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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1891 | 5 |
| 1892 | 5 |
| 1893 | 4 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 5 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 8 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 2 |
| 1916 | 5 |
| 1923 | 1 |
42 stories matching automat
- The Long Struggle for Train Safety
After a decade of agitation, new federal law mandates automatic couplers and air brakes to end the slaughter of railroad brakemen.
- The Automatic Entertainer's Divorce
A local husband defending a divorce suit reveals his unique business holdings in coin-operated slot machines and automatic banjos.
- Tacoma’s Telephone War: A Council Gridlock Over Modernization
A deadlocked city council clashes over an automatic telephone franchise, pitting progress against the fear of a 'double service' nuisance.
- The Wet-Dry Tug-of-War: Voters Face Triplicate Liquor Initiative
As Washington state grapples with its new dry status, three competing liquor initiatives challenge the stability of the 1914 prohibition law.
- The Man Who Stopped the Sparks: Seattle’s Invisible Safety Net
When a fallen trolley wire killed two horses on Front Street, local engineer W.D. Gordon built a mechanical brain to save lives—and it worked every time.
- County Cuts Public Services to Lower Taxes
Benton County commissioners eliminate the positions of county agent and club leader to reduce the tax burden, ending agricultural extension services.
- The City Judge Outlaws the 'Good Luck' Machines
A Seattle municipal court ruling draws a firm line between gambling and trade, declaring machines that pay out in 'trade checks' to be illegal.
- The Automatic Newsie: Seattle’s 1892 Vision of the Future
Before the digital age, Seattle inventors attempted to automate the news industry with a coin-operated machine that could sell papers, make change, and handle varying formats.
- The Automatic Age Comes to Colfax
The Inland Telephone Company upgrades its infrastructure, replacing the need for operator assistance.
- The Sewer Plan That Imagined a City of 200,000
Engineer J. S. Camp presented Olympia’s council with a tide-powered reservoir and automatic flush tanks, a system meant to grow with the capital city.
- Fatal Ambush on the Northern Pacific
A railroader and a brakeman are gunned down in a mid-transit robbery that leaves investigators baffled.
- The Unsolved Murder of James A. Frace
A quarrelsome man is found riddled with bullets, leaving behind a confusing trail of clues and a city full of suspects.
- A Fire, a Locked Door, and a Daring Escape
A local reverend barely survived the blaze that destroyed his home in Black Diamond by shattering a window to escape the flames.
- After the Fire: Rebuilding a Mill
O.W. Stetson discusses the cyclical reality of sawmill fires in early Seattle and the persistent struggle for fire safety in the local timber industry.
- A Cyclorama of Washington State
Secretary of State I. M. Howell reveals plans for a high-tech state exhibit at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition.
- The Battle for the Benton County Courthouse
Taxpayers mount a legal challenge to halt a $125,000 bond issue, alleging backroom deals and corrupt influence by county commissioners.
- The Struggle to Tame the White River
An engineer’s radical proposal to prevent the flooding that threatened Seattle’s growing suburbs, blaming deforestation for a changing climate.
- The Industrial Ambition of Monte Cristo
A detailed look at the massive capital investments and engineering feats transforming the Snohomish County mountains into a mining powerhouse.
- The Regents Park Mystery
A contractor was found murdered in a thicket, his body showing signs of a struggle and an attempt at concealment.
- Labor's Vision for Industrial Schools
A landmark American Federation of Labor report advocates for public vocational training as a remedy for 'industrial misfits,' emphasizing that the future of the American worker depends on training both hand and brain.
- Chamber of Commerce Bounties for Frace Murderers
Business leaders offer $500 for the capture of the man who left James A. Frace dead under a fir tree.
- Fireproofing the Tacoma Theater
Mayor Campbell mandates safety overhauls to ensure audience egress and stage safety at one of the city's premier theaters.
- The Underground Economy of the Slot Machine
A Tacoma counterfeiting case reveals the grit of early 20th-century labor disputes and the petty warfare waged against the city's machine-room owners.
- The 'Daisy' of the Office: Seattle's 1891 Typewriter Craze
As Seattle transitioned into a new era of business efficiency in 1891, the Remington Standard Typewriter emerged as the essential office status symbol.
- A Weather Station on the Roof of the Cascades
A scientist's proposal imagined a summit hut on Mount Rainier, heated by volcanic steam and measuring what might be the windiest place on earth.