of the town. The pumping engines
will have capacity sufficient to maintain
a fire pressure of forty-eight pounds, equal
to head of 200 feet, which viii allow ten
simultaneous streams of water to be thrown
distance of Ito feet each. This in con-
nection with our paid ire department, will
give Ellensburg protection that will be I'M
equalled and assist materially in further
reducing insurance rates.
Connected with the water-works will be
a complete system of sewerage, to cost
S35, 600 At present from seven to eight
miles Of pipe will be laid. The principle
mains viii be fifteen inches in diameter
and others eight inches. No surface con-
nections will be made with the sewers, on
account of no severe storms. Work Will
begin on both systems as early in the
spring as the weather viii permit.
Last August, at cost of $50, 900, the city
purchased of the stockholders the electric
light plant here Since then it bought
300-horse-power Corliss engine for $li COO
and is now placing it in position to supply
the power for rapidly increasing orders,
which cannot be Tiled at present on ac-
count of the small capacity of the engine.
There are now eighty arc lights, of which
more than half are large street lamps, and
800 incandescent lights in use, which num-
Der will be more than doubled as soon as
the new engine is running. The city also
expects TO establish day service to furnish
power TO run small manufactures, printing
presses, laundries, houring mills, planning
mills, sawmills, ETC., besides reducing the
price of lights about . per cent, or as low
as practicable without loss.
The ElIensburg & Northeastern Railway
Company was organized two years ago by
Ellensburg and Tacoma capitalists, with
capital stock of SIC, 900 900, for the purpose
of building railroad from here TO the
Columbia river, there to connect with
steamers running up the river to point
about twenty-five miles from the 0kan-
ogan mines Here another road viii be
constructed to the mines. The line has
been surveyed, cross-sectioned and right
of-way purchased There were also ten