Pacific Coast Steamship Company
Named in 27 stories. Back to all names
- May 21, 1884The Fight for Control of the SoundHow local merchants and steamship operators are resisting monopolistic tactics in the Puget Sound trade.Seattle, WA
- May 9, 1886The Struggle for the Alaska TradeSeattle fights to become the primary gateway for the northern trade route, challenging the dominance of Port Townsend.Seattle, WA
- Apr 3, 1887The Ill-Fated Voyage of the Steamship MexicoA bustling Puget Sound steamer, laden with coal and passengers, runs aground in the thick fog near Nanaimo, leaving the crew and longshoremen to face a watery disaster.Seattle, WA
- Apr 28, 1887The Great Seattle Oyster WarWhen Colonel Jim Steel discovered a legal loophole to seize Seattle’s tide flats for private oyster farming, he triggered a chaotic race against a major land company.Pacific Avenue, Seattle, WA
- May 23, 1888The Great Freight War: Tacoma vs. SeattleSeattle merchants accuse the Pacific Coast Steamship Company of deliberately starving the city of goods to favor rival Tacoma, sparking a public dispute over civic equity and economic survival.Seattle, WA
- Aug 22, 1888The Steamship 'Ancon' and the Boom of the Alaska TradeCaptain Carroll discusses the rapid growth of the Alaska route, dismisses critics of his ship, and reveals his plans for a revolutionary glass-walled excursion steamer.Seattle, WA
- Mar 19, 1889The Steamer That Smuggled Opium in Sauerkraut BarrelsA federal seizure of the Walla Walla reveals a shocking loophole: how Pacific Coast Steamship Company executives claim 'skid grease' shipments were actually opium, and why customs officials looked the other way.Seattle, WA
- Jan 20, 1891The Ship That Smuggled Opium: How a Legal Loophole Freed a Vessel and $13,000 in PenaltiesJudge Hanford rules that the steamer *Walla Walla* is not liable for contraband found in its cargo because the master lacked knowledge of the smuggling, setting a precedent for common carriers.Tacoma, WA
- Feb 2, 1891Longshoremen Wage War on Stevedoring MonopolyA newly formed stevedoring firm threatens the livelihoods of union workers, sparking a conflict on the Seattle waterfront.Seattle Waterfront, Seattle, WA
- Sep 4, 1892The Embargo on the SoundFederal quarantine regulations at Port Townsend are throttling commerce and forcing freight ships to run at a loss.Port Townsend, WA
- Nov 18, 1892The Scramble for the Customs HouseWith a new President taking office, candidates are fighting for the most lucrative federal post in Washington state.Port Townsend, WA
- Dec 19, 1892The Conflict at the DocksThe Seattle Chamber of Commerce investigates longshoremen’s union rules, finding that discriminatory labor practices and disputes over foremen are diverting shipping business to Tacoma and Port Blakely.Seattle Waterfront, Seattle, WA
- Jul 24, 1893The Forced Deportation of Mrs. Lee Fook BowCustoms officials seized the steamer Umatilla to enforce a federal court order, ultimately compelling the shipping company to return a Chinese woman to China under the restrictive immigration laws of 1892.Port Townsend, WA
- Jan 13, 1894Longshoremen Wage Battle at the DocksTensions boil over as the Pacific Coast Steamship Company attempts to slash wages and break the power of the longshoremen's union.Seattle, WA
- Jan 14, 1894Longshoremen Strike Against Wage CutsStriking dockworkers faced off against non-union labor hired by the Pacific Coast Steamship Company to unload cargo at drastically reduced pay.Seattle Waterfront, Seattle, WA
- Jan 16, 1894Seattle Longshoremen Fight to Save Their UnionWorkers speak out against a Pacific Coast Steamship Company lockout intended to dismantle their collective bargaining power.Seattle waterfront, Seattle, WA
- Jan 24, 1894Longshoremen and Strike-Breakers Clash on the DocksTensions boil over as union members and non-union laborers brawl at the Ocean Dock in Seattle.Seattle, WA
- Feb 5, 1894Longshoremen’s Strike Ends in DefeatThe labor dispute between Seattle longshoremen and the Pacific Coast Steamship Company has ended, with the workers forced back to the docks on company terms.Seattle, WA
- Mar 24, 1894The Freight Bottleneck on the WaterfrontLocal merchants clash with the Pacific Coast Steamship Company over the delayed delivery of perishable goods.West Street, Seattle, WA
- Apr 24, 1894The Working People of Seattle Protest Wage CutsThousands pack the Armory to demand relief and protest corporate wage suppression across the city.Seattle Armory, Seattle, WA
- Aug 28, 1894Blacklisted on the Waterfront: Northern Pacific Punishes Strike LeadersAfter the 1894 railroad strike, a Northern Pacific superintendent admits the company will not rehire “strike leaders or agitators” — and one ex-switchman says the boycott follows him even to a steamship wharf.Tacoma, WA
- Jan 11, 1895Two Coal Colliers Vanished With Seattle Men AboardThe Keweenaw and the Matanzas, both familiar in Seattle harbor, were given up for lost between British Columbia and San Francisco—taking a crew that included the Keweenaw's captain, his son, and a Seattle engineer.Seattle, WA
- Jan 24, 1895The Steamship Fare War That Cut Seattle to San Francisco to $15The Pacific Coast Steamship Company slashes cabin and steerage rates as a rival steamer forces a fight to the finish.Seattle, WA
- Feb 27, 1895The Alaska Steamship Price WarSeattle's shipping giants slash fares to the North, vowing to drive competitors out of business.Seattle, WA
- Apr 10, 1895A Railroad Rate Cut Redrew the Northwest's Trade MapThe Northern Pacific's new freight tariff aimed to make Puget Sound the gateway for Eastern Washington and Idaho—shutting out St. Paul and San Francisco.Seattle, WA
- Jul 3, 1895The Year the Trains Couldn't Hold EveryoneSeattle's rail agents report the heaviest travel in years — packed cars, booming Alaska bookings, and a colony of 500 Hollanders settling on Whidbey Island.Seattle, WA
- Apr 5, 1899The Great Alaska Rate War: Seattle’s Shipping Barons Draw the LineLocal steamship companies unite to defy British Columbia carriers, threatening a destructive fare war from Seattle to the Klondike goldfields.Union Building, Seattle, WA