Pushing for the Lake Washington Ship Canal
Senator Squire gains support for the proposed canal connecting the lakes to Puget Sound, despite legislative hurdles.
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.
Every member of the Senate commerce committee, save one, agreed to the favorable report upon Senator Squire's bill for the construction of a ship canal to connect Lakes Union and Washington with Puget Sound. Though the measure was defeated in the river and harbor bill, Senator Squire remains undeterred and plans to push it through the next session. The committee amended the bill to specifically designate the 'Smith's Cove route' for the improvement, following the board of engineers' report. The appropriation was reduced to $250,000 to initiate work, with a provision that no funds be spent until the right-of-way and liability releases from adjacent property owners are secured at no cost to the United States.
“The fact that this measure was defeated in the river and harbor bill has not discouraged Senator Squire in the least.”
The century-long saga of the Lake Washington Ship Canal finally concluded with its opening in 1917. This snippet highlights the early legislative battles and the specific geographic debate over routes like Smith Cove that preceded the canal's existence today.
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