The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-11-02
NAME STUCK. BUT
THE HILL SLIPPED

THE HILL SLIPPED
! And so tho name Profanity hiiP
stuck. Then the growing city ahln,
doned the old courthouse graded
Fifth ave. and Jackson st. and tenn
porarily forgot Profanity hill. But
only temporarily. Tho hin made u
SELF felt again by beginning a grad
ual flattening out process. which.
up To the present time, has detied
all efforts TO check.
since 1912 the slide Of the hil at
fifth ave, Yesler way and on INC
Jackson 81. side, at Seventh. Eighth
and Ninth ayes, has cost almost
s,oo coo. The cost 10 the street de-
rartruent alone. Barkhufrs records
show. has been si7.ais for the Fifth
ave sllds and s2T.s23.2T for tho
Jackson at. slides. exclusive OF 'hs
year. an,
In addition, several buildings
In the path Of the slide have
collapsed. Many thousands oil
dollars in Judgments have been
maid by the city. and other
thousands arc involved In htiga-
ton. Whole blocks OF houses
have been carried TO destruction
by the slides.
I For several years. after extensive
y earth removals have been made. the
hin lay auiescent Then. about Jan
nary l. 1923. tho slides started
again. This fall they started early.
and steam shoyels were put 10 work
removing the earth. which had been
forced nm and over the edge OF the
stree. a, Fifth ave. and Terrace st.
and at Seventh ave. and Jackson 81.
The Tacoma hotel, modern,
concrete, seven-story building.
at Seventh ave. and Jackson
ST.. was bearing the full brunt
Of enormous pressure from tho
sliding hill. The structure
threatened TO collapse under the
strain, In spite OF n Eeavy con
crete retaining wall built pro
tect il.
II believe we have stopped the
slides, but It's impossible 10 tell def.
initeiy." garkhuff said. There Is
a bit OF natural history behind these
slides. which think is responsible
for them.
I'm the days OF YesIcr's sawnili q
large spring poured out Of the hill
side. and a good sized creek drained
down the hill. II supplied the entire
settlement with drinking water. As
the city grew. this spring was OBJ
liberated, and disappeared from the
surface. / think that artesian water
is still pouring into the porous
structure OF the hill.
DRAIN BOXES ARE
CLOGGED BY SLIDE
Then all the houses on the hill
Mare frame. The rain water runs
down the waterspouts and seeps
- away into the earth. Several old box
sewers formerly drained the hill.
These have been twisted and broken
by the sliding earth.
But we have run a series OF drains
and sewers over the hill. We have
crisscrossed 1t with deep tile and
gravel drains, and ] believe when
the earth that has been showed out
this fall Is removed, the hill VIII
come to a permanent rest
An old bulkhead built between
Seventh and Eighth ayes. on Jack
son st., has rotted away. and is being
replaced with series OF bulkheads
and nbutments.
ut was necessary to relieve the
pressure against the Tacoma hotel
as It's collapse might cost the lives Of
occupants in addition 10 n heavy
damage suit against the city" Bark
huff said. we used tho steam
shovel. The shovel dug path thru
the oozing earth 10 the solid ground
behind. Trucks carried the dsr'
away 10 the Warrington Iron Works
plant at Sixth ave. s. and Massa
chusetts ut. The iron concern paid
for the hauling 10 obtain tho earth
.Our shovel has just finished remov
Ing the slide from Fifth ave, oppo
site the city jail"
WHY JOB HAS
BEEN DIFFICULT
The geological structure or Pro
family Hill In peculiar. There nrc
three berms. or Bboulders. OF hard
pan. and between these 10 "A fine
grained clay. The clay IL composed
OF powdered granite, 10 fino that
under tho microscope talcum powder