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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 2 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1876 | 11 |
| 1877 | 4 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 6 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 4 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 4 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 8 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 9 |
| 1892 | 20 |
| 1893 | 25 |
| 1894 | 13 |
| 1895 | 30 |
| 1899 | 4 |
| 1903 | 6 |
| 1904 | 4 |
| 1909 | 11 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 4 |
| 1916 | 5 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1919 | 1 |
102 stories matching burst
- The Great Broadway Pump Failure
An experimental city attempt to save money by shutting down the Broadway pump station ends in a burst main and a chaotic emergency repair.
- Cottage Home Reduced to Ashes
A summer resort property at Lillewaup Falls is destroyed by a mysterious overnight fire, leaving guests and owners scrambling to save what they could.
- A Smallpox Quarantine in a Snowbound Hotel
A burst pipe left six quarantined smallpox patients without water as Tacoma's snowstorm shut down plumbers, coal deliveries and the Northern Pacific.
- The Water Works Water-Pump Fiasco
Public officials scrambled to hide that the new city water pump was 'pounding' and breaking down, just as citizens were losing faith in the entire system.
- Firefighters Fail as Rotten Hoses Fail to Save Homes
A residential fire on Eleventh Street in Aberdeen spirals into a local crisis when faulty equipment and a lack of unified command prevent the fire department from saving two houses.
- Boiler Explosion Leaves Chehalis in the Dark
A mechanical failure at the local mill triggers an city-wide blackout, prompting residents to demand a municipal power plant.
- Dynamite Accident at the Franklin Mines
A miner was severely injured when a makeshift tool used to celebrate the Fourth of July exploded, nearly costing him his life.
- Counterfeiters Caught in Gilman
A raid on a hotel room in Gilman reveals a makeshift mint producing fake gold coins.
- A Steam Pipe Bursts Aboard the Nineveh
A donkey engine hoisting ballast aboard the British ship Nineveh exploded at Tacoma, leaving ship carpenter McPherson badly scalded and fighting for his life.
- Sawmill Boiler Explosion Kills Assistant Engineer William Welch
A boiler explosion at the Weatherwax Lumber Company claims a life and leaves the community reeling.
- The Fire Hose Scandal
Mayor Phelps files official charges against Fire Commissioner George T. Masel, alleging incompetence and corruption regarding the purchase of defective fire equipment.
- When the Prey Fights Back
A hunter discovers an unusually aggressive colony of rabbits in Whatcom County.
- A Deckhand’s Wife Arrives in Seattle to Find Him Dead
Thomas Smith was scalded when a steamer boiler pipe burst. He died at Providence Hospital just as his wife reached Seattle from Sidney.
- A Coal Elevator Gives Way at the Foot of Madison Street
Two coal cars and three workers fall twenty feet when a corroded hydraulic cylinder bursts at the Seattle Coal & Iron Company bunkers; all escape without a scratch.
- Live Steam in the Firebox: A Deckhand's Terrible Scalding
Thomas Smith was thrown into the bow of the steamer Ellis when a boiler pipe burst; he begged that his ill wife not read the news.
- The Boy Who Played with Fire: A Seattle Tragedy on Hart Avenue
A young boy’s fatal experiment with powder and a lit candle has left his family in mourning and the neighborhood in shock.
- The Final Verdict in the Boyd Case
A courtroom packed to suffocation erupts in cheers as a jury acquits Mrs. Boyd, concluding a high-profile trial followed closely by the public.
- The Fiery Wreck of the J. C. Brittain
A freight steamer loaded with lime catches fire after hitting rocks in a thick Rosario Straits fog.
- The Pride of the Sound Lost to Fire
Seattle’s fastest steamer, the Flyer, is reduced to a charred hull in a spectacular midnight harbor blaze.
- Winterizing Seattle's Water Pipes
City crews scramble to box in exposed water mains after a costly deep freeze the previous year.
- Aberdeen's Democratic Party Rallies to Take Back the County
Local Democrats pack the council chamber to challenge the 'Republican ring' and organize for the upcoming election.
- A Family Feud Erupts in Court
A dispute over a boy's wayward behavior reveals a fractured family and a grandmother's dramatic courtroom outburst.
- The City Council's Chaotic Brawl
Yakima’s local government descends into insults, filibustering, and open hostility during a session regarding city spending and official conduct.
- A Home Lost to Fire in the Growing City
A vacant house on the corner of Hyde and Lite streets is destroyed by fire, leaving a young couple who had only recently moved in with nothing.
- Midnight Fire at the Northern Hotel
A fire breaks out in the kitchen of the Northern Hotel, sending guests fleeing into the halls in their nightclothes.