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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 4 |
| 1889 | 26 |
| 1891 | 5 |
| 1892 | 25 |
| 1893 | 31 |
| 1894 | 36 |
| 1895 | 23 |
150 stories matching destruct
- Ballard Mill to Rebuild After Destructive Fire
Owners of the Fleming-Ayerst shingle mill vow to restart operations within ninety days following a massive fire that destroyed the plant.
- The Tragic End of a Wishkah River Dog
A local Aberdeen canine displays an unsettling, deliberate act of self-destruction in a town where human-interest stories often took a dark turn.
- A Tolt Farmer's Simple Solution for Hop Pests
After trying every known remedy, a local farmer discovers a cost-effective way to save his harvest.
- The Great 'Old Dominion' Dynamite Fire
When an iconic hotel caught fire in a Washington town, desperate residents turned to explosives to save the rest of the block from total destruction.
- A Logger's Desperate Night in Jail
After his arrest for drunkenness, a logger named William Kirk suffered a mental health crisis while in custody.
- A Final Request for Mercy
A desperate railroad worker took his own life in a Second Street hotel, leaving behind a note confessing he was struggling to suppress a violent urge to kill.
- The Tragedy of Mrs. Flood
A desperate attempt at self-destruction reveals the cycle of domestic abuse occurring in a downtown hotel.
- The Morphine Abyss
A woman shares her harrowing descent into morphine addiction and her recovery at the Keeley Institute, offering a rare, personal testimony of 19th-century narcotic dependence.
- The Waterfront War of 1889
A bitter corporate grudge between local railroads leads to claims of monopolies, coal famines, and the violent destruction of property on the Seattle shoreline.
- Police Raid Pike Street Poker Room
Seattle authorities seize gambling paraphernalia from a cigar store, leading to a test case for local law enforcement.
- The Doomsday Cult of South Union
While the rest of the country debated silver and trade, a group of Thurston County farmers were preparing for the final apocalypse.
- Ezra Meeker’s Golden Rules for Hop Success
The legendary pioneer shares his controversial methods for baling hops hot to secure the crucial foreign market.
- The Glass-Chewing Drifter of Seattle
A traveling laborer with a bizarre appetite is arrested after a barroom brawl ends in broken glass and a ruined mirror.
- Seattle Orders Streets Cleared Following Great Fire
City officials demand the immediate removal of impromptu sidewalk stalls that sprouted after the destruction of the downtown business district.
- After the Great Flood, a New Span for the Snoqualmie
Following the destruction of the old wooden crossing, the county moves to replace the link at the Snoqualmie hop ranch with a modern iron structure.
- The English Sparrow Has Invaded Seattle — and the Songbirds Are Next
An 1895 editorial warns that the imported sparrow, already a pest in Eastern cities, has reached Puget Sound and will drive out native birds.
- The Blazing Omaha Lodging House
A fire breaks out in a South Main Street boarding house, leaving residents to flee as firefighters narrowly prevent the flames from spreading to nearby structures.
- Trains Plunging into the Sound
A coal train narrowly escapes total destruction as landslides continue to ravage the Great Northern line north of Everett.
- Ballard Opera House Destroyed by Blaze
A mysterious fire levels the largest building in Ballard, narrowly sparing the surrounding town.
- Tekoa Business District Destroyed by Incendiary Fire
A fire suspected to be arson wiped out the central business district of Tekoa, resulting in thousands of dollars of damage.
- The Vandalism at the Snohomish Hotel
A real estate dispute in Snohomish turned violent as competing claimants fought over a new building, leading to arrests for property destruction and concealed weapons.
- The Miracle of the 'Traction Luck'
After the Great Seattle Fire, one man’s singular misfortune becomes a bizarre local legend of resilience.
- Fire Takes an Old Soldier's Every Saving at Beaver
A state representative's newly built Clallam County home, barn, livestock, and tools were destroyed in a fire — a $3,000 to $4,000 loss.
- Kate Field’s Scathing Warning on Forest Fires
Prominent journalist Kate Field demands action against the 'carelessness or wickedness' of campers whose fires destroy the region's natural beauty.
- Fire in the Skagit Woods
A fire in the Skagit Valley destroys Duncan's logging camp, dump and cedar logs, sending a smoke cloud over the valley.