The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-02-16
\ OFFER TO TRADE.
r1nite Effort to Get Rid Of
the Rams Horn.
WHARF OWNERS BLAME THE CRY.
~ oaer 70 Add . Strip - Railroad
Aysass-The Cisy's srokss BAR
gsis-U. r. Receivers Roasted.

fsss which would bs affected by the re-
& tn;Iding OF the rams horn tracks have
- gone TO work In dead earnest to
akurs IN alternative risht-of-way 20 cfyer
y the Columbia h Puget Sound and
yWfhern Pacific railroads. The plan
les the form OF . petition 70 the city
Uenrii for the widening of Railroad
evsnue BY the addition OF thirty feet on
~ east side from Columbia street through
- wharves 70 the vicinity OF Virginia
asess. the property owners agreeing 10
lonate this strip on condition that il 10
granted to the railroads named a. . right
s<ssT and that the ram s-horn 10 aban-
dsned. This petition has been signed by
fhe following property owners interested:
II. III. Pease, sutriiffe Baxter for him.
MI and the Guy q. Phinney estate. A. A.
Dsnny, J. j. Post, David Gilmore, Dobson
4 Denton. the Union Trust Company by
y O. Graves, The Starr estate by Eliza
Starr, the Puget Mill Company, Amos
Brown. Seattle Lumber and Commercial
Company and j. n. Colman."
Other signatures are expected today. and
his hoped by the circuiators Of the petit
ton that the receivers Of the Lake Shore
road will not throw any obstacle in the
var.
Those interested In this movement CON-
plain that the city has not dealt fairly
With them in the rams horn controversy.
and say that even IL this exchange is
made they viii have sacrificed more than
they have gained by the transaction. all
through the failure Of the city TO carry out
the agreement entered when Railroad
avenue was LAID ont after the great IRE.
Their position In the matter was thus
stated by Capt. David Gilmore yesterday !:
Both we and the city desired TO get
this rams horn track out of the Way as il
went winding across lots and blocks. cut
ting up property so ~ TO almost destroy
It's value. In order TO get all the railroads
together on one street, and thus get rid Of
this winding track. the city laid out Rail-
road avenue. for which purpose we decided
n 10 feet on the water front, On the dis
tinct understanding that the Columbia AZ
Puget sound and Northern Pacific roads
should be given thirty-foot franchise on
the inside In exchange for the rams
horn, which Was TO be given TO the
owners OF abutting properly. Not only
did We give 40 feet for Railroad avenue.
but rs part OF the same arran cement we
gave the city sixty-six feet for West street
and twenty feet for the widening of Post
street, making In all, with the thirty feet
We now offer. 236 feet that we gave away,
while we retained only 30 feet between
the east side of Post street and the west
away over half our property in
order to prevent the remainder
from being cut TO pieces by
this track. though We might have
compelled the city TO pay heavy damages
under condemnation proceedings. Now
the city has failed TO carry out its part Of
tho bar gain and get oil the railroads out
Pail nv ht9f hua Atvs A.
street among other railroads until IL has
nothing left to trade with. Ii has left the
property owners to tight q battle in the
courts to recover what IL (the city1 had
agreed to give us in trade for what We had
given up. and now We are threatened
with the destruction of our property
By the city's failure TO keep It's contract.
Yet We are willing to give another strip OF
thirty feet on condition that IL IL applied
20 the purpose for which IL 10 given-re-
heving Us from the menace Of this rams
horn. We have always desired to sec the
railroads fairly dealt with, but we claim
that. as we furnished the city with the
means of making trade with them, it Is
the citys business TO carry out Its side of
the bargain. So tar We have been left In
the lurch."
c. j. Smith. the general manager of the
/ Oregon Improvement Company, which
ewns the Columbia & Puget Sound road.
was asked for his opinion OF the trade. but
said he did not care to discuss il until he
had definite proposition before him.
Pending the decision of Judge Langley
on the Coiman restraining order today,
work was suspended at all points on tho
tontentious right-oi-way yesterday. The
only thing moving along IL was the earth,
which squeezed down on IL in muddy
nass at the foot of Virginia street and
covered up all the space which had been
cleared on the previous day, threatening
the stability of Shantytown with some
cminous cracks far up the hillside.