The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-07
70 DRAIN STUCK VALLEY
COZ. FRANK c. moss SUGGESTS 4
PLAN.
The stuek River Coola ~ . Snail
ExDenaftsFe Ne Diverted Agsin 70
Its ola Channel asA Empty late

Special Dispatch TO the Post Inteliigencer.
TACOMA, July "A plan for the settle
ment Of the Stuck river valley difficulty
IL proposed by Col Frank c. Ross Of the
Puyailup reservation, which he says would
be satisfactory TO 10th the farmers Of
stuck and White river valleys.
There is no use of the farmers fighting
over the matter" said he this afternoon.
The thing TO do Is 10 get the water on
entirely. leaving both the Stuck valley
and the valley OF the White river free
from these disastrous floods.
The trouble is that the Puyailup river.
into which the Stuck empties. has filled
up until the bed OF the river ID higher
than much Of the surrounding land. As q
result the water backs up in the Stuck
and the Puyailup overfows its banks. des-
oIating the lands In the reservation and
washing out the roads. making thousands
Of dollars damage.
Running as II does down through the
center OF the valley, il winds around In a
constantly changing channel, which there
Is no way Of con:ining In its banks The
old channel OF the Stuck follows the north
blum OF the Puyallup valley and runs down
Hyiebos creek. emptying into the bay on
the King county side
The trouble is not that more water Is
turned into the Stuck. but that there Is
no outlet. IL the water from the Stuck
anu Puyailup WAS turned into this old
channel confined on the north side by the
high blum. wagon road could be built
along the south bank and the channel
would soon wash out sufficient to drain
the Stuck valley to its oid-time luxuri-
ance.
The river has almost made this cut Of
its own motion several times when the
water has been high, and at one place
only the width OF the road kept the river
from breaking through the old channel
Capt. Henry Taylor. OF the United
States engineers. went over the matter
with me couple Of years ago, and seemed
to think favorabiy OF the plan. provided
the right-o<-way could be procured for the
cutoff.
THE Indians are willing to give all the
right-of-way needed. and the land taken
would not be ne-hundredth nor one-thou-
sandth part OF that now ruined by these
overfiows.
THE cost would be insignificant, COM
pared with the benefits to be derived from
the work II both counties could get to-
gether and urge this matter there il no
reason why the. government should not
take hold OF it. More money Is spent on
the alleged Improvement OF some six-inch
deep creeks In the state Of Ohio. where a
boat OF any kind has not been seen for
forty years. than would be required to
make this Improvement. which would be
OF such immediate and lasting benefit to
so large community. Once get an ap-
preparation sufficient for a survey and en-
gineer's report on the project, and the rest
would be easy. This could be secured IL
both Seattle and Tacoma would work for
II. but so long as petty 1ealousies and
strife over the name Of a mountain are
allowed TO prevail, the government will
continue TO leave the project alone.
G~,, H.. fhap
and not only the PuyaIlup and Stuck riv-
er valleys may be made safe. but the Du-
vanish fats. now subject to disastrous
overflows. may be easily protected, instead
OF spending the money on imaginary COM
mercial streams In Eastern states"