The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-01-20

provided for On the existing franchises
. where there IS room enough fc- such pur
pose for more reads. IF this canot be
accomplished Il wcsifi be better 10 make
the gvenue 30 feet vide now. so SIS not
80 be erampei for room IA the future.
Ether in Connection with the proposed CIR
ganizatIon OF I. terminal company, o. in
| the dealings o. tho city with the railways.
some rights fer other hines may perhaps
/ be secured y
Some OF ;he street crossings o. the ave-
I nue should be closed at an early day.
/ This. with few overhead bridges and
| with gates ar enc or two other streets.
/ will vastly improve the condition os the
/ avenue and ss.i afford ample and safe
| access to the wharves and water front.
The Sea Wall.
The law provides that the har5o- i'm
proyen,enfs made by the state shall be
/ located on the harbor strip. This would
| include the sea wall. Such modification OF
the law will have to be made. AT least as
| respects Seattle harbo-. as viii permit q
/ change of sea wall location.
In general the reasons why a street
cannot under the circumstances be laid
outside Railroad avenue are also reasons
why a sea wall ought not 10 be built s.
any great distance outside the avenue.
| II would interfere with the building of
/ slips.
1t may also be added THAI n sea wall
built close to Railroad avenue would be
| safer. more easily protected. and far less
| expensive than IL located at some dis
| lance further cut.
The warehouses, etc. should be out
| side and adjacent TO the avenue. The
sea wall should support aad protect the
| ground upon which the warehouses. etc.
! rest. and The piers, slips. etc. should be
! beyond.
The precise location OF the sea wall can
/ best be made In connection with a gen.
eral definite plan of Improvement. with
/ respect to slips, basins. piers, etc. CT the
water trent. In some places the sea wall
| should doubtless be the actual protesting
| slope OF the em6aakment upon which
Railroad avenue will rest. AZ other places
it should be about 80 feet outside the as-
| enue, while at still other places X may be
desirable to so build it as to protect large
areas outside the avenue.
AS most of the outer harhor lire has
| been established IN deep water 1t cannot
be used as pier head lire. In coanect{on
/ with the general plan OF Improvement and
| OF location of sea wall pier head line
should be determined upon beyond which
no piers would be allowed to extend.
The sea wall should be structure sub
| stant;ally like tina. at San Francisco.
| Where such a wall is built the actual
bulkhead line is sixty feet farther out.
On any weii-considered plan the earth,
| sand and other materials between the
| bulkhead and pier head lines would ali
| be dredsed out TO a suitable depth and
| be deposited inside the sea wall. thus re-
| claiming q large amount of land adja-
| cent to the water 'front.' where 1t would
first be needed On the areas dredgad
| out the wharves would be built. extend
ing outwardly and parallel 10 tae street
lines. They ceufd first be of any suitable
length, but could be extended with ease
as required by the trade of the port
The work would be done slowly. stretch
ing over many years. as might meet the
demands of commerce.
The Proposed Railway Terminals.
It is the desire OF the people Of Seattle
| that a terminal company should be or
ganized by the railways to take care of
| all railway business centering IN the city,
which shall also provide facilities for
lines that may be built afterward on the
same terms as those granted the original
| parent companies. or AZ least, on a basis
OF rentals and charges that would be
equitable 10 all concerned.
The operation of such company would
enable the large shipper, merchant or
manufacturer to receive or ship goods at
his warehouse, which may be located at
any reasonably accessible point. say on
the fats close TO a slip by any railway he
may select without excessive charges for
switching.
It would secure more prompt switching
of cars. Railways generally switch their
own cars before attending to those that
reach them over or for other lines. It
would reduce and elual.ze switching
charges and make them more uniform.
| Seattle Is and must be city OF rail-
road avenues: the railways must gain
access TO. various parts Of the water
front and to other points. warehouses.
etc, by franchises on the avenues. Oper-
| ating separately. there will be endless
| duplication and paraIlel.ng Of tracks on
| the avenues and 20 important warehouses,
| plants and docks: crossings and recross-
| ings OF each others tracks. grades and
| street crossings innumeraale. and a gem
| erai cutting UP OF things that viii event
| ually become insufferable to the railways
themselves, as II Is already to the city.
With the freight warehouses, team
| tracks, coach cleaning tracks and yard
| tracks generally located the grounds
| of the terminal company, Railroad ave
| rue would revert 10 what 1t was intended
| TO be-a mere rIght-of-way through the
| city, with access 10 wharves.
| A terminal railway would greatly SIM
pity the whole matter 4 railway bust
! ness as between the railways themselves
ant.as between the railways and the pub
lie. and also al the physical features Of
| the railway situation.
| 1t IS true that railway companies on
| the basis required at Seattle are a COM
| paratsvely new thing. but they are thus
! far proving a success. The operation Of
| the terminal company al Portland, Or.
| is resulting In economies TO the railways
| and fn satisfactory relations with the pub
| lie. The same IL said to be the case with
| the terminal company at West Superior.
| The paralieiing and duplication OF rail-
way lines and facilities has been a potent
| factor sn the bankruptcy Of many rail-
road companies In the past. Hereafter
| more attention is likely 10 be given the
! suhjeef OF joint facilities.
sgsne sasgcetIoFzs reiasiy>e TO the organ
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