Seattle Citizens Rally to Fund the Lake Washington Ship Canal
A packed meeting at the Armory raises thousands in pledges for the waterway that would connect Elliott Bay to Lake Washington.
At a crowded meeting at the Armory last night, Seattle citizens pledged thousands of dollars to subsidize the construction of a ship canal connecting Elliott Bay with Lake Washington. The meeting was held to support the Seattle and Lake Washington Waterway Company, which holds a contract with the state to excavate the waterway.
A speaker outlined the benefits of the canal, predicting a large increase in population, a rise in real estate values, and a boost to manufacturing. 'It is the spirit of the men and women that live in a city that affords the sure foundation for its prosperity or the elements that enter into its stagnation and decay,' he said. He reminded the audience of the contract entered into by the state of Washington and Eugene Sample on October 27, 1892, requiring completion of the work within six years.
The chairman read a letter from the Seattle Dry Dock and Ship Building Company subscribing $250. W. H. White pledged $50, John Leary and John Collins $25 each, and Judge Hanford and Judge Jacobs also contributed. Mayor Phelps gave an enthusiastic speech, saying it was within the power of Seattle to grasp the opportunity, and pledged $50. J. T. Ronald, after being called a doubting Thomas, pledged $300 and then $500. W. H. White raised his pledge to $250. Malcolm MacDougal telegraphed his regrets and pledged $250. Sam Hill gave a rousing speech and subscribed $100. E. C. Hughes pledged $200, Bros $1,000, Jack Ross $100, Simon Brunn $100, the San Francisco Shoe Company $75, William S. Pond $50, and H. H. Pease $50, with his wife giving more.
A resolution by E. B. Friend recommending that Seattle laborers be employed on the canal work was favorably received. At 11 o'clock the meeting adjourned, and many crowded around the platform to secure copies of the subsidy note and agreement.
After the meeting, Capt. W. T. Symons, the government engineer, described the dredging methods to be used. He said work would begin by excavating the east waterway with a dredger, using the Powers system of centrifugal pumps to move sand and mud through pipes to the deposit sites. Bulkheads of brush would be built to retain the material. The hill section would be excavated by hydraulic process, using water under pressure to wash the earth into flumes. He estimated the canal would be about two miles long, and a ship could pass through in one to two hours.
A letter from the Moran Brothers' shipbuilding company pledged $2,500, stating: 'We do not do this to help the St. Louis people, but rather ourselves first, and secondly, the whole city of Seattle. It is the best business proposition that has struck this town for a very long time.'
“Keep alive the old Seattle spirit. And when you are asked to give, give double what you thought you ought to give.”
The Lake Washington Ship Canal was eventually completed in 1917 and remains a vital artery for Seattle's maritime industry and recreation. This 1895 meeting shows how civic boosters used private subscriptions to leverage public infrastructure—a model that still shapes debates over who pays for major projects like transit and waterfront redevelopment.
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