Pump Out: The Small Lock's Turn

If you are meandering through the Chittenden Locks next week you'll see an amazing sight.

The small lock will be empty! No, they didn't forget to pay the water bill--it is time for the annual inspection, cleaning, and maintenance of the small lock!

Starting at low tide on March 8, the water remaining in the chamber will be pumped out so the lower walls and floor are accessible.

The pumps for this operation are located underneath the Administration Building. If you peek in the basement windows, you may be able to see some of the plumbing for the pumps.

It takes about 4 hours to drain the small lock whereas the large lock (pictured left) requires about 10 hours to pump dry. See previous entries on the Large Lock Pump Out and More Pump Out Pictures.

Barring unforeseen findings, the small lock is scheduled to re-open to boat traffic by March 20.

For current information about the Lake Washington Ship Canal, check out the information from the USACE Seattle District.

Next on the "to-do" list is installation of the smolt flumes on the spillway dam in April and fish ladder cleaning in June.

Friends of the Ballard Locks Meeting Thursday, February 18th, 6:30pm

There will be a meeting of the Friends of the Ballard Locks this Thursday!

We meet at the locks at 6:30pm. Parking is free after 6pm in the main locks lot.

If you'd like to join us, please fill out our volunteer form or drop a line to volunteer-at-friendsoftheballardlocks.org. We'll send you directions to the meeting & make sure you can find us!

In Bloom: Smelling and Looking Good

Can You Smell the Chocolate....or is it Vanilla?

This week we are still experiencing a warming trend and even a bit of sunshine as this article is composed.

All the plants mentioned in the last garden update are still blooming, but this week you can almost snack your way through the garden. You will have to use your imagination, but read on to understand what we mean.

Camellias at entrance -- help us identify the type!

As you come into the garden at the entrance on the left you can see the red flowers of one of the many Camellias that grow through out the garden. We are not sure the specific name of this Camellia – and we welcome any leads (comment on this post if you have ideas!).

Camellia x williamsii 'Bow Bells'

At the Visitor Center entrance the Camellia x williamsii ‘Bow Bells’ is in full bloom. The single rose pink flowers stand out against the dark green foliage.

Across the main lawn you will be able to see one of the first Rhododendrons blooming.

Rhododendron 'Rosamundi'

Light pink flowers cover Rhododendron ‘Rosamuni’.

Daphne mezereum

Further along the promenade on the right side at the pathway to the band stage the two Daphne mezereum (February Daphne) are blooming with white and purple flowers. This plant is deciduous so look for small flowers on branches of the small shrubs.

Daphne odora 'Marginata'

The evergreen Daphne odora ‘Marginata’ (Winter Daphne) at the pathway should have open flowers by the weekend if the warm temperatures continue. There will be a sweet scent on the air when that happens.

Helleborus orientalis

So you may be ready for your snack by the time you get to the Fuchsia bed where you will see Helleborus orientalis (Lenten Rose) blooming. (You are in front of the Administration building).

Azara microphylla

Back up a bit and wander a few meters east towards the machine shop to the Azara microphylla and look at the under side of the branches. Under the very small evergreen leaves you will find tiny yellow flowers that have been opening up all week. This is where your nose will smell a different kind of sweet scent on the air.

Each person has their own interpretation on the scent, but most often the survey says it is chocolate or vanilla. If you missed the Camellia reticulata on your last visit you should see it now – the entire bush is covered in big showy pink flowers. Can you find? (Check out the previous garden article for the location.)

Camellia japonica 'Magnioliaflora'

Walk around the east end of the rose garden and follow the front edge of the warehouse toward the lock wall at the end of that planting bed is the Viburnum x bodnantense we featured in the last post--right across from that you will find the Camellia japonica ‘Magnoliaflora’ blooming. It has semi double blush pink flowers and is often referred to as Peach Blossom Camellia.

As you work your way back towards the promenade you can glance out over the lawn and see that the Cherry trees are starting to bloom.

Enjoy your visit.

Friends of the Ballard Locks Meeting Thursday, January 21, 6:30pm

There will be a meeting of the Friends of the Ballard Locks this Thursday!

We meet at the locks at 6:30pm. Parking is free after 6pm in the main locks lot.

If you'd like to join us, please fill out our volunteer form or drop a line to volunteer-at-friendsoftheballardlocks.org. We'll send you directions to the meeting & make sure you can find us!

In Bloom: Something Smells Good in the Locks Gardens

Notes from the Carl S. English, Jr. Botanical Garden for January 2010.

Just back in December before that week of cold weather we had over 20 plants blooming. Some were blooming out of season, but now we are seeing the usual mid winter blooms.

Last Thursday while walking past the Administration Building, a fresh sweet scent was on the air. It took a few minutes to locate the source but we finally did.

Sarcococca

The Sarcococca in bed 305 planted under the Idesia polycarpa (tree #7 on 'World Tour') is currently blooming and sending the sweet smell along the promenade.

Chimonanthus praecox

In bed 318 near the warehouse east of the rose garden the Chimonanthus praecox (Winter Sweet) is opening up its pale yellow flowers. Just above that is Hamamelis japonica (Witch Hazel), which is not quite ready to bloom.

Camellia reticulata

Surprising at this time of the month is the one pink red bloom of the Camellia reticulata that is right up against the same building.

Viburnum x bodnantense

In planting bed 319 the Viburnum x bodnantense on the corner of the building has lots of flowers, though many are starting to fade.

