The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-15
NORTH ENDERS' PETITION.
TO HAVE FIRST AVENUE CUT DOWN
AND REGARDED.
Cost TO the Property Owners VIII he
s3o0 . Lot, and the City VIII
Have to Pay . Small Amount-Ex-
posed Pipes Must he Protected.

The property owners who I've In the dis
trici on First avenue between Pike street
and Denny way have at last concluded
that the time for cutting down and regrad-
Ing the street has arrived. Yesterday they
presented petition to the board of public
works asking that the city go ahead with
the work The petition was signed not
only by majority OF the property own
ers IN the dictrict. but a majority of those
whose property abUts on First avenue be-
tween Pike street and Denny way. The
board OF public works referred the petition
to the city engineers Office for a report as
20 the probable cost. That office will soon
render report. Is City Engineer Thor,-
son and his men are thoroughly acquainted
with the matter, having had Il under con-
sideration and investigation for ssosne
months. The details OF the proposed re-
grading are Wen known. having been given
repeated publicity. The hard work OF
Councilman ellison 70 have the street cut
down and changed from a hsdeo1s. hiIiy
piece OF thoroughfare TO thing OF beauty
Is largely responsible for the petition ure-
scented yesterday. Once the grade of the
street Is changed II Will be one Of the fin
est and most level stretches TO be found
anywhere In the city. being about a mile
In length from the business center. Il will
cost the property owners in the vicinity
OF 500 lot. The city will be called upon
to pay small amount, but the property
owners will bear the great bulk Of the ex-
pense. II Is generally conceded that once
the change Is made the northern part OF
the city will rapidly advance as a business
center.
The board Of public works will sign the
nnal papers In the street lighting contract
for the coming year as soon as the Union
Electric Company files its bond The Third
Street & Suburban Company has already
offered It's bond, which has been approved.
and II remains for the Union Electric Com
pany to come forward and thus allow the
contract to be closed. The Third Street G.
suburban Company has agreed to give the
city lights both incandescents and arcs, at
the same price which the city will pay the
Union company. II Is said that the two
companies have come to an understanding
and that the Union Electric Company
will share some of the Third Street COM
pany'S loss.
The city will be several thousand dollars
better off at the end Of the year by reason
or the new contract. II the original bids
had been rejected and Sam Hills company
allowed to come In and compete for the
contract, there Is a possibility that the
saving to the city would have been still
greater. But Mr.. Collins failure to get his
bid into the office OF the board Of public
works at or before the hour designated
made some Of the counciImen conclude that
the company was not playing fair" and
so they gave the eleceric companies the
contract.
There IL not much doubt that the two
companies will make good money out of 1t.
They viii not get as much as at present,
Out that the contract will be better than
no contract Is evidenced by the fact that
striking severe blow at the Welsbach
people. Hills company quietly promise that
another year will witness a change II
the city does not own its own plant, or con-
clude to own Il, before another year goes
by. there Is every reason for the conclusion
that Hin will enter the fight early and do
everything possible to capture the contract.
AT the present time the company has no
mains In the outlying districts. and II It
mad secured the contract this year 1t would
have been necessary to use gasoline lamps.
But the company states that 1t will extend
Its mains. and when the end Of next year
comes around be in position to contest
the claims of the electric companies.
The city council answers that another
year will probably see the city preparing
TO buy its own plant. The present period
of prosperity, they believe, Will be perma-
nent, and another year will see the city in
good financial condition. Then, too. II will
be an easy matter 10 get first-class plant
at little money. and there are financial
deals which may be entered into whereby
X Will not be necessary to increase the
city's present Indebtedness.
The water department is Just now en-
gagged in notifying the residents of the
city TO protect their exposed water pipes
from the cold weather. There are hun
dreds Of such pipes in the city and once a
spell Of cold weather comes on they will
freeze and burst. water will run in all d.
reetions, and the city viii suffer. The de-
partTnent has gone so far as to tell owners
OF exposed pipes that they must be pro-
tected at once or water will be shut Off
This extreme action. II is claimed. is neces-
sary In order to protec: the city's inter-
ests.
Yesterday employees OF the water depart
ment were kept busy pumping the water
out OF the boiler room OF the Lake Wash
ington pumping Station. which kept COM
Ing in by reason OF the high water in Lake
Washington.
The city council has been wrangling for
some time, without any apparent reason
Tor doing 50, over the spur track which
James NJ. Colman is maintaining on CO.
lun1bia street. The board OF public works
gave him permission 10 put In the spur. in
order that cars could reach the site OF his
new building. Councilman Nayin. .ha
Populist. believes that Colman has a deep
scheme on whereby he proposes 10 keen
fhe spur there forever. and thus create an
other rams horn on small scale Navin
has time and time again called the coun-
CHS attention to this spur and expressed
in plain words his opinion about Il. When
ever he speaks on the subject every coun-
Gilman gets interested and there ara
speeches galore. The fact Is lost sigh. OF
that the board Of public works issued the
permit for the srur, had the au-
thor.ty u do so, and can when
ever 4 50 desires compel Mr.. Col
man 70 remove 10. Monday night tha
question Of Mr.. Coman's evil intentions
was again sprung on the council by Mr..
Nav'n. and city Engineer Thomson was
reer has a quiet and suave but very effect
I've way or talking. There Is a depth 10
what he says. and he sends forth a few
gems which are appreciated hy the appre-
ctative- He made one Of his character
's'ic speeches IN reply 20 Mr. Navin in
which he told the council that the city was
sttll n the hands OF Ia people that the
sP0r was where the board o, public works
said Il could be that the mortar used n,
The construction of the rev building was
hardly 6Fy. that the hoard % publf, works
vas uot excited. and thst when the time
came. ar when occasion demanded 4 will
hav" Mr.. Coi1san remove he serious oh
struC:ion." Mr.. Savia stii insisted shat
ColrDan rad MS eyes on tia street and
proposed 10 steal a right-o'~wav. and thu
council finally decided % investigate as q