The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-02-24
THE NEW LIVERPOOL.
Seattle to Have the Finest Har-
Dor i'm the World.
Eject or the Proposed improvements
on This City and ON the Com.
merce Of the Globe.
SEATTLE Letter I'm New York Tribune.

earth were dumped into the bag. CATS
attention To needed hart,cr Improve
rrsessfg In Puget sound. While In one
sense the sound 10 one vast harfsor In
itself, a ianf-Iockea SEA, indentesi with
hundreds Of bays and snlets. there are
few OF these which, afford perfect an
csaorage. the great range OF the tides,
the depth OF the water. the TezslI-
lar Typographical and geological con-
difiog,s OF fs,e shores are not repeated
elsewhere on the continent In the
case OF Tacoma. the landslide. while II
0s4ne wIth0ur warning and was utterly
unexpected. was not an unprecedented
occurrence Some years ago a fifteen
acre tract Of land IN the city slid 100 feet
down the hill In the course OF a year;
the same thing on a large scale has
happened in Seattle. IL Is conceded
that many thousands of dollars viii
have To spent before esfher or these
axo cities have ti3s faarbor facilities
their bushes requires. The river and
tarb9r appropriations in this state
have 80 far been psdfusiy small. owing
partly to Washington'g recent admis-
sion TO the Union and the necessity Of
expensive surveys IN advance Of work,
and partly TO the lack OF appreciation
sn the East OF the actual growth and
development Of the Sound cuantTy.
The last congress. however, voted
something over size 900 TO the state.
and. grsoreoyer. set the seal of its ap-
provsi 10 n project which. when carried
out, viii create for Puget sound not
only ons OF the finest, but one of the
naosf remarkable harbors in the world.
This Is the ship canal which Is TO unite
The Sound at Seattle with Lake Wash
ington. a body OF clear, fresh water.
twenty mites long. about three miles
wide and from $50 10 600 feet deep. IL
forms the eastern boundary OF the city
OF Seattle. ard is less than two miles
from the Soupd along the proposed
rotyte OF the canal. Between the lake
and the Sound lies a smaller lake, con-
nected with the Sound by a shallow
stream. ard with Lake Washington by
q small caoai used for the passage OF
sawiogs 1t viii be seen that the nat
ural conditions are most favorable for
the enterprise.
The subjolned description in taken
from "a report made In 1891 by Brig.
Gen. Thomas lincoln Casey. chief OF
engineers. 10 Acting Secretary Of War
l.. A. Grant:
The proposed route and project for
q canal connecting Lake Washington
with Puget sound eontanplaaes con-
etruc.ing a canal $500 feet long. eighty
feet wide at the bottom and f5s feet
wide at the water line. and twenty
six feet deep through the portage be-
tween Union bay In Lake Washington
and Lake Union. with a masonry lock
so1 feet long. fifty feet wide and TWEEN
ty-six fet deep over sill, and with a
iirt OF about seven and -one-half feet:
dredging channels TO connect this canal
with deep water in Lake Washington.
aad across Lake Unien: and cons lSaict-
ING a canal G. 100 feet long. eighty feet
wide at the bottom and I5S feet wide
nj tho water line. and twentytix feet
deep. connecting Lake Union along Cts
outlet with tho head OF Salmon bay.
From Tho head OF Salmon bay to Pu-
get sound two routes are considered.
One by way of Salmon bay and Shi1-
sAoie bay. with a lock- near the Sound
Gao feet long. fifty feet wide and six
teen and sfSienths feet deep over sill
al extreme low tide: the other by way
OF smiths cove and a canal construct
ed across the neck Of land between the
head OF salmon bay and Smiths cove.
with lock similar 10 that projected
Tor Shiishuie hay. The construction OF
a basin -anf formation OF a channel
Through the shnals at the outlet OF the
lock are also contemplated
The estimated cost Of the rronoSed
canal by the two routes. not Including
damages for lands submerged. IL as fol-
lows; shiistoie bay route. s., 900. 600;
Smiths cove route, $500 600. The
S1silshoie hay route costs $500 90 less
than that by smiths cove On the 9TH
or hand, che latter route possesses adj
va1stages. In that its entrance IL in the
harhor 81 Sea tile. whereas the entrance
OF the other IL five afrd one-haif miles
distant and- Secondly. the Smiths
cove entrance and lock are less exposed
80 hsahariuent by an enemy's fleet.
For these reasons the Smiths cove
route Is tn be preferred
In each az the proposed routes YES
seis VIII pass srosn Puget sound 10
Salmon hay through q masonry lock.
400 feet icng. fsfsy feet wife. with a uft
varying according 10 the stage OF the
tssss. The depth ou sill at extresYlS. low
tide VIII be sixteen and six-teis;hs
feet: at lowest high water, talirfy-six
feet. So there win always be two oc-
castons IN each tweaty-gour hours
when Vessels uf twcnty-slx fee,
as>4nght nsay pass tslgovgh ths. tsscks.
There will he no time when vessels Of
sixteen feft drausht may not pass. or
coarse. Increasing commerce win de-
nlani other arrangements. i,ut thu, Sill
can he lowered AZ no srseat increase Of
cost. The oaliy two classes Of vessels
which ssa,tli not enter che sossi<s are the
ocean geeyisaunds. which would be de-
barred on account ~ their tcngrA. and
she large. first class battleshsres and
sase protected cruisers o. the navv. on
account ~ thstr with oE beam Other
fxsks can Re built 50 the future q, ar
cs5nsusaAase ss;ch. bat az present they
are not needed. The largest steam
sh,rs osf the Sound have no moro than
So f,s.S length 81 keel. forty-tw, rest
beam and twensy- three feet drasIrht
Few sailing vessels fully loaded draw
snere thar swcnty-six feet r'rywn Sal
nassr sNay veesess WITH rasss thrysYgst, a
easal s,fAa feet horcS. IsS scc. wssic ~
water Noe aut twenty-Elx feet sacn.
inEo fsske Uatoa. A ehanaai NIL b.
rxtssssfesl shrourh The sAyssi Portions AZ
tse axe q sgse portage With inter
Nofsee hetwees LAKES rnicn snsf Wash
inSt<'ye. Through esss f~Srfas<e a canal
ss@ fvet isaE leads iFsTo ttolzsn bay. q
shoot haealt ~ Lake wasAtrgsss,, here
ts&sSx efss7. tss 49,.