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53 stories matching applianc
- The Price of Fire Safety in a Growing City
A look back at Seattle's seven-year evolution from a fire-prone settlement to a city investing heavily in steam engines and professional gear.
- The Patent Steam Dryer at Yesler’s Wharf
A new industrial appliance for families arrives in late 19th-century Seattle, promising to modernize the household chore of food preservation.
- Fatal Fall from the N. P. Bridge
A traveling salesman loses his life after catching his foot on a protruding bolt while crossing the bridge between Pasco and Kennewick.
- Seattle’s Desperate Need for Modern Firefighting
As the city rapidly expands, the Common Council scrambles to replace inadequate, antiquated fire gear before a disaster strikes.
- Steam vs. Oxen: The Mechanization of the Woods
A steam donkey engine on the Wishkah River is putting traditional logging methods to shame with double the output.
- The Iron Cage of Fort Adams
A rare glimpse into the brutal security measures at a Washington Territory jail in the late 19th century.
- Tacoma’s Theaters Face Shutdown Over Fire Safety
Following a disaster in Chicago, Mayor Campbell orders city officials to inspect local entertainment venues for fire hazards.
- Coulee City Mandates Electrical Safety Inspections
New municipal code establishes safety standards and inspection fees for residential and commercial wiring.
- Seattle Picks Up the Hammer: A Kindergarten, a Church and a Dozen New Homes
With confidence returning after the hard times, builders break ground on the Bailey Gatzert free kindergarten at Twelfth and Norman, finish a German church at Tenth and Stewart, and raise modern homes from Queen Anne to the south side.
- Explosion Injures Four Children Playing with Gunpowder
A tragic accident in Elma highlights the hidden dangers in household heating appliances during the early 1900s.
- Race Against the Rain in Puyallup
After a season of unprecedented late spring rains, hop growers are working overtime to get their crop in the ground.
- Court Ruling Limits Liability for Railway Accidents
The Supreme Court clears a railroad company of liability in a 'staking' injury, signaling a tough path for injured laborers seeking damages.
- Mud, Drains, and Municipal Neglect
With city infrastructure in disarray, a local editor calls for a better approach to grading, drainage, and basic sidewalk maintenance.
- Fairhaven Organizes for Fire
Twenty-five citizens meet to fund hose, carts, and a bucket brigade ahead of the city's formal incorporation.
- Seattle's Fire Engine Scandal
City officials spar over a controversial, expensive fire engine purchase, raising questions of incompetence and potential overpayment.
- Inside the New King County Jail
A detailed look at the 'infallible' brick and iron lockup built to replace older, makeshift holding cells in 1870s Seattle.
- The Miracle of the Magnetized Spikes
A visiting electrical engineer stuns a packed Plymouth Congregational Church with a massive 5,000-candlepower lamp and a demonstration of magnetic force.
- The Industrial Pilgrims of Seattle
A group of fifty American workingmen return from an overseas tour with a glowing report on the superiority of American life, sparking a fierce debate on labor, prosperity, and the protective tariff.
- The Tragic Cost of Seattle’s Growth
After the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, city officials debated the ethics of sending relief funds to fire-ravaged Vancouver while the city struggled with its own credit and debt.
- The Magic of Christmas in Pioneer Seattle
A glimpse into 1876 holiday traditions, from elaborate 'Fairy Land' church displays to the grab-box giveaways that defined the season for the city's children.
- The City Council Sets Rules for Seattle’s Streetcars
A new ordinance dictates how street railways will operate, mandating street paving, track maintenance, and fare standards to protect the public interest.
- The Unraveling of the Northwest’s First Conglomerate
A deep dive into the financial maneuvers, coal monopolies, and failed experimental farming schemes of the Oregon Improvement Company.
- Why Labor Leaders Oppose the Prohibition Movement
A working man argues that prohibition is a distraction from the real dangers facing laborers, such as unsafe working conditions and monopoly power.
- The Ruth Takes Shape for the Wildest Steamboat Ride in America
With her machinery unloaded at Newport, the new steamer Ruth is expected to make her trial trip by early September, hauling Metaline ore and passengers through Box Canyon.
- The Price of Reckless Fire in the Forest
A searing editorial from 1886 lambasts the 'gross and inexcusable carelessness' of campers and railroads that leave Washington’s timberlands in ashes.