Research the archive
Narrow 27,002 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
Refine1 on
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1904 | 10 |
| 1909 | 16 |
26 stories matching pipe
- The Topic Saloon Pipe Heist
Two men were arrested after an early morning smash-and-grab at a downtown saloon’s outdoor cigar showcase.
- The City Moves Dirt: Tacoma’s Infrastructure Expansion
Crews begin work on a significant new sluicing line to clear debris from the U.P. tunnel, doubling down on civil works to connect the city grid.
- Violence at the South Tacoma Shops
An Italian laborer is taken into custody following a brutal altercation involving a lead pipe at the Northern Pacific facility.
- The Detective Who Could Smell a Crime
A keen-nosed Tacoma detective tracked an opium den by its scent, leading to the arrest of two men and the confiscation of 'elegant' pipes.
- The Great Sluicing Failure
A municipal engineering project designed to clear the Union Pacific tunnel construction site ends in a clogged pipe and embarrassing failure.
- City Declares War on Drip-Happy Residents Amid Water Famine
Facing record low pressure, the water department threatens fines for citizens who let faucets run to prevent freezing pipes.
- Death in the County Jail Cell
A man suffering from delirium tremens has died in the Tacoma jail after falling from a steam pipe.
- Crumbled Infrastructure Uncovered After Four Years
A city commissioner reveals that a $17,000 sewer project installed four years ago was completed without cement in the pipe joints, necessitating a costly overhaul.
- Bellingham Homes Shattered by Icy Blast
Frozen pipes trigger violent explosions across the city, leaving one woman injured and houses in ruins.
- City Sewerage System Fails Residents
High water levels turn a poorly installed sewer line into a neighborhood health hazard in South Tacoma.
- Disaster in the City Waterway
A massive $179,000 dredger sinks overnight, blocking the main channel after a pipe failure.
- The Great Tacoma Freeze of 1909
A record-breaking cold wave and gale-force winds rattle the city, freezing pipes and sending houseboats adrift.
- The City's Frozen Pipe Crackdown
Tacoma water inspectors issue fines to hundreds of residents who left taps running to prevent freezing, raising $400 for city coffers.
- Dredging Up the Past in the City Waterway
Human remains and a rusted knife are unearthed from the Tacoma waterfront, likely belonging to a sailor from a ship that capsized years prior.
- The Indestructible Old Depot
Staff at the Northern Pacific depot continued their work unbothered even as a small fire broke out in their lunch counter.
- Tacoma's Water War Ends in a $22,000 Bill
Contractors say the city's political turnaround on Maplewood Springs left them unable to build—and now they want damages.
- The Bid to Harness Mount Tacoma’s Streams
A newly appointed city committee explores a proposal to pipe pure mountain water from the slopes of Mount Rainier to the city limits.
- Mayor Accused of Silencing Health Official Over Water Safety
Physicians in Pierce County call a meeting at the Tacoma Hotel, suspecting the Mayor fired the bacteriologist to hide pollution data.
- Tacoma Refuses to Pay Water Contractors—and Keeps Building
The city council rejects more than $22,000 in damages from contractors cut out of the Maplewood Springs project, then votes for a new South Tacoma-to-West End pipeline, reservoir and pumping station.
- Tacoma Recalls the Great 'Wharf-Destroying' Blizzard of 1902
As a new winter storm hits the Sound, residents look back with dread on a 1902 weather event that claimed wharves, machinery, and lumber.
- The Battle for the City’s Curbing Costs
Tacoma property owners fight to shift the burden of street improvement costs from private shoulders to the city's general fund.
- The Deadly Water at Clover Creek
For years, the city has ignored the dangerous, contaminated state of the municipal water supply, preferring half-measures over a permanent solution.
- The Political Price of Water
A South Tacoma pumping station breakdown exposes how patronage hiring led to an industrial disaster.
- The Muck in Our Pipes
A two-day investigation reveals that Tacoma’s municipal water supply, sourced from Clover Creek, is contaminated by livestock waste and agricultural runoff.
- An Earthquake Rumbles Across the Sound
Tacoma residents feel the tremors of a quake that shook the coast from the Skagit River to Victoria, rattling skyscrapers and breaking ice.