Research the archive
Narrow 22,457 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.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1876 | 2 |
| 1877 | 5 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 2 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 4 |
| 1893 | 4 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1899 | 4 |
| 1909 | 1 |
| 1916 | 1 |
33 stories matching berth
- The Mustard Plaster Misadventure
A traveler seeking relief from rheumatism accidentally treats the wrong man to a painful surprise.
- A Steamboat Standoff on the Puget Sound
When a captain accused a passenger of skipping town on a fare, two witnesses stepped forward to detail a tense armed confrontation aboard the steamer 'Otter.'
- The Tax War That Almost Killed Seattle's Economy
In 1877, a federal order threatened to strip Seattle of its tax base by forcing steamships to register their 'home port' in Port Townsend. The local press warned that without this revenue, the county would collapse.
- A Near-Fatal Collision on Seattle’s Waterfront
A ferry boat narrowly missed catastrophe in the harbor after ramming a small sailboat, leading to a harrowing rescue of its occupants.
- The Fighting Bulldog of the Navy Departs
Amid steam whistles and cheering crowds, the battleship USS Iowa successfully navigated the Port Orchard dry dock, proving the facility’s superiority over its East Coast rivals.
- The Klondike Gold Rush Migration
As the palatial steamer Queen departs Seattle for the North, the elite of the city join a massive influx of gold seekers and tourists in a frantic dash for Alaska.
- Two Hundred Lives, One Closed Door: The Pacific Inquiry
Witnesses swore in Port Townsend that the steamer Pacific was rotten when she sailed. Now the very inspectors who certified her seaworthy are investigating her loss — in secret.
- The Waterfront Showdown of 1877
A mob attempts to forcibly eject Chinese laborers from a coal ship, but is repelled by a quick-thinking mate and his revolver.
- Two Men Asked to Test a Seattle Schooner. Then They Tried to Kill Its Captain.
A would-be buyer and his genteel companion lured Capt. Jud La Moure into Puget Sound, attacked him with a lead sounding weight, and demanded his gold watch—until he produced a hidden revolver.
- The Fight Over Chinese Immigration
Tensions mount as authorities in Puget Sound and Portland scramble to manage the arrival of Chinese travelers and the enforcement of the Geary Act.
- The Plague at the Doorstep: Seattle’s Battle Against Smallpox in 1877
As smallpox ravages Port Orchard and Salmon Bay, the city's Health Officer takes drastic quarantine measures against Indigenous communities, highlighting the fragile public health infrastructure of early Seattle.
- The Great Carp Distribution of 1885
A federal fish car arrived in Seattle from Washington D.C., sparking a city-wide frenzy as residents rushed to claim their share of a new, 'hardy' species.
- The Captain, the Stowaway, and the Revolver
A confrontation on a Puget Sound steamer between a captain and an armed traveler reveals the wild and precarious nature of local maritime transport in 1886.
- The Price of Resistance: Seattle Unions Take On 'Dark' Boarding House Practices
While Seattle’s 1887 press was full of land speculation and railroad hype, a quiet labor dispute reveals how maritime workers fought back against predatory rooming house keepers who swindled sailors out of their hard-earned pay.
- A Christmas Auction That Fell Short—and a Mother Sent Home
Donations expected to bring $600 fetch only $158.40, but the Bureau of Associated Charities still outfits 100 families and buys a destitute mother a ticket to Kansas City.
- The Frozen Journey: A Woman’s Fight Against the Railway
After contracting pneumonia on an unheated train, a 55-year-old passenger sues the Northern Pacific Railroad for $8,000, bringing a poignant case of corporate negligence to a Seattle federal courtroom.
- The Steam-Heated Ice Caves of Mount Rainier
A mountaineering party discovers the natural comfort of volcanic heat at 14,000 feet, sleeping in ice chambers kept warm by the mountain's own breath.
- The Custom House Spoils System
A political power struggle over federal appointments in Port Townsend reveals the deep-seated corruption and infighting within the local Democratic Party.
- The Northern Pacific's Expansion Plans for Puget Sound
Superintendent John Muir details new steamships, massive grain elevators, and Alaskan tourist excursions as the railroad bolsters the Northwest region.
- The Great Freight War: Tacoma vs. Seattle
Seattle merchants accuse the Pacific Coast Steamship Company of deliberately starving the city of goods to favor rival Tacoma, sparking a public dispute over civic equity and economic survival.
- The Accidental Apprehension of an Asylum Escapee
A Kennewick police chief unwittingly jails a man he once knew, only to discover the stranger was a fugitive from the Medical Lake asylum.
- Coal Exports Decline as Industry Shifts
Seattle's coal industry faces a slump, prompting local mine owners to lobby for protectionist tariffs against Australian imports.
- The High Price of Opium Smuggling
A ship's cook is arrested in Port Townsend after attempting to bribe an inspector to ignore a hidden cache of opium.
- The Great Dockside Stampede
A pair of range steers escaped their handlers at a Seattle wharf, terrorizing workers and prompting a desperate, armed chase through the northern city streets.
- The Sudden Passing of Captain E. A. Starr
A beloved community leader and steamship captain dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances.