The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-06-11
A GREAT ENGINEER
Gen. William Sooy Smith ana
the North Waterway.
sEATTLE.s BRIGHT PROSPECTS.
The woeed EnRfnesr INVESTIGATES INC
Cstyss water Front, and May Bsd
for tho Canal Construction.

r-.s<xabav ora or tia greatest civil ehs-
nsers and contractors Il the United SAAtss.
has been IN tns city for TIE past
surveying the nsrbor Improvements q .
attic with mere particular references -
the proposed North canal While ns El4aS
10 direct statement. he int.mared yeseer-
day that should be consider TIE WORK on
the North canal Of character IN "Assn
he would care 20 engage. ne woaAa Has
an etor. 10 secure contract win sA7
government
Gen Smith has been very rsftcert 1uFans
his stay here and Up 20 tha hast mosAsn.
refused TO submit to an interview. As ~
was thought the opinion OF naaa WIN
s1ch a varied experience IN extensive bar
Dor works wo1id be OF interest, Posi-ih-
tensgencer reporter made several calls On
him at the Ratnier@Srand.
Gen Snalth has been actively engaged n
engineering and contracting IN the Iniled
States for the past forty years, pTInc4s21Ay
81 the construction Of great bridges, -nn-
nels. lighthouses and improvements or naT-
bors and waterways. His zrsE engineering
experience vas in making the government
survey OF Chicago and aiding in the Plans
for its Improvement. He has bailt seven
large bridges across the Missouri river.
and one each across the Mississippi, ONO,
Y2xoo. Mobile, Savannah, SasQasaanaa
and SchayIkil rivers. besides great num-
her of smaller bridges he rebuilt the
WaugosEance lighthouse in the straits OK
NackIaaw. two and one half miles out 10
sea. where he put in the FIRST pneumatic
caisson ever sunk In the world. The drst
steel bridge ever bnils was constructed
by him across the Missouri river at Gas
gov. He introduced the freezing process
into this country. by which the earth Is
frozen 20 great depths by the circulation
Of ammonia through pipes and shafts sunk
through the frozen material This enables
them TO work even In quicksands. He built
so feet OF the tunnel under the Hudson
RIVER at New York. including the caisson
sunk on the New York side. and a portion
OF the tunnel out from il under the river.
lie is considered an authority on the
foundations OF large buildings. AMI has
been consulted On many Of the larger
structures in Chicago. besides building
many himself. An account OF h.s works
could be prolonged almost indefinitely. but
sufficient has been said 10 show the value
OF his ideas on Seattle.
Il came out here 10 see this part of our
domain he said yesterday afternoon,
particularly Seattle. and was agreeably
surprised TO find the city so substantially
and beautifully built. with the streets so
well paved. Some OF them would be a
credit 10 any city. The country tributary
TO Seattle seems 10 abound in timber coal
q
I've as an agricultural district. The mines
Of precious metals are wonderful in their
proiactiveness. The city has SUFFICIENT TO
rely upon near at hand TO make IL great
and prosperous. Its location on the Sound
seems very advantageous and easy of ap-
proach from the land side by great rail-
ways now here. or desiring 20 come. The
land and ocean traffic finds here natural
meeting point. and with the facilities for
Interchange that should be provided at
once. Seattle must become great mari
time city
II am surprised to find so little done 20
accommodate and attract an ocean COM
merce. This seems 10 me a great and
manifest need OF the city at this point OF
It's development. 1t Is OF the first i'm
portancs that the city should have. II IL
has not already, a arst-rate general plan
for the Improvement OF its harhor by the
construction of convenient and permanent
docks and slips for the accommodation of
the vessels which would be attracted here
The establishment OF lines or steamers
running from here 20 foreign ports st
this time would secure to Seattle an ad-
vantage that IL seems to me would place
I. beyond competition on the part OF any
OF its rivals. In this respect the city has
reached turning point IN its history.
THE construction OF the northern ca
nal. terminating at Smith cove, as II
should. with a proper provision OF harbor
facilities at and near its terminus. would
give the accommodations so much needed
for tho Interchange Of the land and ocean
traffic. quickly and economically. The
natural entry OF the railways to the city
Is by way OF Smith cove. and II Is at that
point they first reach navigahle water.
IL the city grows as II Is reasonable TO
expect II will. the water front from Smith
cove to It's present terminus on the south
will be fully occupied by slips and docks
within the lifetime OF those now living,
the extent Of which would even then not
be one-fifth OF the water front of New
York. that IS now SO improved.
THE construction OF tbs North canal.
affording a navigable channel to vessels
Of the largest size through Salmon bay
and Lake Union into Lake Washington.
would secure fresh water hsrbor better
than any that now exists on the Pacific
coast. with the single exception perhaps
Of Portland. which has the Columbia NV
er. The advantages OF such fresh water
harboT would Re very great These facts
and thu prospects which open up before
the people OF this city are so encouraging
that they should be stimulated by them 20
the utmost activity In utilizing the nat
ural advantages they enjoy. These adj
yantaEss are evident and need no exag-
geration. The North canal has been thor
SuEhly examined ana reported upon by
able government engineers. and an appro-
priattou has been made for commencing
the work II VIII undoubtedly be begu. AZ
an early day and carried on 70 connie
ton. ! believe II wiz contribute very
largely 70 the growth ard prosperity OF
TIA city"
Gen. Smith went East on the Northern
Pacific train last night He win stop OF
for a short tina IN Helena Nort