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To the Hon. Mayor and Members of the Board of Aldermen, and House of Delegates of the City Council of the City of Seattle.
Your Petitioner would respectfully represent unto your Honorable Body, that he is the owner of the West half (W. 1/2) of lots Five (5) and Six (6) in Block Forty-five (45) in D.S. Maynard's Plat or Addition to the then town, (now City) of Seattle- that said property fronts on Washington street in said City of Seattle.
That on or about the 1st day of July, A.D.1891, the said City of Seattle, authorized and permitted the Rainier Avenue Electric Railway Company to lay its tracks on Washington street in front of petitioners above described property; that in order to do so said Railway Company dug a ditch or canal at or near the center of Washington street, in front of petitioners property to the depth of between 4 and 5 feet, and that said ditch or canal is about eight feet in width at the bottom thereof, and wider at the top; and said ditch or canal rendered all access and still renders all access to your petitioner's above described property impractable and impossible. Your petitioner says that before the digging of said ditch or canal in said street, that he had five dwelling houses on said property, and was renting the same for an average of about, twenty-five dollars per month for each one of said dwelling houses.
Your petitioner further says that on account of the digging of said ditch or canal in said street, that said dwelling houses were rendered inexcusable, and some of his tenants abandoned said premises on account thereof, and others have refused to pay the rent