Asserting that water overflowing from Rattlesnke lake on January 3, 1919, spread over three tracts of land which he owns in that vicinity, George Steele filed a claim against the city for $1,000 damages Wenesday. Mr Steele alleges that the city permitted water to accumulate in the storage reservoir back of the masonry dam at Cedar river until it reached the height of 100 feet, and that this resulted in seepage through the porous north bank which filled Rattlesnake lake to overflowing. He says his properties are covered with water and that the condition will continue as long as the city impounds water at Cedar river.

This is the first claim filed against the city for damage to property in the Rattlesnake lake section since the flood which destroyed the town of Cedar Falls several years ago. As the result of claims filed at that time, the city acquired the town site by condemnation, at a cost of approximately $90,000. The Edgewick disaster on December 23, 1918, was caused by an outburst from the north bank at a point up the canyon from Rattlesnake lake. Claims aggregating more than $650,000 have been filed against the city as the result of that flood.

Although no rain has fallen in the Cedar river watershed for several days, water in the impounding basin is falling very slowly, averaging about a foot a day. Only half a foot of water was running over the spillway Wednesday. The danger period is by no means passed, city officials say. Seepage through the north bank will continue for at least a week and may at any time cause another outburst on the Snoqualmie side like that which resulted in the Edgewick flood.