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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1899 | 44 |
44 stories matching fire
- The Mystery of the Smalley House Fires
A suspicious string of blazes on Queen Anne Hill has residents calling for a new fire station.
- The Bossburg Inferno: A Sawmill and Its Fortune Turned to Ash
In the early hours of April 28, a fire consumed H. S. Huffman’s sawmill and planer in Bossburg, Washington, destroying not just timber but the livelihoods of the community that depended on it.
- Serial Arson at the Western Mill
A night watchman thwarts an attempt to burn down a Lake Union mill, marking the third suspicious fire in a single week.
- The Alarmist Officer
A Seattle patrolman's attempt to slack off duty by pulling a fake fire alarm led to a public scandal and the end of his career.
- The Bullet That Missed: A Masked Highwayman’s Attempt on a Seattle Merchant
C.H. Helling of 112 Seventh Avenue was left with a burned face and a shredded lapel after a masked robber opened fire on him while walking with his companion near Pike Street.
- The Fire Fiend Stalks Seattle's Waterfront
A witness spots a mysterious arsonist fleeing the Western Mill in a rowboat, stoking fears of a serial firebug terrorizing the city's timber industry.
- The Day Seattle’s Subscribers Hauled Their Newspaper Office to Safety
When a fire threatened the Seattle Star building in Pioneer Square, loyal patrons didn't just call the fire department—they grabbed chains and ropes to physically tow the structure away from the flames.
- The Dog That Saved a Family from the Flames
A loyal terrier’s frantic barking alerted the occupants of a Seattle home to a midnight fire, saving ten lives when silence would have meant death.
- The Boy Who Played with Fire: A Seattle Tragedy on Hart Avenue
A young boy’s fatal experiment with powder and a lit candle has left his family in mourning and the neighborhood in shock.
- The False Alarm That Struck Fear in a Seattle Neighborhood
A frame building caught fire at the corner of 31st Avenue and Cherry Street, sparking fears that victims were trapped inside.
- The Great Pigeon Whiskey Heist
A Seattle police officer's bungled attempt to intoxicate local church pigeons ends in his own humiliation.
- Tragedy on Pioneer Square: A Young Woman’s Brush with Death
While visitors from Victoria watched the fireworks display on Pioneer Square, a stray firecracker ignited a young woman's clothing, leading to a harrowing struggle for survival.
- The Maniac of Huntsdale: Constable Harrow’s Fatal Standoff
A local constable shoots and kills a man described as 'crazy' in the woods near Georgetown, sparking questions about mental health custody and frontier justice.
- The Phantom Arsonist of Queen Anne Hill
A grand residence on Highland Drive vanishes in a blaze, leaving investigators to wonder if a spurned enemy, a clumsy painter, or a spontaneous chemical reaction fueled the inferno.
- The Day the Boardwalk Burned: Seattle’s Most Audacious Arson Attempt
On a quiet April afternoon in 1900, an arsonist tried to torch the home of Judge E. H. Scott on Yesler Way. A brave housekeeper fought back with a poker, saving her employer and thwarting the fire.
- The Water Wars of 1899
Seattle's city water department warns residents: follow the strict lawn-watering schedule or lose your access entirely.
- The Last Stand of Denny’s Old Home: A Seattle Landmark Consumed by Fire
One of the city's oldest structures, a cedar-built house on Second Avenue, was reduced to ashes early this morning. The blaze, sparked by a fallen lamp in the room of a shoe company employee, claimed the home of Mrs. Kali Palmer and her children, who barely escaped through the roof.
- The Last Bugle Call: A Seattle Boy’s Final Resting Place in Manila
Private Allan Carlyle of the Washington Volunteers dies of disease in the Philippines; his comrades in Seattle mourn a life cut short by the very war they helped send.
- Death Reared Its Horrid Head: Steam Heater Explosion Kills Two Men in Downtown Seattle
A careless Japanese fireman left a boiler unattended at Second and Washington, causing a catastrophic explosion that killed one man instantly and mortally wounded another.
- A Bloody Feud on Sixth and Stewart
A candy store dispute between two Russian merchants escalates into a public street shooting in downtown Seattle.
- The Trust’s Empty Wallet: How Monopolies Are Starving Seattle’s Hotels and Stables
As giant combines fire thousands of traveling salesmen to boost profits, the ripple effect hits local businesses hard—yet consumers see only higher prices.
- The Haunted Cabin That Killed Twice
A Texas rancher’s murder mystery travels north to Washington, where a cowboy finds himself accused of killing his partner in the exact spot—and with the same knife—that vanished from a prosecutor's safe.
- The Rent Trap: Why Seattle's Business District Is Running Out of Room
As the city booms post-fire, merchants find themselves priced out of First Avenue, forced to migrate up Third and beyond in a desperate search for affordable space.
- The Eight-Hour Work Day Comes to Seattle Municipal Contracts
In June 1899, the Seattle City Council passed a resolution mandating that all municipal contractors must limit their employees to an eight-hour work day.
- The Sunday War in Seattle
A local Christian organization vows to shutter all saloons and theaters on the Sabbath, sparking a defiant clash over public pleasure and civic life.