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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 10 |
| 1885 | 8 |
| 1886 | 2 |
| 1887 | 4 |
27 stories matching soft
- The Unsolved Mystery of the 'Soft-Footed' Burglar
A quiet intruder terrorizes Seattle residents, leaving victims baffled after appearing in their homes in the dead of night—only to flee at the sound of a voice.
- Tragedy at the Stringham Place
A falling cedar tree claims the life of a shoemaker on a homestead between Seattle and Lake Washington.
- The Daily Struggle: When Seattle Was Made of Mud
A local pedestrian finds himself literally stuck in the muck of Mill Street, illustrating the primitive state of 1885 infrastructure.
- Inferno in the Olympics
Citizens gather on Church Hill in Port Angeles to watch a massive timber fire burning in the Olympic Mountains.
- The Tragedy on the Mud Flats
A fisherman’s attempt to reach his boat in the dark ends in a horrific drowning, as bystanders mistake his cries for help.
- The Manly Art of Boxing Gone Wrong
A local man's humorous attempt to improve his health through boxing with his younger brother leads to broken brackets and a bruised nose.
- The Auctioneer and the Widow's Heirloom
A desperate widow, a misplaced cedar cabinet, and a piece of paper that held the future of her children.
- A Laborer's Grievance Over Skimpy Wages
A worker on the Madison Street grade reports that his contractor is withholding pay, sparking a debate on fairness and city debt.
- The Love That Almost Wasn't
A classic misunderstanding in the garden—between an aunt, her niece, and a wealthy suitor—reveals the heavy price of duty in the Pacific Northwest.
- Runaway Gravel Train Near Hood Canal
A dozen laborers on a Port Gamble railroad work train are forced to jump for their lives as their cars lose control on a steep grade.
- A Life-Saving Surgery in Seattle
After being diagnosed with a malignant growth in his cheek and upper jaw, a local man undergoes a grueling, three-hour surgical procedure to remove the cancer.
- The Redemption of a Drunkard
A harrowing night of domestic violence and neglect ends a decade later in an unexpected act of grace.
- The Chinese Laborers Building Seattle’s Railroad
A reporter visits the line of the Northern Pacific railroad to find the massive, hidden workforce extending the tracks into the city.
- The Forgotten Spirit Queen of Mount Klinqua
A tragic indigenous legend from the pages of 1885 tells the tale of a maiden who brought peace to the earth, only to be betrayed by greed and fear.
- The Great Soap Bust of South Seattle
A federal raid on a clandestine distilling operation leaves a local man out of soap and out of luck.
- The Night Watchman Who Traded His Lantern for a Crab Net
After trading the damp misery of night-shift railroad duty for the docks, a Seattle man explains how he makes a living pulling crab from the bay—and why the job comes with its own set of neighborhood troubles.
- The Ghost of the Streetcar Line
A Seattle streetcar driver recounts the haunting memory of a boy he once lashed with his whip, only to learn later that the child was dying.
- The Great Ensilage Experiment of 1887
When an experimental farm in King County opened its massive silo, it sparked a neighborhood sensation that smelled like 'the mischief' but promised a revolution in Washington agriculture.
- The Soap-Making Distillery Bust of South Seattle
A federal raid on a modest South Seattle property reveals an enterprising soap-maker operating without a permit, leading to the seizure of his entire livelihood.
- Death on the Seattle Waterfront: A Call for Boiler Safety
An 1886 letter to the editor demands accountability for the 'shoveling engineers' and shoddy steamship maintenance risking lives in Puget Sound.
- The Soapy Scandal of South Seattle
A federal revenue collector busts a clandestine distillery masquerading as a soap-making business.
- The Tragedy of the Dancing Mouse
A tiny creature with a flair for the dramatic met her end while trying to enjoy a violin performance in the comfort of a private home.
- The City's Private Water Pioneer
Before the city operated its own utility, one visionary resident sank a deep well on Ninth Street, betting his own fortune that he could out-pump the ground itself to supply a growing Seattle.
- The Milk Route Aristocrat of Archer Avenue
A satirical social drama involving a milk route heiress and a love triangle, printed as news filler in 1881.
- The Brutal Work of Boring Stampede Tunnel
Deep in the Cascades, a reporter documents the grueling labor conditions of the men carving the Northern Pacific’s Stampede Tunnel through the mountain’s gut.