The Waterfront Turf War

While making his rounds yesterday, a reporter noticed two pile-drivers busy at work sticking piles in the mud a few hundred yards south of the westerly end of Stetson & Post's wharf. Considering this an unusual proceeding, a reporter called on W. T. Milnor to find out what was going on. His explanation was this: The railroad company, which Mr. Milnor has for many years claimed all the flats south of the city, has been very jealous of their possession and guarded them as closely as Sam Ward used to watch the treasury of the United States. Mr. Milnor, in answer to inquiry, said: 'One of those drivers is at work for the Pacific Dry Dock company and the other is at work for us. When we found that the dry dock company was starting to work on the land, we sent out a driver to protect our interests and prevent the closing up of the access to our sawmill. The police local laws are such that we can not enjoin the company from trespassing on our rights, and all we can do until the courts act is to protect our own. I went to Mr. Robert Moran and urged him not to drive any piles on the site until Mr. Howard arrived here, when we will arrange to lease the company that land at a nominal rental, say one dollar for a ninety-nine year lease. The chief justice will be home tomorrow and we will enjoin them from further work.'

Manager Robert Moran of the Dry Dock Company was afterwards seen. He said: 'We looked around for some land for our proposed ship yard and dry dock, and finally concluded that the very best place for such an establishment was on the flats south of Stetson & Post's wharf. On making inquiry we learned that these lands did not belong to anyone; that they are held in trust by the territory for the future state, and that whoever can get possession of the property will have priority of right to buy it when the territory is admitted. On the advice of our attorneys we have set a pile-driver out there to section a piece of those flats about the size of a block for our proposed dock. But before we got to work the railroad company sent a driver out there to interfere with us. They say that they will enjoin us if we continue work, and we say that if they impede us from going on with our work, we will enjoin their drivers from driving any piles in that vicinity. If the matter gets into the courts we will push it to a final termination and find out if the railroad company owns everything south of the city of Seattle.'