The Cellar - Jan 2nd, 2016: Hillless in Seattle

Back a couple week ago I posted about jacking up Chicago. That project was followed by The Great Chicago fire.
Seattle did it the other way round, after a big fire they raised the streets in that 25 block area as much as 22ft,
and built fireproof buildings.
The City Engineer(who are famous for planning grandiose projects with your money) said while we're at it lets knock
down the hills so everyone could have an ocean view.

OK, not so much the view, but to reduce the hills to less than the maximum grade a team of horses & wagon could
negotiate comfortably, and repave the streets with material giving them maximum traction.
It's Seattle, man, be kind to critters country. ;)

http://cellar.org/2015/seattle1a.jpg
Denny Hill was just a small section of the project.

Quote:

Following a fire which razed much of the downtown area, City Engineer R.H. Thomson took the opportunity
to spearhead a wide-ranging effort to tame the terrain around the city and prepare it for a century of growth.
Canals were dug, rivers were diverted and mountains were moved.
In particular, the glacial hills and ridges which separated neighborhoods from the downtown waterfront
were deemed a major impediment to travel and commerce, and a prime target for removal.

http://cellar.org/2015/seattle2.jpg

Quote:

From the 1890s through the 1920s, more than 50 million cubic yards of earth were scraped away with pick axes,
water cannons, steam shovels and conveyor belts. Much of the displaced earth was used for filling in tidal flats on the waterfront.

http://cellar.org/2015/seattle3.jpg

That's when MANual labor, was. The equipment seems laughable today, but a barge that tips over on command was clever.
Some buildings were dismantled, but this is lumber country, so many were undermined by water canons until they collapsed then burned.
Dumping barge loads of soil in the harbor (along with all the burning)would make todays bunny huggers faint, but they were thought to be
a good solution at the time.

My question is , when you have all these hills you have "X" surface area divided into various deeds. Then after the hills are flattened
out you're left with "X-a bunch" surface area. How is that area divvied up between deed holders. Of course it's government so you know
somebody's getting screwed. :yesnod:

linky