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| Year | Stories |
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| 1872 | 1 |
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55 stories matching afloat
- The Ghost Shipment of Charles B. Langtry
A skeptical investigation into a mysterious opium shipment highlights the rampant corruption and 'Inspector Afloat' complacency haunting the Alaska-Seattle steamship route.
- The Dredger Pacific Resurfaces
A industrial mishap in the Sound leads to a dramatic recovery of a sunken dredger.
- The Price of Incompetence in 1879
When an American warship finally steamed into Puget Sound, it didn't just bring firepower—it exposed the community's deep-seated anxiety about whether the U.S. government had abandoned the Pacific Northwest entirely.
- Financial Scandal Hits North Yakima
Local investors panic as a national building and loan association faces allegations of a 'gigantic steal.'
- The War on Rumors: Why Your Knitting Still Matters
Military officials and the Red Cross pushed back against malicious rumors that soldiers didn't want, or were even discouraged from using, knitted goods from home.
- A Whale Hunt off Cape Flattery
Captain Gavin of the steamer Thornton reports a vivid, bloody encounter between Indigenous hunters and a whale.
- The Commissioners’ Power Grab
Aberdeen’s local officials accused of illegal gerrymandering to manipulate the upcoming election.
- Runaway Horses Plunge Into Waterfront Slip, One Drowns
A runaway horse team plunges into the harbor near the wharves, resulting in the death of one animal.
- The Price of Panic in 1888 Seattle
When an unfounded rumor of a merchant’s bankruptcy swept through the city, the local business community banded together to stave off a catastrophic bank run.
- The Contract War for Seattle’s Baseball Manager
A power struggle in the minor leagues pits Seattle's local boosters against the board of control over the fate of Abner Powell.
- The Tailor Who Floated
A tailor discovered dead in Lake Washington defied the depths thanks to a gruesome phenomenon of physics.
- Surveyors Arrive to Plot New Rail Line
A large surveying party descends upon the river valley, signaling potential progress on the long-rumored Oroville-Wenatchee branch of the Great Northern.
- The Mysterious Snoqualmie Valley Elopement
A young woman vanishes from her home in Pleasant Hill, only to reappear days later in a pre-arranged wedding.
- The County Treasurer Who Walked Out of Custody
With $2,063 missing from Port Angeles accounts, ex-Treasurer M. J. Clump slipped away from a deputy and inspired a reward nobody expected to collect.
- The Railway Party’s Near-Drowning in the Yakima River
A VIP delegation touring irrigation infrastructure narrowly escapes disaster when their wagon team bolts into a deep river slough.
- Newport City Council Faces Financial Crisis
With only $130 in monthly tax revenue and $3,000 in outstanding warrants, the newly seated council struggles to keep the town afloat.
- The Scandal of the County Treasury
After years of whispers regarding the administration of the former county treasurer, a grand jury finally returns a true bill of indictment for forgery.
- The Almshouse Graft Scandal
A grand jury report ignores blatant evidence of corruption in the construction of the county almshouse, sparking outrage among taxpayers.
- City Council Struggles with Budget Deficits
Facing declining property values and stagnant income, the Kennewick council cuts park funding to keep the city afloat.
- Ladders to the Rescue: Spokane's Crescent Block Burns
A pre-dawn fire guts a three-story brick building, trapping lodgers until firefighters raise ladders to the windows.
- The Editor Who Killed a Man: James Connell’s Return to Everett
After being acquitted of murder in Seattle for killing his rival Nelson Lee in a street fight, former Star editor James Connell has returned to his hometown of Everett—despite death threats and a formal warning from the community to stay away.
- The Price of Progress: A Right-of-Way Dispute That Reshaped the Region
When an exorbitant demand from a local farmer stalled the Great Northern Railway, the company threatened to bypass Snohomish and Everett entirely in favor of Seattle.
- The Dikes Gave Way: Skagit Farmland Under Water
High winds and tides broke dikes from Samish to Stanwood, covering thousands of acres and setting off a demand for a stronger state dike law.
- The Only Job Worth Having in a Bankrupt Little City
Nobody wants a seat on the council, but five men are scrambling for the treasurer's office and its commissions on $200,000 of debt.
- The Great 'Puget City' Real Estate Scam
Promoters are peddling worthless 'paper towns' to investors by falsely claiming the Northern Pacific Railroad will build its western terminus there.