The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-04-21
STREETS AND BUILDINGS.
ACTIVE IMPROVEMENT N VARIOUS
PARTS or THE CITY.
~ Started. Though Cnder Dis
cnIties-Prohlen Of Regarding
Third Diseased Again Last Might.


20 height Of several hundred feet above
the central portion Of Seattle he would
be impressed not only with the crewds
OF people in the streets, but with he large
amount of work going on in the construc-
sion Of new buildings. the rem ,deiing of
old ones and the grading and paving OF
streets. Even then much OF The work
that is actually going on would be I'M
visible 10 such an aerial observer. FOR 1t
Is on the interior OF the buildings. and
he would have to drop from his lofty
perch and make house-to-house round
of the city 10 see what the carpenters
and joiners and plasterers and painters
and paper-nangers are doing. Old office
buildings are being cut up into hotels.
Easements once used for storage or no.
used AT all are sought out for business
stands, and in some instances a good
round bonus is paid fora lease OF them.
Cosy little shops and offess are opening
up in every possible nook and corner along
the main business ghorougarares.
Even far out on the less frequented
streets dingy. old. barn-l.ke buildings,
that have stood unused FOR years, are be-
ing repa;n.ed and refurbished. A glance
through the book of building permits
which lies on Gen. Banks desk in the Of
fee of the board OF public works. shows
every possible variety Of construction in
progress. from cutting out q doorway TO
building a six-story brick block The
large buildings going up on First and Sec
ond avenues. including the one just ris-
ing from the ground at the corner of
First avenue and Madison street. are slow
lv III hcs hof
and down town. and binding together
two importan. business sections of The
city.
The Post-Inteliigencer recently COM
piled general statement of the work
done on streets within the last two years.
together with that now in progress. OF
the latter, the two largest single items
are the regarding OF First avenue and its
intersecting streets between Pike street
Third avenue and Pike street. the same
contract ALSO including section OF Union
street and Fourth avenue.
Contractor Smart has hardly yet gotten
fairly under way On First avenue, having
been delayed by the difficulty on the part
of the city in securing a REIMBURSEMENT
of property rights and the moving back
of the buildings so as to give a uniform
width TO the avenue. There are in all
about fifty or sixty OF these buildings.
and they are scattered all along the line
of work They are of all sizes and kinds.
brick and frame. shops. snanties. stores.
dwellings and lodging houses. Some OF
them viii have to be moved not more than
five feet; others as much as nine. and
others stlll further. The city appropria-
ton for this special work, including both
the purchase of property rights and the
removal of the buildings. was $2.so0- This
was supplemented later by an appropria-
ton of $4,000.
Another thing that has delayed the con-
tractor is the complicated work OF lower
ing the water and gas pipes and guarding
the street car tracks. The latter Is par
ticularly conspicuous between Virginia and
Pike streets, where the tracks OF the Con-
soiidased and the First avenue lines come
together and where, at the apex OF the
slope running up from Pike. the heaviest
cut on the line is to be made. On the
side street a good part of the dirt has
already been cut away on each side, and
the track OF the First avenue line is left
standing temporarily on nigh bank in
the middle of the street.
With all his drawbacks, however. the
contractor has a force Of about seventy
five men now at work. ana the avenue
presents a busy though somewna. dis
mantIed and torn-up appearance. The
contractor has eight months from &c
date on which the contract was signed.
March 10. in which 10 complete the work.
and hopes TO come within that limit.
Il. is not impossible thai the original
plan Of pianking the newly graded ave-
nue. will be given up in favor OF mac
adamizing II from Pike street to Denny
way. No definite action has yet been
taken in that direction. but Mr.. Smart
stated Yesterday that number OF citizens
were interesting themselves in the mat
ter and were so strongly In favor or mac
adam that he thought ii possible some
thing might we, be done. Mr.. Smart him
self Is strong advocate OF macadam-
.aTne cost OF H. said ne yesterday,
would probably not be more than 10 or
% per cent greater than the pianking.
and the additional expense "ouio Tar
more than be made up in the long run.
To my mind II is almost folly for the city
10 think of paving such avenues as First
and Third with plank. Look at Occi-
dental avenue. where the rianklng that
was laid three or four months ago has al
ready worn down an inch.
.fput II is not only for the sake OK dura-
h,ri.y that I favor macadam. but Tor the
sake Of health Look at some OF the
rotten planks we are now digg'ng up on
Egrs. avenue. They are saturated
,hronsh and through with the foulest OF
refuse. with no possible way OF draining
them or cleaning them out. only Won
der that they have not been the cause OF
more sickness
The question OF the feasibility OF re-
pradIng Third avenue between Yesler way
ana pike street, which sprang into sud-
asr prorninsnce at last Monday nights
session OF the city council. was again uii-
der discussion last night. The council
on Monday referred IL 10 the committee
on streets, consisting Of Muidaon. Dos3ds.
Crawford. Nayin ard Tay6r. suggesting
also the aftendanc. OF the city engineer
and the corporation counsel, Chairman
Nu!assen. after consulting with some Of
the citizens Interested. Gated a mes'ing
for last night IN the council chamber. All
the gentlemen above named were present
last night, except Capt. Taylor and Mt
Humphrey. the Iatter's place being sup
p,ie,a by his assistant. Mr.. Won Tobel
There were present also Messrs. j. y.
gailinSford Dexter Horton. T. r. Hsr-
din. W A. Peters W Fl. Reeves. NJ. ".
Padden. s E.i!lcoit. john Davis. J. r. Cat
lin and Nj Dearborn and Contractor NJ
Dow. who has charge % the work Of re-
planklng Third avenue. Nothing definite
was dene. and the discussion over the
suggested regrade took n wide and infor-