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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 8 |
| 1877 | 12 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 26 |
| 1884 | 11 |
| 1885 | 7 |
| 1886 | 9 |
| 1887 | 19 |
| 1888 | 9 |
| 1889 | 27 |
| 1890 | 3 |
| 1891 | 20 |
| 1892 | 72 |
| 1893 | 47 |
| 1894 | 33 |
| 1895 | 28 |
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| 1900 | 1 |
| 1902 | 2 |
| 1903 | 23 |
| 1904 | 37 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 16 |
| 1909 | 55 |
| 1910 | 10 |
| 1911 | 3 |
| 1912 | 2 |
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| 1928 | 1 |
| 1929 | 1 |
525 stories matching contractor
- Boodle Charges and a Vendetta at the University of Washington
A disgruntled former foreman accuses contractors and regents of corruption in the new state university building, but his allegations are picked apart by those involved.
- The Fight for Cash Wages
A proposed Seattle ordinance to force contractors to pay laborers in 'lawful money' rather than time checks was struck down by the City Council.
- The Paving Standoff
A contractor’s request for more time to finish Pacific Avenue work is met with skepticism and a demand for better accountability.
- The First Strike Against the Eight-Hour Day
Contractors are already looking for loopholes in the new Washington state labor law, sparking a legal showdown between building firms and the Western Central Labor Union.
- The Street That Couldn’t Get Paved
Contractors forfeited $250 rather than grade Cherry Street at their bid, and the paper argued Seattle should wait until 1884 rather than rush a muddy, expensive job.
- The Struggle for Tacoma Avenue
When the city of Tacoma withheld payment from contractors Cadwell & Vesey, labor tensions boiled over into a stand-off, highlighting the recurring fight to ensure workers get paid for their toil.
- The Great Sewer Scandal (Apr 21, 1892)
A contractor and a city engineer trade accusations of threats and incompetence in a public, printed spat.
- The Building That Fell Down
Owners and contractors are locked in a court battle over the construction of a brick building at Third and Washington that collapsed during its assembly.
- Forty Thousand Bricks Rejected at the New Courthouse
Superintendent Rogers refused to let nearly 40,000 soft bricks from a Westside yard go into Olympia's new courthouse, warning contractors that the specifications would be enforced.
- Sidewalks Torn Up and Abandoned
Tacoma residents vent frustration as contractors rip up streets and leave them barricaded for months without completion.
- The First Strike of Chinese Railroad Workers in Seattle
A brief dispatch from 1872 reports that Chinese laborers brought in by the California railroad contractors walked off the job to demand higher wages.
- The Great Seattle Brick Heist
A local contractor chartered a tugboat to chase down a steamboat captain who allegedly stole a scow full of brick over a payment dispute.
- The Battle of the Mail Carriers
A postal contractor hits back at critics who accused him of corruption and canoe-based mail delivery in the rough early days of the territory's infrastructure.
- The Brutal Toll of the Great Northern Expansion
Snow-shovelers strike for higher wages while workers battle five-foot drifts and constant mountain slides to complete the transcontinental link.
- Crumbled Infrastructure Uncovered After Four Years
A city commissioner reveals that a $17,000 sewer project installed four years ago was completed without cement in the pipe joints, necessitating a costly overhaul.
- Fair Play for the Bandstand Builders
When businessmen whispered that the contractors erecting Olympia’s bandstand were outsiders, a letter to the editor insisted that a family man who had spent $600 waiting for work deserved a fighting chance.
- New Law Reshapes Local Construction Business
A legislative change forces material men to provide duplicate invoices, altering building financial practices in Tacoma.
- Unionists Call Out Local Church for Using Non-Union Labor
The Everett Trades Council wires the American Federation of Labor, protesting a local Presbyterian church’s choice of an 'unfair' contractor.
- The Gold-Brick Con: A Tacoma Contractor Swindled
A Slavonian contractor loses $550 to two men posing as subcontractors in an elaborate fake-deal scheme.
- Prominent Pioneer Detained
A longtime city contractor suffers a mental health crisis at home.
- The Almshouse Controversy
While the court upholds the county commissioners' right to build an almshouse, accusations of fraud and poor construction against the architect and contractor remain unresolved.
- Labor Dispute Ends in Street Attack
A local contractor was beaten with a revolver and slungshot by a group of men after he reportedly refused them work.
- 1,500 Men and a Steam Shovel: Newport Builds the Metaline Line
The Idaho & Washington Northern extension turns Newport into a construction boomtown, with subcontractor camps, mule trains, dynamite barges and a temporary hospital.
- The Battle for Port Orchard's Dry Dock
Local residents petition the Navy to investigate alleged contractor favoritism in the growth of Charleston.
- The Broadway Grade Grift
A contractor runs off without paying his workers, leaving the city in a bind over who gets the final payment.