HARD DRIVE TO THE KLONDIKE:
PROMOTING SEATTLE DURING THE GOLD RUSH

A Historic Resource Study for the Seattle Unit of the
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park

Sewage, Water, and Electricity

As City Engineer, Thomson's chief concerns were sewage, water, and electricity. He was alarmed by the longstanding practice of individuals and businesses dumping waste into Lake Washington, which had no natural outlet. He suggested that sewage be discharged at West Point, at the edge of Fort Lawton on Magnolia Bluff, since the deep and constant current there could carry waste into Puget Sound. After lengthy negotiations with the U.S. Army, Thomson won approval to run sewer lines out to West Point. [19]

Providing for the expanding city was a major issue in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Before Thomson became City Engineer, Seattle had relied on a number of early water systems, included the operations of the Spring Hill Water Company. This firm secured its supply of water from the west slope of First Hill, storing it in wooden tanks in the south end of the city. In 1886, the company also constructed a pumping station at Lake Washington and a reservoir at Beacon Hill. Four years later, the city purchased the Spring Hill Water Company's system. By that time, city officials had already looked to the Cedar River, which flowed out of the Cascade Mountains, as the ultimate source of water supply. One of his first tasks as City Engineer was to design a plan for its development. A citywide fight over public versus private construction and management delayed the project until the late 1890s. [20]

In 1899, the city contracted with the Pacific Bridge Company to construct the headworks, dam, and pipeline. It also hired Smith, Wakefield & David to build the reservoirs in Lincoln and Volunteer parks. In 1901, the system went into commission, delivering 22 million gallons of water per day. By the end of the decade, however, city officials realized that this amount was not sufficient for the needs of the growing metropolis, and a second pipeline was constructed in 1909. By 1916, the expanded system had delivered 66 million gallons per day. [21]

Thomson also tackled the issue of electricity. In the early twentieth century, Seattle Electric -- a predecessor company of Puget Sound Energy -- enjoyed a near monopoly on electric power as well as public transportation. Thomson, however, wanted the city to build a hydroelectric plant at Cedar River, and he garnered support among city officials and residents. In 1902, voters decided in favor of the city power plant. [22]