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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 5 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1863 | 2 |
| 1871 | 1 |
| 1872 | 3 |
| 1876 | 22 |
| 1877 | 14 |
| 1878 | 12 |
| 1880 | 3 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 24 |
| 1884 | 9 |
| 1885 | 20 |
| 1886 | 14 |
| 1887 | 15 |
| 1888 | 6 |
| 1889 | 33 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 24 |
| 1892 | 67 |
| 1893 | 55 |
| 1894 | 47 |
| 1895 | 32 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 14 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1903 | 19 |
| 1904 | 27 |
| 1908 | 6 |
| 1909 | 16 |
| 1910 | 9 |
| 1911 | 3 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 2 |
| 1915 | 2 |
| 1916 | 12 |
| 1917 | 3 |
| 1919 | 1 |
| 1924 | 2 |
| 1925 | 1 |
| 1929 | 1 |
71 stories matching alarm
- Town Says No to the Fire Alarm, So the Telephone Man Hoists It Up the City Hall Tower Himself
Newport declined to keep the trial alarm Manager Anderson installed. He couldn't ship it back, so he bolted it to the City Hall tower and handed the town a free one anyway.
- The Phantom Fire-Starter of Tacoma
A mischievous prankster is repeatedly triggering false fire alarms, exhausting the local department and draining public funds.
- Newport's Fire Alarm Was a Church Bell—Until It Moved
When the Congregational church bell left its old belfry, Newport lost the only way to sound a fire alarm. A telephone company offered a $100 fix.
- Council Rejects Monopoly Bid for Fire Alarm Contract
After the Gamewell company tried to submit double bids to secure a lucrative contract, the city council handed the deal to their competitor.
- The Great Alarm Debate
Walla Walla’s City Council considers whether to invest in a modern fire alarm system or rely on an improvised network of city telephones.
- Walla Walla's Year of Fire
The local fire department reports a record-breaking 104 alarms for the year, including three major blazes that leveled local businesses.
- The Walla Walla Council's Fire Alarm Debate
City leaders weigh the cost of a new fire alarm system against the growing municipal budget.
- Tacoma’s Theaters Under Fire Safety Review
Building inspectors find local stages lacking modern fire protections, prompting calls for new safety ordinances.
- No Telephone, No Alarm: A House Gone Before the Department Knew
Fred Stewart's home south of the Great Northern tracks burned to the ground at noon on a Wednesday. The neighbours could not save a thing, a daughter barely escaped, and $40 in cash went up with the walls.
- An Alarming Rise in Typhoid Cases
Public alarm grows in Tacoma as local health officials downplay a spike in illness, suggesting citizens boil their water while avoiding any official critique of the city's water supply.
- A Stormy Night in Guy
A fierce windstorm terrified residents as strange colors painted the midnight sky.
- Nightmare at the Notion Store
A shopkeeper narrowly escapes his building as a pre-dawn blaze tears through a landmark business in Walla Walla.
- Lincoln School Destroyed by Fire
A faulty water system leaves the city’s largest school in ruins after an outbuilding fire spreads.
- Grasshopper Plague Threatens Yakima Valley Crops
A rapid infestation of insects on the reservation has farmers fearing for their summer harvest.
- Marshall Snell Demands Safer Streets
City officials and concerned citizens sound the alarm over the rising danger of automobiles in public spaces like Wright Park.
- The Crumbling Span Over the Gulch
South Tacoma residents demand immediate action as a critical bridge over a ravine shows dangerous signs of structural failure.
- The Bridge That Saved a Boarding House
A ten-minute delay caused by a passing ship allowed firefighters to extinguish a blaze in the St. Paul Tacoma Lumber Company’s housing before it could spread.
- The Vanishing Grocer of Garfield
A local merchant leaves on a routine business trip to Spokane and vanishes, leaving his family and neighbors in a state of growing alarm.
- City Orders Halt to Blasting Near West Coast Wagon Factory
A contractor’s use of dynamite to excavate an addition to the West Coast wagon factory triggered alarm and complaints of structural damage from neighbors.
- The Sheriff's Long Ride to Nowhere
An urgent report of horse theft near Sunset leads to an exhausting night mission that turns out to be a classic case of mistaken identity.
- Persian Rug Store Ravaged by Early Morning Blaze
A mysterious fire in the Tacoma Theater building destroyed the inventory of a local Oriental goods merchant.
- Midnight Explosions Rock Pacific Avenue
A late-night blaze at the Robinson Clothing Company forced hotel guests to flee into the streets in their nightclothes.
- Forest Fires Threaten the Electron Power Plant
A multi-million dollar power facility is at risk as flames advance along the vital 14-mile flume.
- An Escape from Medical Lake
A patient from the state hospital for the insane sparks fear in a small community before his quiet capture.
- Midnight Intruder Terrorizes Wilcox Farmhouse
A woman fights off a home invader who broke into her bedroom in the dead of night, narrowly escaping a violent assault.