Street Grading Blunder Ruins Home
A Seattle property owner sues for $10,000 after city street work triggers landslides.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The city was sued yesterday by Anna G. Wusthoff to recover $10,000 for damage which she claims has been done to her property, at the corner of Ninth and Terrace streets, by illegal and improper street grading. Her complaint alleges that after the grade of Terrace street had been once established the city again cut it down, and the work was badly done. In consequence, there have been landslides that have ruined both house and lot.
“In consequence there have been land slides that have ruined both house and lot.”
This 1892 complaint about city-ordered street regrades causing property damage and landslides echoes the long history of Seattle's radical topographical changes. Today's residents still grapple with the legacy of these massive engineering projects in historic neighborhoods.
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