Washington Iron Works
Named in 18 stories. Back to all names
- Jan 3, 1883The Skagit's First Steam Logging RailroadA new industrial era for the Upper Skagit river as local logging ramps up production with a custom-built iron engine.Skagit River, Sedro-Woolley, WA
- Aug 18, 1883A Twelve-Ton Locomotive Rolled Down the Street to the WaterSeattle's Washington Iron Works spent months building a geared logging engine. When it was finished it drove itself through town on temporary track to the foot of Washington Street, to be lashed to a scow and floated north to the woods.Seattle, WA
- Dec 5, 1883Tragedy at the Washington Iron WorksA steady, reliable laborer is maimed in a workshop accident, leaving his young family in financial peril.Seattle, WA
- Jan 18, 1885The Boomtown Ledger: Seattle’s Economic Surge in 1884A detailed survey of Seattle’s rapid 1884 expansion reveals a city bristling with new brick blocks, bustling steam mills, and a skyline reaching toward its future.Opera House, Seattle
- Jun 17, 1885The Iron Workers’ TruceAfter months of tense negotiations and the threat of a prolonged shutdown, iron manufacturers and workmen in Seattle reach a compromise to avert a general strike.Seattle, WA
- Jul 7, 1885A Fourth of July Disaster at the Iron WorksA celebratory cannon salute leaves a local foreman maimed during Seattle's Independence Day festivities.Seattle, WA
- Mar 23, 1886Seattle's First Electric LightsThe Seattle Electric Light Company fires up its dynamo, turning darkness into a clear, white glow.Jackson Street, Seattle, WA
- Apr 16, 1886The War of Words at the Edge of the FrontierIn an era of unchecked corporate power, a fiery letter from labor leader T.V. Powderly to tycoon Jay Gould exposes the raw nerves of a nation in the throes of a massive railroad strike.Seattle, WA
- Jul 27, 1887A Foundry Mishap on the Seattle WaterfrontWhile working at the Washington Iron Works, a local resident sustains a bone-shattering injury in a heavy machinery accident.Third Avenue, Seattle, WA
- Oct 9, 1887Peter Kirk's Iron Works Signal Seattle's Manufacturing AmbitionsA bold call in 1887 to turn Seattle into a premier manufacturing powerhouse by offering free land and tax incentives to incoming factories.King County, Seattle, WA
- Jul 25, 1888The Seattle Boiler Strike of 1888Striking workers reject 'scab' labor and call for higher wages in a booming city.Seattle Waterfront, Seattle, WA
- Aug 8, 1888The Unseen Resource: Seattle’s Timber WasteA 1888 editorial proposes a transformative idea for the region: turning the massive piles of wasted forest debris into paper pulp.Seattle, WA
- Jan 1, 1891The Rat Out of the HoleA bitter public feud erupts between two of Seattle's major industrial firms over the construction of a city fireboat.Seattle, WA
- Jan 2, 1891The Waterfront Scandal: A Questionable Contract for Seattle’s New Fire BoatThe Washington Iron Works alleges that city officials bypassed proper oversight in a murky deal for the city's new fire-fighting vessel.Waterfront, Seattle, WA
- Oct 12, 1892Seattle's Merchants Band Together Against Freight RatesLeading shippers in the city convene at the Bailey block to form a new organization to challenge discriminatory transportation costs.Seattle, WA
- Jan 22, 1894Why is the City Buying Eastern Hydrants?A citizen questions why the city administration is shipping tax money to Michigan for inferior equipment when local iron workers remain idle.Seattle, WA
- Jul 23, 1894A Sailor's Last Ride on the Duwamish BridgeAlexander McRae came from New York to take charge of a lumber barkentine. Near South Park he tried to board a moving streetcar, fell twenty feet through a bridge, and died before reaching Seattle.Seattle, WA
- May 29, 1899Telescoped at the Crossing: A Grant Street HorrorWhen a Northern Pacific freight train plowed into an electric streetcar on May 20, 1909, one man died and dozens were mangled in the icy water below. The crash exposed dangerous speeds and negligent watchmen at a city intersection that remains vital today.South Park, Seattle