Iditarod pioneer., 1916-05-27
INTERESTING HISTORY
 OF SAMPLES SHIP CANAL,
 WHICH IS NOW COMPLETED

Jack Bechdolt in Seattle Post -lntelligencer)
 Within the next few days government en- gneers will open the locks at Salmon bay, and the Lake Washington canal-a dream of sixty-three years be a reality.
 The triumphant progress of ocean-going ships from Puget sound to Lake Washington will wait upon the completion of new bridges across Lake Union but the canal itself is finished. It cost the government about $2,275 GOO, and Seattle, King county and the state about S5 5,500,O00 more.
 It is curious commentary on the growth of Seattle to metropolitan size that Tn the last three years the lake canal once a burning issue, has ceased to engage public interest to the exclusion of all else
 The lake canal still is one of Scattle's biggest undert akings, but the days when its mention was the signal for battle be tween rival factions happily have passed Eleven years ago all Seattle united in de manding one lake canal, and five years az the demand was granted by the federal gov ernment. The realization of the dream l. triumph for the Seattle spirit
 First Mentioned in 1853
 The history of the project becomes in volved in detail, but it Is history of great interest, for 1t involves as leading figures a number of the most prominent men Tn the building of this city.
 The first mention of a canal to connect Shilshoie bay with Lake Union and Lake Washington is attributed to General George B. Mcclellan, who in 1853 thought the project feasible one. Two years later Thomas Mercer, making Fourth of July speech to his fellow townsmen, gathered for a picnic on the shore of Lake Union, pre- dicted that some day a canal would join Lake Washington and Lake Union with Puget sound, and the commerce carrying vessels of the world would ply its waters Five years after this memorable Fourth of July Harvey Pike after whom Pike street was named, in moment of enthusiasm un- dertook to dig the ditch himself, but soon tired of the job
 Early Efforts at Development
 In 1867 Cornelius H. Hanford, who had contract to carry the mails between Seattle and PuyalIup, conceived the idea that to fill the great tide flats, half mud, half water, at the lower end of the town, would fur nlsh great level area for manufacturing enterprises. It occurred to him that the earth for this could be found by digging canal from the Sound, through Beacon hill to Lake Washington. In the following year, while in Portland, young Hanford was sell ing Seattle real estate. One of his argu ments for the future greatness of Seattle was the feasibility of filling the tdeland area and digging the lake canal
 Eugene Semp,e, who was later to be the last governor of Washington territory, was much impressed with Hanford's plan.
 Three years after this citizens of Seattle organized the Lake Washington Canal As sociatlon, but its project of digging the canal from Salmon bay to Lake Washington never got farther than draftsman's paper. But nine years later the Lake Washington Improvement Company, an organization headed by David T. Denny, George klnnear, Dr. H. B. Bagley, Thomas Burke and E. M. Smithers, did do some work-in fact, al most finished a canal
 Canal Work Abandoned