Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1910-09-09
Impending Disaster.


the most salient evidence OF want of
business judgment OF our city au-
thoritieS. nor indeed their trading
them 20 Portland fran for half the
cost and $500 in cash for Sewer
Flusher, which will not do the work
claimed, for fiat town like this
making the FluSher cost alone 81 900
is not the only other instance Of mis-
appropriation Of funds. Let US hope
that nothing more reprehenSible
than mistaken judgment is to blame
for this waste Of the substance of a
tax ridden community. y new deal
is imperatively demanded. from
Mayor down. if the people would
have fair and economic deal.
1t need surprise no one if the own
ers of the dredge Tacoma do not
have a heavy bill for demurrage
against the city by the enforced de-
lay in beginning tie Eastside fill, for
the simple reason that the big box
aume 10 carry through it the water
from Nozzle creek, is Still incomplet-
ed, rs well as the bulkhead promised
On Third street to hold the earth
when deposited in the slough that
extends to Eighth street.
When it is considered that the big
dredge worked On the Water street
fill continuously, nights and Sun
days. alleging that too much money
was invested in the dredge and its
paraphernalia. to allow moment
OF inactivity, it must cause rejecting
people to marvel that they may now
be laid on the shelf for weeks, and
possibly months without any in
come, and to wonder if there is not
a claim gradually growing for reim-
bursement; or whether the dredge-
owners may not have alleged an un-
truth to justify q violation OF both
letter and spirit of State and munich
pal law. and the quite as important
provision for and contention of labor
unions regarding hours of labor :?
Does not the liberation of such a
course bear with it the idea of the
application of legal or moral estraint
is one thing for wealth and quite
another for labor?
But what our property owners are
now interested in is the possible re-
suit of delay and the opportunity it
may afford soulless corporation for
exacting indemnity. The time that
is being taken to construct the flume
and the possible consequence is not a
more alarming feature of the situa-
ton. 1t seems to be the opinion of
nearly everybody who gives the mat
ter thought that the flume will not
either meet the requirement of con-
dult of the water of the creek and
the frequent inflow and ebb of tide
water or stand the service with any
reasonable degree of permanency.
II the same natural law applies to all
fills made through q dredge.pipe, by
means Of flowing stream OF water,
much reliable information should be
! derived from the water-street fill.
The three parallel rows of piles only
braced by as by = scantling was found
to be wholly inadequate to hold the
the 3-inch planking in place spiked to
inside row, and tho piles were bent
and split by the bolts in the cap
bracing in all three piles OF each bent
although recurring at intervals of
about eight feet, and the retaining
wall was out Of line several feet for
block or more before any provision
was made for reinforcement, and then
it could only be done by the make
shift of filing in slanting incline of
earth from the outside OF the rows
of piles extending over the mud
Oats. How may it be expected that
the flume work. or the bulkhead now
being built will stand. under the
same conditions ? If the hume is in
adequate, the whole cost will prob
ably be lost; for 1t will be almost im.
possible to repair. without recon
struction Of different. heavier and
more durable material.
Many people contend that a hume
for the service intended will have to
be built of stone, brick or concrete,
to last even short time, and the
wooden storm-sewer on Washington
street has demonstrated that after q
short time the first cost is much ex-
ceeded by constant repairs.
Just how to avoid or obviate i'm
pending consequences, is difficult to
determine. but it is not too late for
our people to resolve that they will
no longer submit to such unwise and
profigate course on the part Of our
city authorities. Now is the time to
act.
See to it that careful, conserva-
tive, economic people are selected
who will stop this outrageous ex-
penditure of the peoples money
without adequate return, who will
make a vigorous effort to re-establish
o cash basis for only necessary public
expenses.
From Teddy's speeches in Kansas,
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