The Forgotten Spring of Cherry Street
City Treasurer Adolph Krug proposes reviving a historic natural spring near Sixth and Cherry to provide free, pure water to the city.
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.
Adolph Krug, the city treasurer, has a plan which is well worthy of attention. There is a spring of delicious water which rises about Sixth and Cherry and has been famous ever since Seattle was a village. It is no longer used, the city mains having superseded it. Krug considers it a sinful waste and proposes that, at very trifling cost, a pipe be run down Cherry street to a point on the waterfront, where a fountain would be highly appreciated. Mr. Krug says the qualities of the spring are beyond question, and its sharp coldness proves that it emanates far underground.
“Krug considers it a sinful waste, and proposes that, at very trifling cost, a pipe be run down Cherry street to a point on the waterfront.”
This reflects an era where Seattle's natural topography and springs were still being integrated into the urban fabric before the heavy regrading projects permanently altered the city's hydrology. The desire to create a public fountain for the common good stands in stark contrast to the privatization of public water resources often debated today.
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