The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-10-06
FOURTEENTH STREET SLIDE.
City Engineer Thomson Proposes q
Remedy.


The most important business before the board
OF pubic works yesterday was the reading OF
report by City Engineer Thomson on the Four.
teenth street slide, a. follows:
Some ninety days since there was referred to
me aquestion OF so improving south Fourteenth
street. between Lane and Canal streets, as to
efectuay prevent further slides in this district.
As y0u are aware. this street within that limit,
as originally constructed. was All. in varying
depth OF between five and about thirty feet, and
this I'LL was unfortunately placed upon .
stratum Of broken aud pulverized clay. which
OVERLAND bed OF very hard and smooth clay. so
dampeped by water its tendency was to move
upon the smooth surface below. There has
been such an extensive movement along this
slide, however, that there ID q possibility that
this stratum OF pulvsrized clay has been
displaced, and that In Its stead We
have, throughout large portion OF this block,
hard sub-stratum before referred to to the sur.
face. II that is true natural causes have by this
means prepared the ground DO that the labor OF
hereafter maintaining our street Will be lighter.
There Ii no labor which We can perform, how.
ever, which viii fully secure this street from
the danger Of slides while the brick works i'm
mediatsly below shis block continue TO remove
the earth which constitutes the natural toe 70
the slope of the street But while that con-
tinues We can, by cutting off the water from the
upper side of the street, probably 20 protect this
fil as to render it safe for the present To re-
move this water would suggest tho following
action be taken:
from Weller street along South Fourteenth
street to point tfty feet south OF the south line
OF Lane street
Along the west margin OF the street, excavate
Q ditch three feet in width the entire length OF
this block. from Lane street 10 Canal street, a
distance of GIL feet: that the bottom of this
ditch be taken to the surface OF the hard sub
stratum heretofore mentioned. Then lay thereon
the entire length Of the block, drst, . strip of
plank four inches In thickness and twelve
inches in width: second, along the top OF this
plank, continuous lire OF l0-inch sewer pipe,
the same 70 he laid with open joints aud with
numerous US opening to the Westward and
third. that we I'LL the bottom OF this ditch and
TO a distance OF four or Ave feet above this pipe
with carefully lard broken rock, and that the
whole OF the remainder OF the ditch be filed
with rock and coarse gravel to the very
surface, and that there be two Y's
leading from this buried p.ps IN the
ditch 10 the sewer pipe: the first one TO open
about fifty feet south OF Lane street, the second
one from the end Of the pipe into the sump near
the south side OF Lane street, and that there be
various short connections run in same manner
To the westward shd into the lands OF Beacon
place
The entire coss 81 this improvement will be In
the neig boThood OF S3,00n. but I know of no
cheaper method which would be OF any value;
! and ii this plan herein suggested be faithfully
again pass under the street, and that the only
aldo that can ever be occasioned hereafter will
be by reason of the removal OF the earth by
making brick to the eastward.
The remainder of the business related entirely
to the laying Of water pipes and repairs on alleys
and streets.