The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-11-11
TO PREVENT FLOODS.
Farmers Urgently Demand an
Immediate Remedy.
ENLARGE THE LAKE OUTLET.
Causes Of the Frequent FIeods and the
ReIief-Beseats 10 Cifr, County
and FaI mer&

White. Green, Duwami-h. Black. Cedar
ana saramsmixh rivers is again here and
has aroused the sufferers from il 70 new
movement for relief The subject has
been taken up b. William Cocarane. Pat
rick Hayes. Henry II. Western. George
BoshelI and Others Of the leading men in
tsrested. and they are moving for ifnmedi-
ate relief by the widening and deepening
Of the Lake Warrington outlet 50 IS 10
take care Il the food water.
The drainage system Of the Lake WASH
ington and White river watersheds Is 50
con- Iicated that in order to thoroughly
understand the remedy proposed il neesss
explanation and map at hand. Lake
Washington receives on the north the
waters Of the Sammamish slough, wind
ing sluggish stream which carries of the
drainage Of Lake Sammamish through q
swampy valley On the south il receives.
when Low, the waters of Black river and
with IL those Of Cedar river. but, when the
lake is full. 1t turns the current OF Black
river in the opposite direction and forces
IL 20 discharge to the southwest into the
nuwamish. The Duwamish is formed by
the union OF the Black with the White
river, the latter on It's course from the
glaciers of Mount Rainier having been
swollen by seceiving the waters of Green
river.
To carry off the drainage of the great
interior watershed of the lakes and of this
network of rivers there are only two out
lets IN the Sound--the Duwamish river
aud the small cansl from Lake Washing
ton through Lake q MON and into Salmon
BAY The latter is small channel cut
through the portage by the Washington
improvement Company for the nErpose Of
floating logs into Lake Union and Salmon
bay and running small steamers through.
Thus Back river and the Duwamish are
the only outlet with the exception of this
small stream by which the drainage of
four rivers is carried TO the Sound, let
alone the watershed of the lakes which
they also have to care for. Experience
has proved that four into one WON'T 90.
The result is that by the time White river
has been swollen by such rain as has fallen
in the last few days and has accommodated
the equally swollen Green river, it is hank
full. When it reaches the mouth Of Black
river il has fight for an outlet 10 the
Sound. Black river, reinforced by Cedar
and the lakes, runs like millrace and the
stronger torrent wins. The weaker is
~
which line It's banks In fact. both val
leys are flooded. for they intersee. at so
nearly the same level that back water from
one spreads over into the other. Lake
Washington is backed up and the whole
Sammamish valley is flooded. the bottom
lands OF Black river and of Cedar
river around Renton, OF White river
and at the mouth of Green river are dell
A
crops are ruined or damaged. The damage
done by these floods In former years has
been estimated at hundreds of thousands
of dollars. eaough to have remedied the
evil several times over. AS more land has
been cleared 1t has grown worse. for the
water, no longer retained by the vegeta-
tion. has emptied into the streams more
quickly. AS the floods grew worse the
amount of property which they could dam
age increased, for the clearing of the land
is followed by the creation of rich farms
where virgin vegetation had wallowed in
swamps without suffering.
Several beginnings at providing rem
edy have been made, but they have been
in the nature of pouring water back into
an overlooking bowl. The county commits
sioners have expended a good deal of
money on surveys for drainage bitches IN
the White, Black and Sammamish valleys.
but they have sought no additional outlet
tor the Hood water into the Sound. Some
Of the farmers have gone to great expense
in laying tile drains on their land, but
these are useless when the rivers into
which they discharge are already full to
Overlooking. There is only one way to
get rid OF the plague of water and that is
10 carry il direct 70 the sea by providing a
new or charging the old channel.
This is what the farmers propose TO do
and they do not propose TO wait till law
makers and lawyers have had their say.
They say they want relief now ana they
propose going the surest way about getting
it-hy helping themselves. They look for
relief 10 the widening and deepening of
the Lake Washington canal at the portage.
They propose 10 cut the present canal 10 a
width of iiity feet ut the bottom and to
deepen il 10 about the level of Lake Union.
and 10 deal in the same way with the out
let from Lake Union to Salmon bay. The
farmers who have taken the matter up say
that they are willing 20 contribute towards
the expense of the work. which they esti-
mate at $4,000 to $4,000. and they will
ask the city. the county AMI the owners
OF lake front property to bear their share,
as al would be benefited. They do not
expect any opposition from the Washing
ton Improvement Company, for they
wouiy be improving It's logging stream.
They propose 10 have the work done by
days Work and not BY contract. 50 tha,
any OF them who please can work ont
their share of the cost and all fear of lob
berry may be avoided. One proposal is TO
increase the capital stock of the Washing.
ton Improvement Company TO provide the
funds.
Several foreihle arguments for this plan
are urged. Ii is con,endsd that the an.
| !aTged canal would carry off the water az
The whole lake watershed. including the
S2mmamlsh ryer, and take that OF Cedar
river as veil. The locks would be re-
| moved, and no obstacle 10 the fraa
| flow Of water would exist. Cedar river
/ Being turned permanently into Lake
/ Washington, aud the lake prevented from
/ dlseharg'ng Itself through Black river into
/ TIE hus Aioish, the latter stream wonI5 10
/ !eit tree TO carry OF the waters of White
and Green rivers. which it could comfort
/ ably do, a. fully two-ihirds of the water.
/ sAe3 now draining into the Duwami.b
- tributary - the lakes and Caas-
{ river. This would drain the sam.
manlsh valley. reclaim Iarga
/ Haci % land along the shore.
| q Doth lakes Washington and Sanlmam.
} $50, prevent the overflow Of the bottom,
lands OF the White. Is .sck and Dawami.h
/ rivers snd the backing ap OF the Cedar a.
{ krnEDn- and Mia -.tE-r- - 80,