The Street That Couldn't Be Finished
Property owners on Deeatnr Street face losing their homes to the city treasurer over an unfinished grading project that the city legally cannot complete.
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 property owners on Deeatnr Street are in a bad fix. Their street is only partly graded, yet if they do not pay their assessment or take legal steps to protect themselves, their property will be sold by the city treasurer next month. The matter came up before the board of public works yesterday on a letter from Matt Brannigan, who was the contractor for the work, offering now to finish the street provided his pay were guaranteed. City Engineer Thomson said he had been advised by the corporation counsel that no more warrants could be legally issued for the work. The time for completing the contract has long gone by, and out of $5,000 only about one-tenth has been paid for. Yet, such is the condition of affairs that unless the city wants to make itself liable for the whole amount, it will have to wait until the property owners take legal steps.
“The time for completing the contract has long gone by, and out of $5,000 only about one-tenth has been paid for.”
This 1893 administrative deadlock echoes modern Seattle's recurring frustrations with municipal project delays and assessment struggles. It highlights a common historical tension where property owners are trapped by city contracting failures that threaten their ownership status.
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