The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-05
WHITE RIVER DITCH.
Report Of Engineer Wegener
on the Easterly Scheme.
vERYLow ASSESSMENT NEEDED.
Automatic Sluice Box to Close Black
STRAIGHTFORWARD OF Acres Would
Be Reclaimed.

o. F. Wegener, the engineer who made the
survey for the two proposed drainage dItcnes IN
the White river valley. from Kent to Black
river, will today file with the county COM
missioners his maps, plats. specifications, esti-
m ates, ETC., for the ditch on the eastery side OF
the Northern Pacific railroad. Those for the
westerly ditch are to be sent in week later
The engineer says in his report on the easterly
ditch:
1t is about seven and one-half miles long and
will be on an average five feet deep ana SIX ana
one-half feet wide. II ia a very nuch needeo
improvement, thoroughly practical. and can be
built st very low price owing TO the TACT tnac
the ditch has been located so as to take IN the
old sloughs, where very little work Is needed,
and the many private bitches built by the dill
ferent land owners. With the saving thus OBJ
tanned in the work, the ditch will cost only llt4
cents per running foot, and the assessment on
the property owners viii be very. ngnt
The exact figures OF the length and cost are
given in the estimate as follows:
Total length. 39.s92 feet.
12.soL So cubic yards OF excavation at
81 2-a days work of clearing at So per
Oay. 1oo co
For bridging. reilling. building sluice
box, surveying, etc. ..-...---......... l,oio OF
Total cost SAM 81
The end OF the ditch at Black river is finished
of with q substantial gluice box fastened to
plies driven for the purpose, and provided with
before the water from Black river can enter
through the sluice and flood the land. When
the wa1er III the river falls the gate opens itself
and the ditch resumes its operation of draining
Oft the rain water.
The grade of the new ditch will be Oh feet per
mile OF length, with ayeiocity OF nine-eieveuths
OLD OF mile per hour ard a capacity OF about
$1,000 cubic feet per hour, sufficient TO carry OF
ali the rain water that can fall in the district to
be drained and on the adjoining hills, as quick
as il reaches the ditch.
The area of farm land drained is 2e24 So 100
acres OF the finest bottom land in King county.
which will be, through the construction OF this
ditch, drained so as 10 suffer no more from any
accumulations of rain water. The assessment
has been divided into two classes, the lower
lands paying 81 per acre and the ADJOINING
higher lands 81 cents per acre.
The engineer recommends that those owners
whose private bitches are to be used in this
public ditch receive rebate on their assessment
TO the amount of the cost OF the improvement
done by them. He further recommends that
special regulations be made by the county COM
sioners to keep people from throwing brush and
timber in the ditch, and particularly to prevent
ii from being used as a sewer, as the people on
the lower part OF the ditch are using its waters
for drinking purposes and for their cattle. And
as the milk OF the latter is sold extensively in
Seattle ii should be made a criminal ofense to
dirty the water of the new ditch
The engineer adds that the law regarding the
location OF such ditch work is very strict and
that the whole of it had not only to be calcu-
lated in the most minute manner, but that
prices had to be given, above which the con-
tractors are not allowed to bid. But the couse-
querce of this rule is, that the whole cost of
this improvement is known before it has been
commenced and that there will be no extra
bills to be paid to the contractors. The work
has been divided in eleven working sections,
which will be contracted out separately, so that
the owners OF the land may have an oppor-
tunity to take the contracts themselves.