City of Seattle Records

Slough from passing that point is quite within reach if those interested will unite in an effort to obtain it.

The complaints of the suffering farmers have lately become louder than usual from the fact of excessive rainfall and the fact that Cedar river has partly changed its course allowing Black river to fill up to a certain extent thus retarding the outflow.

The farmers of the upper Snohomish valley petitioned the Co. Commissioners for a ditch and a preliminary survey was mde but residents of the lower valley protested on account of the height of Lake Wash. and the matter was dropped.

Last winter petitions were presented to the Co. Commissioners asking them to dig a canal that should lower the Lake but they inform us that there is no law under which they can proceed.

Then an effort was made to get [?] from the Washington Improvement Co. that with the offer in hand, an effort might be made to raise the necessary funds, this failed.

At the meetings which have been held every Sat. for the past month many plans for setting the Finance Com. to work have formed and rejected. We have taken legal advice and are informed that the city as an incorporated body has powers that enables it to take the matter up and carry it forward with greater ease than a private corporation the county having no power at all to undertake the work.

The increasing necessity for this canal to the city must be apparent to you. At present are greater part of Lake Wash. water comes from Sammamish valley washing the surface of acres of low land part of which is oozey slimy bog. Mercer Slough also adds considerable acreage of bog not speaking of the submerged land at the outlet of the Lake at no great distance from the pumping station.