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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 10 |
| 1883 | 35 |
| 1884 | 28 |
| 1885 | 53 |
| 1886 | 43 |
| 1887 | 18 |
187 stories matching fail
- The Unlucky Hotel at Wallula
In the burgeoning town of Wallula, a grand hotel venture is failing despite immense investment, leaving a trail of broken spirits in its wake.
- The Sheriff’s Unwelcome Guest
An indebted Seattle businessman is arrested on a steamboat just as he was about to skip town for Whatcom.
- The Chief of Police, The Saloon, and The Impeachment
In 1885, Seattle’s City Council moved to impeach Chief of Police James H. Woolery for allegedly turning a blind eye to unlicensed saloons and failing to enforce the law.
- The Imminent Threat of Forest Fires
An editorial critique of local loggers who gamble with disaster by failing to clean up flammable logging debris.
- Diver Dies in Tragic Salvage Attempt
A rescue operation to right the sunken Umatilla ends in a gruesome accident when a diver is found dead after a communication line fails.
- The Election Day Plot at Black Diamond
Election officials warn of a sinister scheme to disrupt the vote at the coal mines, prompting calls for citizens to guard the ballot box.
- The Wreck of the SS Umatilla
Local inspectors clear a ship captain of wrongdoing, citing deceptive coastal currents and a blinding snowstorm.
- The Fight to Reclaim Northern Pacific Lands
A Senate committee report argues that the Northern Pacific Railroad failed its contractual obligations, leaving millions of acres of public land ripe for forfeiture.
- The Sheriff’s Shabby Costume: A Prisoner’s Trick to Escape the Penitentiary
In a bizarre twist of early Washington Territory justice, a sheriff attempted to smuggle a prisoner into the territorial penitentiary by disguising him in shabby clothes. The trick failed, but not before the warden made a memorable quip.
- The Tragic Wreck of the Steamer Tacoma
Captain George D. Korts faces an official inquiry into the catastrophic loss of the vessel, revealing a series of navigational errors and failed rescue attempts.
- The Great Land Grab: Congress’s Failure to Hold the Northern Pacific Accountable
A scathing editorial from 1886 demands legislative accountability as Congress fails to reclaim land granted to the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- The Great Land Reclaim: The Fight Over Northern Pacific’s Unearned Rails
A legislative push in 1886 aimed to strip the Northern Pacific Railroad of vast swaths of public land it held but failed to build upon, seeking to return it to settlers.
- The Failed Arson Plot at the Denny Block
A tenant discovers a trail of kerosene-soaked fabric and a trap door beneath his shop, thwarting an attempt to burn down a Seattle business district.
- The Martial Law Debate that Rocked the Territory
When the Democratic Party of Washington Territory tried to denounce Governor Squire for imposing martial law, they ended up in an awkward tangle of political hypocrisy.
- A Tragic Burial at Sea
While working the lumber trade, a crew member falls from the rigging to his death, leaving his comrades to mourn him in the middle of the Pacific.
- A Cowardly Assault on Third Street
When a sick man defended his son from a neighbor's violence, the local justice system failed to provide justice.
- An Elopement to Tacoma
Defying her parents, a young woman boards the Zephyr to marry her suitor in Tacoma.
- The Jailbreak at the Center of Town
After four prisoners escaped the local lockup, the Sheriff sounds the alarm on the failing state of the city's crumbling jail.
- The Collapse of the Failing Hotel
A tragic construction failure in Seattle results in the conviction of the building's owner for manslaughter.
- The Tragic Death of Edith E. Ewing
A young woman’s suicide note is made public by her grieving father, sparking a somber reflection on the pressures of life in 1884 Seattle.
- The Axe That Struck the Root of Corporate Greed
A landmark 1885 federal land order threatens to forfeit the Northern Pacific Railroad's vast land grants for failing to meet its building requirements.
- Tragedy on the Hatopp River
A brother’s desperate attempt to save his sister fails after their canoe hits a shoal.
- The Runaway Street Car on Battery Street
When the brakes failed on a steep Seattle incline, passengers faced a terrifying ride as their horse-drawn car hurtled down the tracks toward the waterfront.
- Disaster Strikes at the Lime Kilns
A dangerous industrial accident in the San Juan Islands leaves an engineer clinging to a pile for his life as safety measures fail.
- The Price of Peace in Seattle's Streets
A local editor argues that the National Guard is the necessary shield against the 'lawless' elements of civil unrest, urging the city to treat protesters not as political actors, but as criminals.