The Lake Washington Ship Canal, Washington

The Lake Washington Ship Canal, lying wholly within the limits of the City of Seattle, connects Puget Sound with a large fresh-water harbor comprising Salmon Bay, Lakes Union and Washing ton, and connecting waters, with a total area of about 25 000 acres. A dam and two locks, one large and one small, near the canal entrance hold the waters of the lakes 25 ft. above extreme low water of the Sound. This paper gives a general 'description of the locality, the original condition, a brief history of the improvement, and a description of the locks, dam, and appurtenances, and of the construction methods. The traffic developed is given, together with a summary of the beneficial results of the work. Under the headings, “Maintenance and Operation” and “Salinity”, are given some of the results of the ten years' experience of operation and observation, with suggestions as to changes that might be desirable in future work of a similar character.