The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-02-20
TW0YEARS' PROGRESS
treat Municipal I'm provements
Despite Hard Times.
THE CITY ENGINEERS REPORT.
comparison OF Cost Under Democratic
Administration .w-o Cut the
Stfck,s and the Result.

port OF the latter was prepared but not
published. and IL was thought best 10 EN-
body the more important details as 20 cost
and construction in this report. that they
might form part Of the printed records
forming the permanent records OF munich
pal progress The report as whole bears
on every page the imprint of thoughtful
eere and completeness. and il is so fun IN
detail, particularly as TO the cost Of con-
struction work, that il viii prove yalaa-
bic addition 10 every municipal library and
every engineers office throughout the
country.
A Little History.
The review of the year 1894 has neces-
sarily some reference to the events that
led TO Mr.. Thomson recall TO the office,
and in reading this no one acquainted with
the political history OF this city can fail
to be reminded of the Democratic doings
OF the winter OF 1893. when 1.-The Democratic
parade" and Who cut the stick." were
5--words in the mouth of every one. Bonds
to the amount OF a quarter OF a million had
been issued and the money began to come
In. The Democrats were in a hurry 10
spend IL before their term of office expired,
and although IL was winter time, and
therefore such work could only be con-
Quoted at a disadvantage. they started in
70 spend the money from the sale OF bonds.
Every body will remember what First ave-
nue. looked like that hard winter. IL was
torn up from end to end. and there were so
many men put on the work that they were
wofully crowded and in each others way.
Double gangs We're put on. and for those
at night electric lights stretched at a few
feet distant from each other all the way
up the street. This was how IL came TO De
called 1.-The Democratic parade"
MIR. Thomson makes no reference 10 these
doings except in so far as is necessary 10
preface his report on the main sewers.
He says: The construction OF these
main sewers commenced on December 20,
1888. For two months, or until February
-, 1894 the work was under the direction
OF the superintendent of streets and sew
ers. During this brief period. amid the
unfavorable conditions of our rainy season,
SOL coo of the bond proceeds was expended
under conditions which made IL impossible
TO secure good work at reasonable cost.
The circumstances and conditions of this
brief, but expensive. era of sewer construc-
ton form part of the political history or
the city and need not be referred to in this
report. 1t is sufficient TO say that on Feb
ruary %, 1894. the entire charge Of sewer
construction was combined with the other
duties of this department. As might be
expected. IL required several weeks TO
emerge from abnormal into normal condt-
tions to complete and close several miles
of unfinished work, provide proper sys-
TEN of accounting and establish an econ
omical working basis"
Cost of sewer Work.
Then Mr.. Thomson gives tabulated state
ments of the cost of the sewer work on
First avenue and Main streets, and that on
Republican street, done since. On tie
former. masons were paid IS day and la
borers s.. while on the latter masons re-
ceived s. and laborers SLIGO day. But as
Stunning that the wage schedule on each
was the same, one dollar accomplished as
much on Republican street as 1913 did on
First avenue ana Main streets.
sswno Cut the Stickf'
The ''cnt stick incident occurred in re-
Iation 10 the Front street sewer. A dis
covery was made that the grade line had
been made with. rise In IL. and the gen
tieman responsible said il must be be-
cause some one had cut the measuring
stick Then Edwin Hall Warner the city
engineer. offered 500 reward TO
whomsoever discovered who cut
the stick That was how the
phrase became current slang. and
was the foundation for any number Of
jokes on the Democratic party and its
methods. Near to the close OF Mr.. Thorn
sons voluminous report he has this 10 say
in reference to the sewer in question:
ported TO me by the superintendent of
streets and sewers that during a heavy
storm the Front street sewer between
Cherry and Madison streets failed to car
ry of the water brought TO IT. An inves-
tigation followed. which showed a serious
break in the grade line OF the sewer just
above the Cherry street manhole. which
had the same effect as If the inside verti-
cal diameter had been reduced nearly nine
inches. This explained the flooding Of the
sewer above this point II showed the re-
suit II IL did not answer, the famous
question of two years ago, Who cut the
stick To remedy the error thus made
we found II necessary 10 reconstruct
about sixty feet Of the sewer TO true
grade line"
The CITY engineer divides his report
under nine general heads. Lake
Union sewer tunnel: South sewer
tunnel: construction of main and relief
tunnel: local improvements, including Sat-
eral sewers street grading and paving;
street repairs; city water works; other
CITY departments: office records, and mis-
cellaneous.
The Lake Union Tunnel.
He first quotes from his last years re-
port the formal record OF the completion
of the Lake Union sewer tunnel and its
history. and how, az the time OF his APP
snent upon the work. but It had been aban-
doned owing 20 quicksand and potholes,
one life having been lost by the running
In of the tunnel The total period OF con-
struction was from March. 1871, TO Novefn-
Der. 1885, ard the total cost about sls0.eo
Various detailed statements are given.
and valuable charts showing the geologi-
cal character OF the ground through which
the tunnel runs.
The south Tunnel.
The South sewer tunnel which IS design
cd 10 serve as the tidewater discharge
for the intermediate district which includes
practically all the territory east NJ the
summit II the first hill from Elliott bay.
and south OF Division street. is about f.Iso
feet long. II runs under the center or
Rayview street, from Tenth avenue south
TO the Rainier avenue valley, near ! twenty
fifth avenue south Work on this tunnel
began August II, iSsa. and continued three
wears. and the total cost was within the
original estimate The sale or bonds
amounted to sioo ss4, and the expenditure
footed up 20 So. f34
Thfrry-fivs, Miles of Sewers
The main and relief sewers and their
tructton are next described n oe'aii'
The cost % these vas as follows. rron1
and Main streets. IS ees R0ihn stFsess So
eS4- BROOK street SIS s05: Bancroft street
s. ssa. West street SCI 01s. Kenney street.
vs.T74. Cullen street. s. rs, Florence street,
s. sss. Bush street. 81 70: Fonfesese
street us. wama waiia addition. xis-
7S7: Bradley street, t1.7ss; Twelfth street.
81 rs: Pike street relief. SIS. sixth. James
ard YeS1er streets relief. 8. IL. Republican
street 8. 30. The total expended = s-as-
SO and abe total length of the sewers -
nearly ten miles BY their cssFnpse ~
economical sewerage facilities have o@eSa
uga~ssf within reach Of the entire nilSsh@az
etstFfet. and the homes OF the great ma
Soritv og the people IL will require. hoN
ever. many miles Of lateral sewers 20 fssI I
ga rhe fi,II f.eusst q this main sever coh-