The Waterworks War: Engineering the Future of West Seattle

The West Seattle ferry began its frequent daily trips to the further shore from the convenient dock at the foot of Marion Street, and traffic increased daily. The land is changing from a narrow clay beach to a loftier plateau. The West Seattle Improvement Company is currently employed on the bluff, and lofty stores will be set up by Monday. The sand is no light task to shift and terrace the bluff, but they are fashioning the land into a smooth, even surface. As the town proper grows, so does the demand for modern infrastructure. In the past, Ellensburg and Seattle were built before waterworks were provided, which is now considered a grave mistake. West Seattle is wisely avoiding that error. The steamer Imatilla brought sections of iron pipe, and the work of distributing it along the streets has begun. The works to be erected are, for now, temporary and will have a capacity of 40,000 gallons a day. The supply of water will be drawn from springs which gush out of the earth near the stable of Grand Avenue. The water will be raised to a reservoir higher up, on the ridge of the same avenue, whence it will distribute by force of gravity through the mains on California, Barton, Yukon, and Columbia avenues.