The Deed, the Railroad, and the Piles in North Seattle
A waterfront owner blocks railroad crews from driving piles in front of his North Seattle property while a right-of-way deed sits unsigned in New York.
A reporter called on Mr. T. J. Miller to ask about the trouble he was supposed to have had with the railroad construction company. It seems they attempted to pile in front of the C. & E. R. R. water front property in North Seattle. Mr. Miller said:
'Sometime in June Judge Burke sent a deed to our people in New York for the right of way to be signed, but for what they considered good reasons they refused to sign it, and instructed me not to allow any piling to be done in front of our premises by us in the matter. I have temporarily complied with my orders from New York and had a talk with Mr. Swan today, and I have no doubt everything will be adjusted in the early future.'
“They refused to sign it, and instructed me not to allow any piling to be done in front of our premises.”
Seattle's waterfront has always been contested ground, from 19th-century railroad rights-of-way to today's seawall and development fights. Then as now, a single deed and a pile driver could decide who controlled the shore.
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