The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-07-10

which aggregate 80 feet, making the cost
chargeabie TO the city Si4,4s5. About
? 400 lineal feet would be assessable
against AUDITING property. the estimated
cost being ISL, $50 and the total cost
$50. SIS. As only $4,000 has been levied
for street intersections this year and coz
siderable appropriations have already
been made from the fund, il is evidently
not enough to do half the work proposed.
One-half of the west side of the streets
fill sustained by wooden retaining walls
unft to sustain foundation for perma-
nent pavement. He pronounees it unwiss
to spend public or private funds on per-
manens pavement until secure founda-
ton is established and says masonry re-
tanning walls must be built as far as Union
street before a permanent roadway can be
secured. From Yesler avenue 10 Marion
street the roadway is secured, but from
Marion street north only two or three west
frontages are secured. He suggests that
the corporation counsel be consulted about
getting property owners TO build retaining
walls.
As regards curling, he says granite is
the proper material, and he believes it to
be the general desire TO have il, concrete
curbs not having stood the wear of heavy
traffic and requiring protection by pianks
to prevent crumbling. The charter allows
no credit for such curbing allowed TO re-
main and there are difficulties, but Mr..
Thomson recommends that when paved
the street be curbed with granite through
out the paving district.
Regarding conduits for water and gas
pipes and electric wires Mr.. Thomson sees
no wisdom in laying an expensive and
permanent pavement on any street until
the necessity for opening the surface is re-
duced TO q minimum. and he continues:
"a system of conduits easily accessible
should be devised and established. By
setting apart as conduit spaces one-half of
the area space under each sidewalk next
adjoining the roadway all difficulties of
this kind can be avoided. The conduit
spaces thus established could be separated
from the adjoining basement area 10y eight
to twelve inch brick walls. All water, gas,
steam-heating and other pipes, also all
telegraph, telephone and electric wires
should be removed and properly disposed
within the limits of these conduit spaces,
where they will be easily accessible. Side
sewers should also be laid from the main
sewer IN the center OF the street
to the limit of the roadway.
where connections can be made without
disturbing the paved surface or impairing
the foundation. 1t is possible that the
establishment of conduit spaces as herein
outlined will involve legal considerations
as TO the right of the city to appropriate
part of the sidewalk areas now in use. /
therefore suggest that advice on this point
be obtained from the corporation counsel.
Mr.. Thomson then calls attention to the
need of abolishing the box sewers between
James street and Yesler avenue, referred
to in his separate report. He then
asks more definite instructions on the
limits of the district to be paved;
character of the curling to be
required; construction of retaining
walls; establishment of conduit spaces
and disposition of pipes and wires thereon.
He submits an estimate for brick paving
from Yesler avenue to Marion street with
granite curbing, cost to abutting owners
being $500. and TO the city 81, 100; total,
S13, 720. This includes roadway on the
Front ana Commercial street sides of Pho
neer place, but does not include the cost of
conduits nor removal of pipes and con-
structlon of side sewers TO the edge of the
roadway. He suggests the advisability of
a temporary wooden pavement north of
Marion. If this district is adopted, such
pavement to be paid for by abutting own
ers. He also says that the necessary lin
ing and leveling of the street railway tracks
would amount to practical reconstruc;
ton of them, and urges that the city exer-
else its right to prescribe such form of
construction as viii make that portion of
the street secure before placing permanent
thereon. lie recommends that the corpo-
ration counsel be consulted on this point.
The board favorably recommended the
request of the chief of police for the estab-
lishment of telephone at Fremont.
A communication from the auditing
committee pointing out that the West
Street & North End Electric Railway
Company is only furnishing two lights at
Boulevard for the $2l a month paid it,
and asking that a saving be effected, was
referred TO Mr.. Van Brocklin for inyesti-
cation.
A communication from the auditing
committee recommending that the cost of
fuel furnished the Fremont Milling Com
pany for extinguishing fires be reduced in
cost below IS day, the maximum con-
tract rate.
Petitions for the improvement of Willow
street. from Broadway to Kinney and
from East street to the east line of the
Walla Walla addition. were referred 10 the
city engineer.
Estimates for August were approved and
submitted 10 the comptroller as follows:
Superintendent buildings, bridges and
wharves. s343; streets and sewers. $500;
city engineer. salaries, 81. 246 IS; North
tunnel. 81. $50: South tunnel. St. $40; sup
plies, $500; superintendent water works,
material and supplies. 81. 1853; labor, 81. 495.
Reports for the month of June were