The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-11-30
Tacoma's Wharves on the EDGE
of a Dangerous Pit.
SOME OF THEM HAVE SLID IN.
he Supposed Tidal Wave Due 10 a
Submarine Landslide.
Two Lives Were Lost. . Man and .
Woman-The Finanesai Lees Net
Large. but the Feasibility Of Filling
In Dock Room 10 New Doubsfai

TACOMA. Nov. % "A second section of
the Northern Pacific Puge. sound freight
warehouse caved in shortly after IL O'Clock
tonight. This section was I'D feet in
length, and il leaves but forty-five feet Of
the warehouse remaining, Jus, north OF
the section which went last night Part
OF the warehouse went into the water and
part OF IL remains suspsnded on the docks
edge. Ali the freight was removed today.
The slides. last nights and tonight's. oe-
CURED just little before low tide. II is
feared more OF the made land will go.
TACOMA, Nov. 29-FSpecisl. l--Investi-
cation proves eoneluslvely that last
nights great landslide was caused By
neither tidal wave aor an earthquake.
Commencement bay has very steep
shores. Just outside the Northern Pacific
docks the bank slopes into deep water at
an angie OF A. degrees. Fifty feet from
the dock the water is $50 20 200 feet in
depth. At great expense the railroad had
put IN solid docks of made land, supported
or the water eide by a rock wall built
against piling driven into the mud. This
was not strong enough TO bear the i'm
mense pressure. aud when the high bank
further up had been made slippery and
loose by recent rains the outer edge of tbs
dock began TO slide, and finally gave way,
precipitating into deep water one of the
most valuable portions OF the water front.
The submerged strip Is !. 500 feet long aud
200 in width.
Two persons were kiiled-Emma Ssubbs,
the i5-year-osd step-daughter of Ii. III.
Aiger. boathouse proprietor, and John
Hansen, the night watchman, who was
carried down with the engine house con-
tanning the boiler and pumps which fur
nishsd the power with which the bluff side
was being washed down by hydraulic pro-
cess and the remainder of the wharves
filled in beneath. A few minutes before
the slide Hansen had been talking with
Policeman keene. The latter 10 certain
that Hansen had no chance of escape.
Neither of the bodies has been recovered.
Superintendent McCabe says the perma-
nent damage to the railroad docks will not
amount 10 over 81. 600 The work OF repair
ing the Ocean dock, where the San Fran
cisco steamers land, will commence tomcr-
row. but the rebuilding of the seawail for
!, 800 feet will be deferred until the chief en-
gineer at st. Paul can decide what plan
shall be adopted TO insure future perma-
nence. This will take ten days or two
weeks. The south end of the Sound ware
house, in which were the offices of the
cashier and twenty freight clerks, went
down in the crash. The safs contained
s.. 40 IN cash and valuable papers worth
$1,000. IL was supposed that this safe and
the valuable freight records had been sunk
in 30 feet of water. but this evening
the two-story building in which the freight
Offices were located was found partly sub
merged on the beach at Gig harbor, eight
miles away. The safe and records are now
supposed to be safe. diver had been
telegraphed for to come and search for
them. The damage 20 shipping will
amount to from 81 600 to 5000. and other
losses can be literally estimated at Sl,oo0
The total property loss is, therefore,
within $4,000 The damage to shipping
consists OF sinking and injuring five small
steamers, which were tied up alongside
the docks which caved in.
The serious problem connected with LAST
nights slide OF one and half acre. of
seasau docks into Puget sound is regard
ing the possibility OF the rock foundation
Of the main dock filling giving way.
should this foundation prove insecure, a
retaining seawali OF some description
would have to be built a. an outlay of
$500 600 which, with the expense already
incurred would bring the total expenditure
up to s.. .ooo. coo. Thus far :he rock iounda-
ton. except on the site of pioneer saw
mill formerly known as the old Hatch
mill. has suceumbed TO the pressure Of the
filing of earth and gravel washed from
the big bluff lust back of the Ocean docks
The old Hatch mill was one Of the land
marks on the docks until the Northern
Pacific began its extensive dock improve
ments. In the course of the life of the mill
great quantities OF sawdast and old slabs
were deposited in its vicinity, and as late
AZ last summer the tides used 10 ooze up
through a subterranean passage inside Of
the outer seawall. forming pool on the
site OF the old mill. Careful observers have
alwavs maintained that the filing on the
site of the sswmili would sooner or later
bulge out, carrying portion of the dock
with Il, unless new ptling was pat in.
This new piiing was not pus In. Super
sntendent MeCAbe. Of the Northern
Pacific, who, however. was not here
when the sswmiu was in opera
tlon. is OF the opinion that the
rock foundation rested on the end OF
CAV stratum, aud that these rocks have
slipped OF the end % the clay bed. This
theory Is siren StaeDea bN tAe iAct mat,
even beyond the limits Of the sawmill
there hiss been some settling OF the dock
filing. ON the other hand, those Who are
surs that the saEmill debris caused the
settling claim that when the nlling on the
mill site cagssd the docks 80 tumble into
the bay. carrying away portion Of the
freight house. the seawsil was weakened
for a considerable distance outside OF the
mill site, Bat that this did not indicate
that the mAia body of the rock found&-
toa vas necessarily weakened.
Tne Sasie Is ~ the bottom OF the bay IN
deep vste-, and &. wtll hardly bs possible
"a raise her. The Drive IS sunk. bat can
be raised. The City Of Columbia had her
stern house stove IN With email damage,
and the Stampede. which was lying on 8
r-iairon high and dry. vas lifted by the
inmense wave and carried % the middle
Of the hay without being injured. TA!s
rspresents the damage done 20 shipping
As they are sll small pleasure launches il
a.ses not amount 20 a grsA; deal