The Dredgers Are Coming: Seattle's Canal Project Finally Starts Moving

Capt. Thomas W. Symons, United States army engineer in charge of the Department of the Columbia and chief engineer for the Seattle and Lake Washington Waterway Company, yesterday inspected the proposed route of the north canal with Civil Engineer Eugene Ricksecker. Later, in an interview, he spoke very favorably of the progress being made toward construction of the south canal.

"The long period of waiting for the commencement of work on the south canal," said Capt. Symons, "is about over. The financiers, the lawyers and the courts have caused much delay, undoubtedly necessary to settle vexed questions and get the enterprise on a solid and secure basis. These delays are now almost over, I understand, and active operations are about to commence.

"We expect to start the construction of the bulkhead along Railroad avenue early next week, and during the week a force of surveyors will be put in the field and the actual surveys for the determination of quantities of excavation and fill will commence. These surveys will require great care and will take considerable time, as they must be kept well in advance of the actual work of filling.

"By the time the surveys are sufficiently advanced, we expect to have one or more great hydraulic dredgers on the ground and then the work of making the dirt fly will commence in earnest and this magnificent enterprise will be fairly under way. We don't want to build the bulkheads too fast or too far in advance of the fill, as it is better to have them both advance together.

"There are two hydraulic dredgers in the Northwest, one now at work in Swinomish slough; its work there will be completed in about two or three weeks, when it will be available for work here. It will, however, before commencing here, have to be overhauled and put in repair, and furthermore it will have to be supplied with a large additional amount of iron pipe for the conveyance of the dredged material. When the work starts the material will have to be conveyed through at least 3,000 feet of pipe.

"The other hydraulic dredger is now at Portland, laid up. It will have to be boxed up in a very thorough manner for a journey by sea around here from the Columbia river. This will be about as much work as building a house. This dredger will have to be thoroughly overhauled and also supplied with a large additional amount of pipe.

"There are other dredgers in San Francisco which can be obtained for the work if necessary, and probably others will be built as the work progresses. It is a matter of regret to me that the surveys could not have been advanced so that the dredges could be set to work immediately. The people of Seattle have been patient with the financiers and lawyers and courts, and now they must extend the same patience to the engineers and those who will do the work, assured that everything will be done by them that is possible to expedite the commencement and carrying on of the great undertaking.

"When the work on the flats is well under way, the necessary labors and surveys incidental to commencing the excavation of the hill section will be taken up. There are many details to be worked out before the actual operations on the hill section can be undertaken. These details refer to the emplacement of the methods of excavation and carriage, etc.

"As to the north canal," continued Capt. Symons, "the best thing you can say is that splendid progress is being made. The survey of the route is getting along very well indeed, and in the next few weeks we will be ready to turn the plats over to the county commissioners for the condemnation of the property traversed by the right-of-way. Then it will be necessary to secure deeds of release from the owners of the property which will be flooded by raising the waters of Salmon bay to the level of Lake Union. We will have to further make arrangements with the railroads for a change in their locations, as well as a change of the present bridges to drawbridges. All of this will take considerable time, and in the condemnation proceedings there may arise some serious litigation which will temporarily postpone progress. It can be said, however, that the outlook is very favorable indeed."