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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 3 |
| 1889 | 11 |
| 1892 | 15 |
| 1893 | 17 |
| 1894 | 8 |
| 1895 | 13 |
67 stories matching explod
- Dynamite Accident at the Franklin Mines
A miner was severely injured when a makeshift tool used to celebrate the Fourth of July exploded, nearly costing him his life.
- Independence Day Fireworks Tragedy
While Tacoma celebrated with a quiet holiday, a local boy faced a life-altering injury when a cannon exploded.
- A Steam Pipe Bursts Aboard the Nineveh
A donkey engine hoisting ballast aboard the British ship Nineveh exploded at Tacoma, leaving ship carpenter McPherson badly scalded and fighting for his life.
- The Cigar-Box Bomb That Came in the Mail for Gertie Spicer
A Washington woman suspected a prank, set the package on the sidewalk and opened it with a stick—just before it exploded and shook the buildings.
- Wedded in Under an Hour
A long-distance correspondence turns into a lightning-fast wedding after a lamp nearly explodes.
- Apple Butter and Giant Powder: A Smokehouse Stove Explodes Near Spokane
A woman and a little girl lit a fire to make preserves — not knowing the stove was packed with sticks of blasting powder.
- A Deadly Fourth of July Salute
A Seattle sailor was killed instantly in Tacoma when a cannon misfired during holiday celebrations, raising questions about safety and the competence of local cannon operators.
- A Lamp Explodes and Firemen Are Trapped in a Third Avenue Blaze
An oil lamp exploded in a picture-frame shop at 1908 Third Street, burning its owner and trapping firefighters in a re-ignited wall of flame.
- Industrial Explosion at Port Gamble Mill
A boiler rupture at the Kitsap County lumber mill leaves an engineer severely scalded, highlighting the physical dangers of the region's dominant timber industry.
- A Deadly Surprise at North Bend
A box of dynamite detonators exploded at a local tent, leaving a woman critically injured by metal shrapnel.
- Point Defiance Dynamite Disaster
A workplace explosion at Point Defiance Park leaves one man dead and several others gravely injured.
- A Boy’s Life Changed by Giant Powder
A teenage boy suffers a life-altering injury after a fishing accident with explosives in Lake Washington.
- The Unlucky Life and Death of 'Jim, the Stout'
A satirical poem published in 1888 Seattle chronicled the fictional misfortunes of a man whose attempts to embrace city life ended in total catastrophe.
- The Pistol That Wouldn't Fire in a Snohomish Saloon
G. K. Friars, chairman of the Snohomish County commissioners, was accused of putting a pistol to Robert Johnson's abdomen in the Gem saloon. Only a bad cartridge prevented a killing.
- Showdown at the Waterfront: Pistol Fire at Pacific Avenue
A simmering legal dispute over valuable waterfront property exploded into violence as a landholder took up arms to halt construction crews.
- The Tragedy at the New Seattle Coal Mine
A catastrophic explosion at the Newcastle mine leaves two workers dead, exposing the deadly stakes of coal production in the Pacific Northwest.
- Domestic Dispute Ends in Fire
A quarrel between a local couple leads to a hurled oil lamp and a structure fire on West Street.
- A Ghastly Price for Dynamite Fishing
A fisherman from Index loses both hands in a horrific explosion while attempting to use dynamite as bait in the Skykomish River.
- The Lamp That Started (And Stopped) a Fire
Patrolman S. O'Neil broke into a North Seattle lodging house at 2 a.m. and smothered a lamp fire before it spread.
- Midnight Blast at a Chinese Laundry
A loud explosion near South Sixth and Washington Street sends Seattle police on a frantic manhunt for a mysterious bomber.
- Tragedy at the Humboldt House
A young immigrant worker loses her life in a horrific lamp explosion, highlighting the everyday dangers of domestic life in 1890s Tacoma.
- Explosion Levels Snohomish Sawmill
A boiler failure leads to a total loss of property at the Day Brothers' operation, with recovery plans already in motion.
- The Republican Machine Sweeps Seattle
Byron Phelps wins the mayoral race in a landslide as the city undergoes a political shift.
- A Dynamite Cartridge Hidden in a Locomotive's Coal
Sympathizers with the recent strike are suspected after a fused explosive is found in coal loaded at Seattle and fed to a Northern Pacific engine in Tacoma.
- The Mother Who Ran Through Burning Oil
A lamp explosion trapped two boys in a Whatcom kitchen; their mother rushed through flames to save them and was badly burned.