The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-10

The work on the new city water system
between Seattle and Cedar river Il pro-
EresstnS very fayorab3y. In fact Il = said
that At the present time the york is a little
further advanced than the engineers an
ticipaied. David A. Scott. assistant city
engineer. returned Saturday night from .
trip over the whole Of the proposed pipe
line route. He left the site Of the head
works on Cedar river early Saturday
morning and arrived In the city about 8
O'Clock At night.
he says that the principal work being
done on the route consists Of cleaning.
srubbing and grading for -. pipeline
ditch. About two-thirds Of the entire
cleaning is already done and the remand
er will be completed within q short time.
The exact location OF tho headworks, :"
he said yesterday, lis not known yet. For
some time q force OF men has been at
work sounding the river In the vicinity
Of the old proposed location Of the dam
The dam win probably be built at this
point unless something at present unfore-
seen turns up in the soundings- The de-
cision OF the men at work upon 1t Will be
known In about three or four days There
are, near this place. 400 Mneal feet Of
hewed timber which will be used In build
ing the DAM OF course. this amount Of
timber will not salfl1ce, but 1t u enough for
present purpose"
The work of making and grading the
gigantic ditch in which the pipes will lie
which win carry the water to the city Is
going on very favorably. When 1t Is re-
membered that this ditch must be large
enough TO accommodate two pipes, each
one three feet six inches In diameter. some
idea OF the size Of the ditch can be OBJ
tanned.
Mr.. Scott says that from . point within
two miles Of the city clear up to the head
works gangs Of men are at work grading
and cleaning. He says that considerable
diniculty was experienced in keeping the
men at work near the Fourth Of July and
that number OF them really did 60 away
and have not yet returned. This accounts
for the fact that the force IL not quite as
large as 1t was . week ago. About TWEEN
ty-five men are engaged In the work and
forty teams are at work between Seattle
and Renton. Between these two points all
most two and one-half miles Of the ditch
are ready to receive the pipe. It y conf
IDENTIFY expected that part Of the pipe line
win be In place between Seattle and Rem
ton inside OF thirty days.
Besides the difficulty In cleaning and
grading, the contractors who are building
the line have other obstacles TO overcome.
The course of the line is such that 1t
crosses Cedar river twice and Black river
once. AT these points IL Will be necessary
to tunnel under the river. Another tunnel
viii also be built through little hill about
four miles on this side OF the headworks,
at a point called by the men engaged In
the work Grouse ridge. This tunnel is
In course of construction and will be finish
ed In q few weeks. This tunnel is Of no
mean dimensions. II Is said that a man
could walk through II. standing upright.
The second tunnel. as 1t Is called In the
plans. has not yet been started. This one
goes under Cedar river and will not be over
100 or 40 feet In length.
Where the line crosses Black river the
pipe will be placed in an ordinary ditch
dug In the bottom Of the river. To do this
q cofferdam will be built to hold the
water back until the pipe is laid Mr..
Scott says there are only two times In the
year when this work can be done, either
In August or November. when the river il
at Its lowest.
The work on the foundation for the
reservoir at the city park Is also going
ahead rapidly.
Mr.. Scott says that the thing which must
be considered within the city itself to make
the new system a perfect success Is the
putting In of new distributing mains. as In
his opinion the mains are too small now to
supply the whole city.