The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-05-20
Interested Tide Land Owners Ex-
plain Evils That Will Result.
REOPENiNo OF CASE EXPECTED.
A Volume of Data Is Being Prepared
for Presentation to Com m issioner
Bridges-Seattle and Lake WASH
inRton Waterway Company Will
Give Its side of the Case Upon
Gov. SempIe'S Return Today.

The four years' extension OF the con-
tract between the state of Washington and
! the Seattle & Lake Washington Waterway
| Company for filling in Seattle tide lands
! granted by Land Commissioner Bridges is
| probably the most discussed local matter
| occupying pubic attention. The Post-In-
| te.ligencer has from time to time given
| the progress Of the case, first announcing
! the application for an extension of the
| contract for term of eight years by
| the company. Then came the granting of
| an extension for half thai period and last
/ ly petition filed by tide land owners
| yesterday against the action of Commits
| sioner Bridges, and asking that the matter
| be again reopened that conditions and
4 facts might be presented to show that the
| commissioners ruling is not only an I'M
wise act but one that will interfere with
| the progress of Seattle az a manufacture
ing center by tying up the tide lands for
another period and rendering them, under
| the provisions of the contract unavailable
! for any uses to which they might be put.
This petition is now on file in the Office
OF Land Commissioner Bridges at Oym-
| pia, and the general belief is that an OPP
4 portunity will be given those contesting
| the extension of time to present their side
| OF the case. What the result will be none
| care to express an opinion. No time is
| being lost In arranging the testimony TO
| be presented to the commissioner, and q
NtituiinDuS amount OF matter Deurlng on
! the case will be gone over. The waterway
| company will be present TO oppose the re-
| scinding OF the present order, and will pre-
| sent its side OF the case, in the hope Of
| having the extension stand.
As In every question, there are two fac
tions. The waterway company has its
| friends, while those interested in having
| the contract annulled have enlisted in their
| cause a great majority OF the business
| people. who take the position that the ty-
| ing up of the tide lands under contract
VIII drive from Seattle
ufacturing concerns that would otherwise
purchase and locate on tide land property.
| The layman or ordinary citizen who Ia
| not interested I'm tide lands and who has
no especial business in their vicinity that
would call for any accurate information
concerning the existing conditions, 1t Is
said is more generally inclined to favor
the extension OF the contract. To this
class OF persons. 1t is said. the filling in
and should be done Since the present con-
t:oversy has come up, however. many have
become enlightened on the subject, and
are now opposing Commissioner Bridges
action as one that will retard the develop
ment of Seattle tide lands If not compel
them to remain inactive for a long period
OF years.
Price TO Re Attacked.
The price of l6 cents per cubic yard.
also be attacked when the hearing is had.
| This, 1t is said, is by far too high, and
when under the terms of the contract
ments, the cost of tide land properly will,
| II Is claimed. be far beyond what 1t is in
| any other similarly situated section. AS
| an example. the following Is cited: on
| February 2. 1899, William p. Trimble paid
| the first installment for filing the north
| east corner OF lot u.s. block 500. Seattle tide
| lands. 24x50. which work was done over
| three years ago. The installment was
| SCI 90 interest on S2ll.95 from July s. 1896,
tnta Is s Tbsre overdue nna ne o,hsi
| payments of s2l % each. and interest at
| per cent. to follow. The whole lot In sixty
| feet wide, and an average Of So6 feet long.
being of Irregular shape at the waterway
| end. The filing in line. however, cuts off
| small portion OF the west end. When
this lot Is illled in The cost st in principal
| approximately $1,000, making a total cost OF
| x.5t360 for the work done on one lot, or
| over 5000 an acre. These figures, an ef-
| fort will be made to show, will put tide
| land prices beyond market value
With Wow of giving the facts in the
matter as they will in the main, be pre-
sented before Land Commissioner
Bridges, the Post Inteligencer has at
| tempted to interview parties Interested
| in both sides of the question. Gov.
| Eugene Semple. president of the Seattle
| Il Lake Washington Waterway Company,
| ia at Olympia and could not be seen. IL
| is expected he will return today, when
| the company's side of the case will be
made public.
Edgar Ames. general manager OF the
| company. was seen at his office in the
| h0iitA puiluink. re SlNttu tnat ne would
| be unable to make any statement of the
| company's case until today
Gov. Semple is absent from the city"
he said. and have been SO busy today
| that 1t has been impossible for me to
| give consideration to statement of our
| side OF the case. Tomorrow the gov
crnor Will be here, and either he or my
! SELF will be glad to go into the facts Of
| the matter. Until then. however, there
| is nothing care to say
Charles h. Russell. secretary of the
Ia 1T.
| offices In the New York block. Is prob
| ably one OF the largest and oldest own
| ers of tide land property In the city.
| ing the extension of the waterway COM
| pany's contract he said:
Opposed to the Extension.
| II have owned Seattle tide lands for
| ten years past and am probably as much
| Interested as any individual In the state
/ am most thoroughly opposed to the
granting for extension OF the Seattle Il
| Lake Washington Waterway Companys
| contracts for another four years. such
| a course will only result in driving from
| Seattle manufacturing concerns by tieing
| up the tide lands and making IL imposSt-
| bile for intending locstOrs 10 purchase
them. The contracts cannot be executed
| in four years and It may be at the end
Of that time the company will b. Obliged
to ask another extension. In this way
| our tide lands VIII be rendered worth
! less 70 owners and manufacturing gnu-
Germs may go to Everett ur any other
poiut where they can md location
The contract Of the waterway COM
| uUny will soon lapse aud the, have demon
strated their inability 80 an in more than
| 100 acres a year OF land, which Is close
| to their dredgcrs. From the coal bunk
rrS south To West Seattle the company
has tied UP under their contracts about
| q,a acres ~ tide land Al their maxi.
mum rate OF filling in Ia the past Il viii
| take nineteen years ~ complete the work
| As much uf the work is Remote from the
| waterway. some over mile aud half
| and q has been demonstrated thar pump
| Ing sand over g 80 feet Is very SLOW work
| 81 viii probably require a longer time
| than this to complete it. Are our lands
| 10 be- tied up for such a period
| I'm stating they are tied Up I mean
| they are virtually so under the terms
| OF the contract. Surprising an owner
| ~ some OF the tide lands involved wished
| To sell 60 a manufacturing concern The
| -L-- .---.Inn lhAt M--t4 .-r-. IN ~