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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1876 | 7 |
| 1877 | 5 |
| 1882 | 4 |
| 1883 | 10 |
| 1884 | 6 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1887 | 3 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 8 |
| 1890 | 2 |
| 1891 | 6 |
| 1892 | 26 |
| 1893 | 37 |
| 1894 | 23 |
| 1895 | 34 |
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| 1908 | 5 |
| 1909 | 18 |
| 1910 | 4 |
| 1914 | 2 |
| 1915 | 5 |
| 1916 | 13 |
| 1917 | 7 |
| 1923 | 4 |
| 1924 | 2 |
| 1925 | 2 |
276 stories matching pump
- Water Discovered in the Horse Heaven Hills
A successful well-drilling operation in the arid hills promises a new era for dry-land farmers in the Horse Heaven country.
- The Half-Million Dollar Idea
A Tacoma inventor discovers a clever water-powered pump that draws the attention of a major syndicate.
- The Hop Lice Crisis in Puyallup
As hop lice decimate the region's vines, farmers scramble for a solution to salvage the failing harvest.
- Seattle's 1895 Warning: Secure Cedar River Water Before Private Speculators Do
City Engineer R. H. Thomson says Seattle's overworked pumps cannot survive another summer and urges the city to buy the Cedar River watershed, dams and reservoir sites while it still can.
- Ballard Asked Seattle for a Drink—and Hinted at Annexation
In 1895 Ballard was running on wells and springs. Seattle had Lake Washington to spare, and officials began talking rates, mains, and a merged city.
- The Watchman Fought the Flames, but the Clipper Mill Was Gone
A spark from the slab pile was all it took to destroy J. P. Armstrong's shingle mill at Bothell, despite Alfred Johnson's hose and pumps.
- The Night Colfax Burned
A Chinese cook's kerosene mishap destroys the heart of a small Washington town, exposing the dangers of inadequate civic infrastructure.
- School Bus Wreck Sparks Alarm Near White Bluffs
A morning school bus run ended in a collision with a car near the old pump house, resulting in vehicle destruction but miraculously few injuries.
- A Coal Mine Burns Beneath Black Diamond
Mine No. 12 is sealed and pumped full of steam after an underground fire. Superintendent Morgans gives it two weeks to prove it can ever be worked again.
- The Search for Water in Horse Heaven
A deep-well irrigation success story promises a shift toward diversified farming in the arid lands above the valley.
- City Officials Accused of Corruption and Incompetence
Former Superintendent of Water Works files scathing charges against the Board of Public Works over pump contracts and political job-trading.
- The Anaconda Goes Into Elliott Bay to Eat the Flats
The giant dredger that will dig the Lake Washington canal is launched at Moran's foundry tonight — and its pumps, chewed to honeycomb by Swinomish sand, hint at how hard Elliott Bay's bottom will fight back.
- Tacoma Offers to Hand Its Water System Back to the Man It Bought It From
With springs shut off and a fire engine pumping to keep taps flowing, Tacoma's mayor writes C. B. Wright a remarkable offer: take back the light and water plant.
- Tacoma Refuses to Pay Water Contractors—and Keeps Building
The city council rejects more than $22,000 in damages from contractors cut out of the Maplewood Springs project, then votes for a new South Tacoma-to-West End pipeline, reservoir and pumping station.
- Seattle’s Quest for Reliable Water
How a local reservoir project aims to secure a steady water supply for a growing city.
- The Fight Over Who Owns Seattle's Water
Promoters offered to build a gravity system and sell the city millions of gallons—if Seattle let them run it, with an option to buy it back later.
- John Leary’s Lake Washington Mill
Capitalists launch a new manufacturing venture connected to the city’s water supply.
- City's Broken Promises Over Water Infrastructure
Contractors are suing Tacoma for thousands after the city abandoned plans for the Maplewood Springs pumping station in favor of new, less efficient well projects.
- The Water Crisis at White Bluffs
An irrigation company threatens to withdraw its infrastructure, putting the entire agricultural future of the valley at risk.
- The Dry Dock at Port Orchard Nears Completion
Surveyors, granite cutters and carpenters are closing in on the main structure at the Port Orchard naval station, with pumps expected next month.
- Ballard’s Water Main Failures Lead to Block-Wide Inferno
A fire in an avenue saloon rapidly spiraled out of control when the local water system failed to provide enough pressure to fight the flames.
- The Night Ballard Almost Burned
A kerosene lamp in a candy store touched off a blaze that leapt across Ballard Avenue—then the town’s water gave out just as the business district caught.
- The Salvage Ship That Came to Raise Puget Sound’s Sunken Wrecks
A new wrecking schooner arrived in Seattle with a rubber-suited diver, hydraulic jacks and a plan to lift the sunken Mississippi and Warhawk from the Sound.
- A First Day at Moran Bros. Ends Under a Cogwheel
Sherman Scott, out of work and newly hired, was helping hoist pumps for a government dry dock when a donkey engine caught his foot. His coworkers raised money for his family.
- Cusick’s New Water Works
A local entrepreneur brings modern infrastructure to a growing valley town.