The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-01-30
SEWERS AND STREETS
Interesting Report for Last
Year by the City Engineer.
GREAT COST OF THE TUNNELS.
The Lake Union Sewer to Cost e9e. 600
More, but the South Tunnel Within
Estimate of 500 600.

| oertaklngs o. more than zslai importance
! under wy. the details o. which II vas
| found best 70 continue close Up 20 the end
| Of last year. Chief among these = the r.
/ Io-s o. City Engineer Thomson, whose re-
/ port embraces the construction On the
/ water system, Ihs sewerage system IN
| Guiding the Lake Union and the South
/ sewer tunnels and stree. work under the
/ amended charter.
Mr.. Thomson vas appointed n May,
/ 1ss-. and he has made no changes for Pc
/ Iitlcal reasons, but 80 far as found COM
/ peEeat has retained the assis;anto en-
/ ployed az the time OF his appointment.
! Special mention should De made Of II. ".
Scott, the first assistant. whose long se-v-
! ice n the department. has made him 8
/ most valuable enpioye Of the city.
The repor. is i very yoluni8ous docu-
/ rnens, and would occupy several columns
/ OF the PosT-ISTEILIGEycEE- Much OF Il,
! however, while exceedingly valuable, IS
not Of general interest, and 10 those con-
cerned in the technical details i. will be
/ found most available when published with
/ The other reports.
! The new provisions Of the charter ne
cessitate a large amount of additional
| Work in the department upon every petit
| ton presented. Petitions mus. receive
/ signatures Of the owners of majority OF
| the 'front-footage" on the street 10 be
/ improved. each front foo: being considered
on the basis OF depth Of I'D feet, Or TO
the center line ofrectanguiar blocks OF less
! than 80 feet between streets. Before any
! WORK is commenced or expense in
| CURED, ii is the duty Of the department, TO
| check the ownership Of every slgner by
| comparison with an abstract Of title, 10
| calculate the "front-footage" on the pre-
! scribed basis from the number Of square
| feet in the district 70 De assessed, and thus
ascertain if all the charter requirements
| have been complied with. While this
| necessary examination has in many in
| stances DELAYED and in some cases pre-
vented the progress OF petitions, il has
| certainly saved much expense and respon-
sibiiity, which has frequently heretofore
been ''saddied" upon the city by reason of
ill-considered petitions and hasty con-
! tracts.
The peculiar arrangement Of streets IN
some portions Of the city and defective
| plating in others have added 10 the
causes Of delay. Two notable instances
are TO be found the Denny & Hoyt addi-
ton and Edes d knight addition. La the
first named the plat contains no 'ties'' or
dimensions by which to locate large por-
ton OF the streets and lots, or to calculate
the areas within assessment districts. Be-
| fore proceeding with the numerous petit
tons TOR street Improvement from that
| addition, il has been necessary, at large
expense, to survey the entire addition anC
| determine from existing stakes and land
marks the exact dimensions of the lots,
| blocks and streets. This work has been
| carefully done and the surveyors are now
completin; large map showing the re-
suits Of these surveys and establishing
| definitely all lines in the addtiol
The following table explains Itself:
! MILEAGE OF STREET IMPaovExESTs
Ales
! Length Of streets completed prior TO May
Leasih OF street. completed IRON May 81,
! .. to June 30, lssj ..............-... IL 90
! Le9gta OF streets completed from June 80,
| 1890, to November ~ 1891. ......-........ S IS
| Length OF streets completed from Noyen-
Der "a ls9l, TO January /. leJl I7.ol
Length OF streets completed from January
], l.9.. to January /, 1858 ..-.......... To- 03
Length OF streets competed but not men
TONED In former reports NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 205
Total length Of streets completed to
| Length of streets partly completed ..... go
| Leagth Of streets under construction jan
| uury l. 1898 Observation-Disclosures. s. Is
Length oil streets pctitioned to be i'm
proven ...--..--..-.-- ....-.--...- 10. 81
After referring to the decision in the
JEANNE McHugh Brown case, which
| compelled the suspension OF action Of
man petitions for grade work. he re-
| marks that under the most favorable cir
cumstances it requires At least four months
for streets petitioned for by the mode of
| ~, -, an -
for actual work TO commence.
On the subject of street repairs Mr..
Thomson relates the difficulties to be over
| come in stopping the slide on South Four
teenth street. and the method adopted by
him Is exceedingly ingenious. A ditch is
dug, at the bottom OF which is laid ten
inch sewer pipe with open Joints and nu-
merous VS. The ditch is then filled with
broken rock, through which the water
seeps, and is carried off by the pipe.
OF more general interest are the sugses.
tons as to paving the business streets. Mr..
| Thomson says:
/, has been the custom in our city to supple.
mens the first grading improvement, when
necessary, with FIR planking laid at the general
expense. In this manner all of our business
streets and a few of the main thoroughfares u
the outlying districts have been rendered avail.
hOie ioI aHt Il biAi ifaVtI Oi the CITY. Other
residence streets not thus favored with faciii.
ties are. for several months in the rainy season
frequently almost impossible. II would seem
that the question OF paved streets for our bust.
ness districts aud hard roads for outlylug
routes Of travel, must be met al an early date
The cost of maintenance OF and repairs TO orr
panked streets is OF itself large item ssice
from tho injurious effect. upon the public
health, resulting from the decay OF vegetabI.
matter and It's diffusion into the atmosphere
Tae Development, Of the process of prod uciug a
quality Of brick unexcetled for paving purposes
has been well indicated by the tests OF brick
submitted for lining our sewer tunnels With
the establishment OF large plants tributary to the
city, Involving the Use Of home resource.
and labor, capable OF producing form q!
brick suitable Tor substantial street paving
in any desired quantity, II would seem
that the problem OF street paving in Seattle
m!ght be- brought 10 a speedy solution The
good roads which have usually resulted from
the use az "lnaCadam" comments IL 20 NE A.
the most suitable, available and permanent
method OF impEovl our outlying streets es.
! peclaIly sucn as are wei.-travelei avenues or
communication 10 the suburbs OF the civ IL
is not within my province 10 discuss the rnode
BY which these improy eneuts should lie made
whether a. general expense or by assessment
districts but !; is my opinion that some general
devised and carried into execution a. an esrlv
| date,
The story Of the work on the Lake Union