Garrya elliptica 'James Roof' (not the exact one mentioned)

In the north nursery to the right just after the main entrance you can find a nice example of Garrya elliptica, the long catkins hanging down showing why the common name is Silk-tassel bush.

At the top of the stairs from the lock wall to the right of the house in the rockery (bed 119) the Osmanthus heterophyllus (False holly) is just opening its tiny white blooms. The fragrance is weak, but as more flowers open there should be more fragrance wafting on the breeze.

Over the next few weeks we will see more plants starting to bloom. We will keep you posted via this blog.

See Also

The pamphlet "Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden World Tour" is available in the Visitor Center.

Who Was Hiram?

Welcome to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks! As one of the top 3 tourist sites in Seattle the Locks and adjacent Carl S. English, Jr. Botanical Garden are enjoyed year round by visitors and locals alike.

But who was Chittenden? A local politician? Some rich “bigwig”? No.

Hiram Martin Chittenden, born on a farm in Yorkshire, NY in 1858, was an excellent student and attended Cornell University briefly before transferring to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1884. He returned home to Yorkshire to marry his high school sweetheart Nettie Parker and waited to start his 3 years of training at the Engineer School of Application in New York City. During this three-month break he studied law with a local attorney, then passed the bar exam and was licensed to practice law in NY state- without ever having attended law school.

His first assignments focused on improvements on the Missouri River system, surveying areas for placement of reservoirs, dams and other flood control installations. He served for a time on the Board of Commissioners for Yosemite and in 1891 he received his first posting to Yellowstone, that huge patch of wilderness that had been made America’s first national park in 1872; Congress had now provided funding to start improvements in the park.

Chittenden was then assigned to projects in Kentucky and Ohio and in 1899 he was returned to Yellowstone to develop a road system; the roads that today lead visitors from one scenic vista to another are the result of Chittenden’s design.

Believing that the North entrance to the Park at Gardiner was “the least interesting of any part of the Park” he designed the stone arch that remains a Yellowstone icon to this day. The single concrete arch bridge he designed to span the Yellowstone River was replaced in 1962 and named the Chittenden Memorial Bridge.

He was a prodigious writer, keeping diaries and journals his entire life. His first book “The Yellowstone National Park: Historical and Descriptive” published in 1895, was developed from his daily notes of working there. He went on to write “The American Fur Trade of the Far West” in 1902, it remains the authoritative text of that era. More books followed as well as numerous papers, reports and published articles.

In 1906 Chittenden was assigned to the Seattle District. For 50 years the local populace had been debating the location of a canal to connect the freshwater lakes Union and Washington with Puget Sound to facilitate the movement of timber and coal resources to the docks in Elliott Bay. Although appearing robust, he was actually in failing health and feeling that Seattle would be his last posting prior to retirement he was determined to make it a success. He met with the various warring factions and was able to gain a consensus among them that the route through Salmon Bay was the best choice. Elimination of the second lock at Montlake reduced the budget and Congress funded the project in 1910.

During his tours of duty his wife Nettie and the children Eleanor, Hiram Jr. and Teddy remained in the family home in St. Louis. Chittenden wrote to the children often with tales of his work experiences and urged them to do well in their studies. When he was home he helped them with their homework, went shopping for their first bicycles and took great enjoyment from his family. When they settled in Seattle he and Nettie entertained often, played cards with friends, and attended local opera and theater productions. His younger brother and his wife moved to Seattle and there were many large family gatherings. Yellowstone remained a favorite vacation destination and the family returned there numerous times.

He retired as a Brigadier General in 1909 and remained in Seattle where he was active in local politics and served as first president of the Port Commission. Too ill to attend the dedication of the Locks on July 4, 1917, he died October 4, 1917.

Chittenden is responsible for the placement of the Locks at the west end of the channel thereby making Salmon Bay a freshwater harbor, the change from wood to concrete as the construction material, and the addition of the smaller lock to conserve water. He developed the salt water intrusion drain system to prevent salt water from migrating upstream and his proposal to divert the Cedar River into Lake Washington provides the necessary flow for the operation of the lock system.

In 1956 the name of the Government Locks was officially changed to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in honor of his vision and achievement. The American Society of Civil Engineers designated the Chittenden Locks as a National Historic Engineering Landmark in 1997.

Hiram Chittenden was a successful Army officer, a skilled engineer, a published writer, family man, and above all- a dedicated public servant.

Bibliography

“Hiram Martin Chittenden: His Public Career,” Gordon B. Dobbs, University Press of Kentucky, 1973. {links: Open Library, Amazon}

“The Yellowstone National Park” (edited), Hiram Martin Chittenden, University of Oklahoma Press, 1964. {links: Open Library, original via Google Books}

“H.M. Chittenden: A Western Epic,” Bruce LeRoy, Washington State Historical Society, 1961 {link: Open Library}

Christmas Ships through the Locks Tonight, December 15

Tonight the Christmas Ships will be locking through between 8:10 and 8:30, then proceeding on towards Golden Gardens.

The grounds are open until 9pm, so throw on your rain gear & come watch them go through!

Friends of the Ballard Locks Meeting Thursday, December 17th, 6:30pm

There will be a meeting of the Friends of the Ballard Locks this Thursday!

We meet at the locks at 6:30pm. Parking is free after 6pm in the main locks lot.

If you'd like to join us, please fill out our volunteer form or drop a line to volunteer-at-friendsoftheballardlocks.org. We'll send you directions to the meeting & make sure you can find us!