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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1883 | 2 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 4 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 14 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 3 |
| 1895 | 5 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1909 | 4 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 2 |
28 stories matching powerless
- Tragedy at the Snoqualmie Log Jam
A respected local worker is lost in the river during a high-water operation, leaving his community in mourning.
- Survival in the Wynoochee Snow
Four hunters face starvation in the mountain snow, surviving for a month on nothing but elk and eagle meat.
- City Hall's Quarantine Deadlock
As the Board of Health scrambles to map an imaginary quarantine line for cholera, the city's inability to pay for basic sanitation has created a public health crisis.
- The Tragic End of a Seattle Diver
After suffering from a mysterious illness contracted while working on the sunken tug Mystic, a local diver passes away, leaving behind a young family.
- Unnamed Drifter Saves Girl from Drowning
A homeless man risked his life to pull a young girl from the water near the Great Northern tracks, only to walk away and spend the reward money on liquor.
- Steamboat Monopoly Sparks Outrage on the Sound
A passenger fare hike between Fairhaven and Seattle has riders and business leaders accusing steamboat companies of price-fixing.
- The Commonwealers' Battle for the Rails
Striking workers and the unemployed attempt to travel across Washington via hijacked trains, triggering violent clashes with federal marshals.
- Tragic Industrial Death at Spokane Rail Yard
A switchman is killed instantly after his foot is trapped at a crossing during a freight car maneuver.
- Cattle Rustlers Reclaim Their Horses in Spokane
After a timber speculator used stolen horses as collateral for a bond, the original owners simply took them back.
- Fire Leaves South Seattle Helpless
A devastating blaze destroyed two grocery stores and a local lodge room because the buildings sat just one block beyond the reach of the city water mains.
- The Day the Circus Band Wagon Tore Through Downtown Tacoma
A runaway team of horses pulling a promotional circus wagon turned a mundane Monday into a scene of carnage at the corner of Washington and South Second Street.
- The Chehalis Inferno
A devastating blaze sweeps through four blocks of wooden buildings, leaving residents to wonder if firebugs are to blame for the city's second disaster in two months.
- The Miracle of the Push Car
An 11-year-old boy survives a harrowing run-in with a runaway push car on an electric rail line south of Seattle.
- The Night Fremont's Industry Went Up in Smoke
When the Goddard Bros. foundry on Lake Union caught fire, the entire neighborhood rushed to help—but they couldn't beat the flames.
- Abandoned and Destitute: A Public Plea for Support
When an attorney abandons his wife and child in 1892 Seattle, the legal system proves powerless to help—until a local judge intervenes.
- The Battle for the Waterfront
Tacoma and Seattle clash with the state over who owns the land between the high tide line and the harbor.
- Border Towns Beg for Smallpox Quarantine — but the Health Board Can't Stop the Trains
Asiatic smallpox is spreading in Vancouver and New Westminster, and Whatcom's mayor warns that daily trains could carry infection into every Puget Sound city. The board of health says the law only lets it quarantine ships.
- The Shadow of the Mine Wars at Seattle City Hall
A citizen's public protest exposes the appointment of a former strike-breaking enforcer to the Seattle police force, sparking a clash over the legitimacy of law enforcement.
- A Judge Calls the County-Seat Law ‘Nefarious’
Judge Ballinger dismisses Snohomish’s appeal over moving the county seat to Everett, blasting officials for defiance and the legislature for a law that leaves the court powerless.
- The Amazon of Second Street
When an officer attempted to arrest a man during a street brawl, his wife stepped in with a display of pugilistic skill that stunned the police and the crowd.
- Union and Non-Union Seamen Clash at Port Townsend
A saloon becomes a battleground as a labor dispute over shipping jobs descends into a violent, armed confrontation.
- A Grave in Tacoma, a Death Across Three States, and a Lawyer Asking to Open the Coffin
Suspicions of foul play follow a woman's remains home to Tacoma from a journey through California and Oregon. But with no coroner's authority, no money and a husband's Assyrian friends standing guard at the house, her counsel can only beg for a disinterment.
- The Cross-Threaded Nozzle That Cost Ellensburg the Race
In an 1889 hose-cart contest, North Yakima’s fire team beat Ellensburg—but the day’s real drama was a stuck coupling and a heartbroken nozzleman.
- The Dry Crusade Meets in Seattle, and Admits the Room Is Half Empty
King County Prohibitionists adopt a sweeping platform against the liquor traffic, name delegates, and set a September convention—despite a light turnout.
- The Butter Was Shipped 'Tagless, Label-less, Mark-less'—and Washington Farmers Paid for It
A Redmond farmer's letter to the editor says Puget Sound producers are being squeezed by commission men and by adulterated Eastern butter sold in Seattle as creamery.