New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1911-02-08
SEATTLE LEVELS.
SELF BY WASHING.
Hills Are Gone, Replaced BY
Even Grades.
WORK TO COST s12,00O.O00
Sixteen Million Cubic Yards Of Dirt
Removed by so.ooo.0oo Gallons Of
Misunderstanding Of Streets. From
PUGET Sound Next Big Project Of
Washington City.

4 F.
The rapidly growing city OF Seattle,
on puge, sound. had no desire to re-
flute the Biblical statement to the Ell
feet that u city built upon NIL can
not be hidden. but y number OF years
ago it came 10 the conclusion that II
was In danger of being hidden from
commercial eyes because 1t was Duiit
upon not one hill, but many hills
Having come 10 that conclusion 1t
was only short step 10 the determi'
nation to remove the hills. some 3d..
1880 cubic yards Ut them. 50 the
city streets In the business district
would be level Three years ago the
work on the tremendous task was be-
gun, and since then about 100000
cubic yards of earth and stone have
been washed away from the hills and
deposited on the mud fats in the
southern section Of the city. along
Elliott bay. where later they will be
made into new streets.
Cost to Be $12,oooooo.
, VSsoOSsoSO
and will cost as much more before 1t
is completed 1t would have cost $34.-
100000 if performed in the old way.
with shovel and scraper. The econ
! omy has been effected because the
city engineer and the contractors
evolved a plan by which to make the
hills help move themselves out OF the
way.
There was lots of water in Elliott
bay. and the Pacific ocean could cas-
lily spare some: there was a great
quantity in tue fresh water lakes.
from which the city was getting u
splendid supply through it's new water
system constructed upon the advice
OF City Engineer Reginald H. Thorn
son. ~y
After the regarding work was start
ed and the expenses were piling up
rapidly some one happened to think OF
this water and of the further fact that
water runs downhill and of the addt'
tional fact that hydraulic mining Is not
expensive. Presto. the salt and fresh
water was turned loose on Seattle's
hills. and before they really knew
what had happened they were resting
in the shallow part of the bay. From
75.OOO.O0O to SOOOO.OGO gallons Of water
were used daily in removing those 49,
100000 cubic yards of hils-that Is,
about one-siStlI as much water as Chi
cago uses daily fer all purposes.
The estimates place the total amount
| of excavation necessary to construct
the Panama canal at l24 .33I,CCO cubic
yards. This regrude undertaking OF
| the city of Seattle is One-third rs large
! Il project. The Seattle people have re-
moved two-thirds as much earth In
| their work as has been moved in work
on the big ditch.
Bigger Things In View.
The Washington city hopes to com.
plc,c her task by 1912 ard then start
90 something that is really big. This
| jui, in prospect involves the construc-
ton of two more city streets mile or
more III length. snatched from the
ocean ut cost Of something like $lS.'
OOU.COO.
The hills upon which the original
Seattle was perched were from 300 to
500 feet high. At the present day
most Of the business section streets
have been cut 70 Il width Ut ninety
feet. and the grades have been reduced
to 3 per cent and under. There are u
few stretches where the width is only
eighty-four feet and the grade 5 per
cent.
The dirt that will have been removed
would cover to the depth Of three feet
square 1881 yards each way. or three
and three.teuths miles. This equals in
surface area about forty-three ordi-
nary city blocks. allowing space for
alleys. wide sidewalks and wide
streets. 1t equals. to state it in an
other form. a street one mile wide and
nearly eleven miles long. This earth
piled on one city block would reach
ND into the air $3.50 feet. or one and
three.fifths miles. In classic language,
| rhot ia .ssorno'' dirt