Research the archive
Narrow 25,688 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1860 | 1 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1872 | 3 |
| 1876 | 15 |
| 1877 | 4 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 8 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1885 | 13 |
| 1886 | 7 |
| 1887 | 8 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 14 |
| 1890 | 3 |
| 1891 | 10 |
| 1892 | 14 |
| 1893 | 23 |
| 1894 | 12 |
| 1895 | 26 |
| 1899 | 4 |
| 1903 | 3 |
| 1904 | 9 |
| 1908 | 4 |
| 1909 | 4 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1923 | 1 |
203 stories matching deck
- The Ferryboat War of Elliott Bay
A high-stakes territorial dispute over a commercial shipping slip leads to a dangerous maritime game of chicken between two competing steamships.
- The Stowaway with Seventeen Guns
A Victoria burglar thought he’d outsmarted police by hiding between decks on the steamer *Premier*, but a sharp-eyed customs officer at the Seattle dock caught him red-handed—and found his loot.
- The Strawberry Shootout on the Sehome
A minor dispute over stolen fruit on a Puget Sound excursion steamer escalates into a violent, multi-shot confrontation between crew members.
- The Fire That Starved a City: How a Burning Lime Ship Stalled Seattle’s Building Boom
When the steamer *Yquina* exploded in flames at Pacific Dock, it didn't just destroy $35,000 worth of cargo—it left 600 mechanics without work and halted the construction of a growing metropolis.
- Ten Gales, Three Lost Schooners, and a Widow Who Wasn't
A Seattle seal hunter back from eight months in the North Pacific describes a season that swallowed whole crews — and explains why he'd rather kill seals with a spear than a gun.
- The Card Sharps Who Picked the Wrong Captain—and Sailed to Peru
Two Seattle gamblers went to Port Townsend to fleece the master of the British ship Dimsdale. He found out, shanghaied them both, and set sail for Callao.
- The Sailor Who Hung by His Own Neck
A seaman aboard the English ship Halewood survives a sixty-foot fall after a piece of rigging snags his throat in mid-air.
- Harbor Collision Sinks Tugboat Mystic
A dense fog in Elliott Bay leads to a dramatic maritime accident, though all hands are rescued safely.
- Steerage Passengers Stage an Armed Strike for Better Food
Twenty-five Texas cowboys on a steamship to Portland organized an armed takeover of the kitchen to force the captain to improve steerage rations.
- Steamer Collision at Yesler's Wharf
The steamer State of Washington smashed into the docked Cascade, nearly destroying the smaller vessel in a chaotic wharf-side accident.
- The Shipmate’s Miracle: A Story of Grit at Sea
A young sailor survives a hundred-foot fall and a double compound fracture, saved by the improvised surgery and steady care of his shipmates far from any port.
- The River That Wasn't: A Captain’s Quest to Put Kennewick on the Map
Captain Martin L. Volwiler isn’t just shipping strawberries; he’s filming them from a boat deck to prove that the Columbia River is worth knowing about.
- The 'Folly' of Tacoma: A Steamboat Traveler’s Skeptical Report
An 1876 visitor finds the new city of Tacoma lacking and highlights the tragic loss of local boys at sea.
- The Fiery End of the Bark 'Hark Hope'
After failing to extinguish a mystery fire in the cargo hold, the crew of a Honolulu-bound vessel was forced to sink their own ship to save it from complete destruction.
- The Human Deck of Cards
A society spectacle at the Armory features 52 people dressed as playing cards in a meticulously choreographed dance that ended in a 'living' game of whist.
- The Sudden Loss of the Monte Cristo Purser
A young purser fell from the deck of a steamer and vanished into the river near the shingle mills.
- Mutiny Averted Aboard the Cutter Grant
A new recruit refuses to drill, but the crew’s rapid display of loyalty convinces their captain of their patriotism.
- The Skagit River Claims the Steamer Josephine
A local steamer is reported to be in a 'very perilous position' after sinking in the Skagit River, with its hurricane deck submerged.
- The Tragedy of the Tug 'Mogul'
A young seaman from Maine loses his life in the waters of Port Townsend after a fatal fall from his vessel.
- Industrial Accident at the Everett Waterfront
A deck hand is critically injured after a barrel of acid falls, highlighting the daily dangers faced by laborers on the docks.
- The Formosa Runs Aground in Bellingham Bay
A lumber-laden ship bound for Peru is stuck in the mud off Deadman's Point after a tug takes the wrong line—and her captain says the tug will pay.
- The Key-House Raid: Seattle Police Break Up a Gambling Club
Chief Rogers raided the Union Club in the Cobb Block, seizing 1,150 chips and 63 decks of cards—and arresting two men who each claimed to be in charge.
- The Queen City gets a new tugboat
A festive launch of Stetson & Post's new tugboat ends in a brush with catastrophe.
- An Odd English Collier Sails In, and the Wharves Fill to See Her
The first ship of the new Great Eastern line ties up at Baker's wharf after eighteen days from Yokohama, carrying tea, matting and curios — and no passenger cabins at all.
- The Steamer That Never Came: Steilacoom's Broken Promise of a Pleasure Trip
A hundred neighbors set aside their work for a promised steamboat excursion to Olympia — but the boat failed to show, the crowd simmered, and the day ended in a dance hall instead of on deck.