The Dredgers Were Coming: Seattle Builds Its Tide Flats

Capt. T. W. Symons, the United States engineer who is chief in charge of the work of filling in the tide flats and digging the canal, and A. J. Gillis, chief of the state land commissioners, were in the city yesterday morning, went out on the tide flats where pile drivers are at work driving piles for one of the bulkheads, and were accompanied by J. H. Savage, the government engineer who will have direct charge of the work; D. E. Durie; D. A. McKenzie; Attorney J. F. Hale, of the Seattle and Lake Washington Waterway Company; and others. Capt. Symons left at 4 in the afternoon for Montana, where he will look after public improvements along certain rivers, and will return to Seattle in about ten days. Capt. Symons explained that he was here with Mr. Gillis for the purpose of determining the character of the bulkhead to be constructed along the west side of Contract No. 3 to retain the fill, on which work has already been commenced by the Seattle and Lake Washington Waterway Company; also to consider the best methods of determining the quantities of the fill on the territory to enable the land commissioners to certify to the amount. The captain expressed himself as pleased with the work as far as progress has been made, and in answer to a question as to when the work would be commenced in dead earnest, with many men employed, he said: 'You know this is an immense undertaking and it requires some time to get started. The old saying that a good start is the journey half ended is a good one and applies in the present case. It will take some little while yet to get everything in shape and this is being done as rapidly as possible, and at the present time men are at work in as large numbers as possible and practicable.' Capt. Symons said that within a week or ten days the dredger at Swinomish Slough would be through and would be brought to this city and be set at work immediately on the tide flats covered by Contract No. 3. The dredger in Portland, which is a very large one, will not be available immediately, for it is not coppered, being in fresh water, but so soon as it can be properly coppered it will be brought to the Sound and put to work. This dredger is one of the largest of its kind on the Coast and will make the earth fly when once it gets to work in earnest. Mr. Gillis will remain in the city for several days looking over the ground and gathering data on which to file a report with W. T. Forrest, the commissioner of public lands, probably until Capt. Symons returns from Montana. Mr. Gillis said yesterday that several modifications of the original plans of the bulkhead have been agreed upon, after consultation with some of the principal property holders. He said: 'We didn't like the original plan on account of the difficulty in driving sheet piling through the shales which cover the grounds and this will probably be changed.' With reference to the applications for the purchase of tide lands, Mr. Gillis says that the office of the commissioner of public lands at Olympia is filled with applications and that much work and correspondence is necessary to properly attend to the matter. He says that some of the applicants have sent their money with their applications, but it has been returned with a letter explaining that in no case will money be accepted in payment for tide lands until the applicant is notified by the commissioner that he is entitled to purchase. There are many contests to unravel and knotty points of equity to study out and all this will take time and much patience. It will probably be at least fifty days before notices to applicants of their right to purchase will be sent out.