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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 6 |
| 1885 | 9 |
| 1886 | 9 |
| 1887 | 5 |
32 stories matching wire
- A Tragic End in the Wire
A well-known Seattle man is found dead in a field near the Orphan's Home, his body tangled in barbed wire.
- The Wire War: Railroad vs. Telegraph
A legal standoff erupts between the Postal Telegraph Company and the Northern Pacific Railroad along the tracks between Tacoma and Kalama.
- The Day the Circus Rolled into Seattle
Thousands flocked to the depot in 1885 to witness the grand arrival of John Robinson’s circus, a massive production that brought exotic animals and high-wire spectacle to the nascent town.
- The Price of Industrial Expansion in Old Seattle
When two prominent wire and manufacturing firms faced insolvency, a crowded meeting of creditors reveals the fragile state of local commerce and the high cost of debt.
- Lightning Strikes North Seattle
A severe thunderstorm in July 1885 brought dramatic electrical damage to homes and businesses in North Seattle, setting off fires and injuring a local resident.
- The Jailer's Secret Cache
When nine prisoners attempted a daring escape from the Pierce County Jail, they left behind a strange assortment of contraband that revealed their desperate ingenuity.
- The Faithful Guardian of the Foothills
When two children wandered into the deep woods near Makama, they were saved from exposure and wild animals by a loyal family pet.
- The Battle for the Right of Way
The Northern Pacific Railroad and the Postal Telegraph Company lock horns in a legal battle over territory.
- The War Over the Wires
A newspaper editor battles the Western Union monopoly over telegraph rates and news distribution.
- Storm Topples Telegraph Poles, Threatening Streets
A morning windstorm turned a downtown intersection into a dangerous thicket of downed lines, nearly causing a panic.
- Skeptics Question the 'Boom' in Tacoma
A blistering critique of the 'Tacoma Ledger' and its persistent, unsubstantiated claims regarding the city's industrial future.
- The Unlucky Steamer Fanny Lake
After surviving a sinking, the riverboat meets a fiery end on the Skagit.
- 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.
- Telegraph Titans Arrive in Seattle
The presidents of two major telegraph companies visit Portland and Seattle to assess the state of the local systems.
- The False Alarm That Almost Set Seattle Afire
When an unfounded panic about an anti-Chinese uprising brought the Governor and the state militia to Seattle, a tense city collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
- Narrow Escape at the Gas Company Well
Drilling for water turns treacherous when a massive gas pocket blows a heavy wooden roof into the air.
- Gambling Debt and Ceiling Signals
A high-stakes poker cheat gets caught when his victim shoots through the floor.
- The Telegraphers Who Spilled Too Much Tea
Two railroad telegraph operators make the mistake of gossiping about a bridal couple over the wire, only to find the groom is a company superintendent.
- The Lynching of Aldy Neal: A Mob’s Midnight Justice in Rockford
After escaping custody for horse theft and returning to his hometown under the guise of visiting his sister, a young man named Aldy Neal was intercepted by an armed mob north of Rockford and hanged from a tree limb.
- Telegraph Operators Walk Out Nationwide in 1883
Across the nation and deep into the Pacific Northwest, 22,000 workers have walked off the job in a massive clash against the Western Union monopoly.
- The Typographer's Lament: A Plea for Better Penmanship
A frustrated newspaper printer turns to verse to protest the illegible handwriting of contributors, whose scribbles make the typesetter’s life a living hell.
- The Great Nooksack Flood
Heavy rains and melting snows have devastated the Nooksack Valley, leaving farmers homeless and destroying livestock.
- The Seattle Mill Strike of 1885
When the Yesler Mill announced sudden wage cuts, the workers staged a walkout that paralyzed the waterfront.
- The Ill-Fated Voyage of the Steamship Mexico
A bustling Puget Sound steamer, laden with coal and passengers, runs aground in the thick fog near Nanaimo, leaving the crew and longshoremen to face a watery disaster.
- The $4,800 School Lot in the Wilderness
Seattle taxpayers cry foul as school directors eye block 14, Central Seattle—land with no families within half a mile and a price twice what similar property fetched.