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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1876 | 4 |
| 1877 | 5 |
| 1883 | 3 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 7 |
| 1886 | 3 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1891 | 5 |
| 1892 | 14 |
| 1893 | 10 |
| 1894 | 11 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 2 |
| 1900 | 3 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 6 |
| 1904 | 3 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 4 |
| 1914 | 2 |
| 1916 | 1 |
| 1925 | 1 |
94 stories matching blew
- The Blue Glass Cure: A Barber’s Quackery and a Seattle Elder’s Rage
In March 1877, an elderly Black man named Uncle Dan nearly came to blows with a white barber over a ridiculous 'medical' treatment involving blue window panes and sunlight.
- The Mountain That Watched: Fire on Mount Rainier’s Peak
As Seattle and Portland celebrated the Fourth of July with parades and speeches, a mysterious signal fire blazed atop Mount Rainier, drawing thousands of eyes to the sky.
- The Divine Sarah Bernhardt’s Theatrical Meltdown in Seattle
When the legendary French actress discovered her grand stage at the Columbia Theater had been booked for a minstrel show, she didn't just walk off—she unleashed a legendary, multi-lingual tantrum.
- The Great Kapowsin Safe Heist
After bandits blew open a safe and vanished into the night, police are left with no clues and a ghost train.
- The Great Storm of 1894
A violent cyclone-like windstorm tears through Western Washington, leveling buildings and trapping citizens in the debris.
- The Dynamite of Gilman: A Murderous Grudge Ends in Lynching
In a fit of rage over a domestic dispute, Albert Schaeffer blew up his neighbor's home in Gilman, killing three people. The town’s response was swift and brutal.
- The Eastern Oregon Burned at Percival’s Wharf
A repair crew’s paint store caught fire aboard the steamship Eastern Oregon, forcing men to jump forty feet to the mudflats and killing one cook; the blaze threatened Percival’s Wharf before rain helped firefighters.
- The Day Farmers Blew Up a Dam
In a bold act of agrarian rebellion on the Fourth of July, Stuck River farmers used dynamite to destroy the White River dam, draining the muck and reclaiming their land.
- Boiler Explosion Wrecks Steamer Josephine Near Port Susan
A local steamer bound for the Skagit River suffers a boiler explosion near Fort Susan, leaving several dead and the vessel a total wreck.
- Explosion on the Skagit River
A boilers explosion on a passenger steamer leaves eight dead and others wounded while commuters were at dinner.
- The Blast at Mason Slip
A steam tug carrying three crew members is obliterated in a freak explosion on the Seattle waterfront.
- A Deadly Afternoon in Seattle
A rifle shot aimed at a magazine door results in a catastrophic explosion, claiming lives and damaging buildings across the neighborhood.
- A Miraculous Escape for Seattle
A waterfront fire threatens to consume the business district, but the volunteer fire department saves the day.
- The Sabotage of Black Lake
A malicious attempt to breach a dike and flood the Olympia countryside by draining a massive volume of water into the Deschutes River was narrowly averted.
- The Price of Coal
Miners in Roslyn and Gilman strike against wage cuts, pointing to a race-to-the-bottom in labor costs driven by railroad contracts.
- The Siege of Commercial Street
A routine arrest of a sailor in a Seattle lodging house escalates into a pitched battle between police and the neighborhood’s residents.
- The Brutal Execution of Chief Kanaskat
A vivid and harrowing account of the 1856 Puyallup conflict and the killing of the Klickitat leader.
- Tragedy for the Portland Elks
An excursion train bound for an Olympia picnic plunges into a ditch near Chehalis, leaving many dead and injured.
- A Domestic Tragedy in Mount Pleasant
A husband's rage turns fatal when a neighbor intervenes to protect his wife and children.
- A Boiler Explosion on the Steamer Monticello
A fireman is fighting for his life after a high-pressure steam pipe failed mid-voyage near Kingston, marking the second such accident for the vessel.
- The Last Survivor of Collins' Expedition
Robert Stevenson reflects on a grueling 1860 forest clearing journey and the vanished fort on the White River.
- The Grave Robbery Insurance Scam
A Seattle man faked his own death using a stolen corpse to collect a massive insurance payout, but a lover's confession blew the lid off the plot.
- South Bend’s Mill Burns While the Hose Company Stays Home
The Willapa Cedar Lumber Company’s mill and dry house burn to the ground; a kerosene-soaked fireball and a short hose supply leave the town reeling.
- Explosion Levels Drug Store on Ninth and Stewart
A pharmacy was reduced to ashes in a late-night fire, leaving local residents trapped in the apartments above.
- The Bugle-Call Defense of a 'Jumped' Lot
When a town committee arrived to evict a couple from a disputed lot in Port Angeles, the wife met them with a bugle and two Winchester rifles.
Also about this, in other words
- The Day the Smelter Blew: Peter Williams and the Seattle Explosion
A carpenter’s routine repair job ends in tragedy when a blowpipe explodes at Selhy’s Smelting Works, killing him instantly.
- The Wind That Spoke: Kennewick’s Dusty Plea for a Sprinkler Cart
A fierce Monday wind storm drove residents to subscribe to a new municipal sprinkler fund, proving that the battle against dust was won not by speeches, but by grit in the eyes.
- Blasting the Berries
An innovative agricultural technique using explosives brings new life to Washington’s unique holly industry.
- A Close Call at the Blacksmith Shop
A blow torch ignites gasoline fumes at Jameson Newell's shop, nearly destroying the facility and two automobiles.
- A Noisy Surprise for the Newlyweds
Local residents revive the old-fashioned 'charivari' tradition to celebrate a neighbor’s recent marriage with a cacophonous midnight parade.
- Safe-Crackers Strike Yakima Avenue
A late-night robbery ends in a shattered safe and a series of bungled arrests.
- The Sidney Post Office Heist
Burglars used black powder to blow the safe of a postmaster in a small town, wrecking the building in the process.
- The Clerk’s Odd Sales Pitch
A farmer learns a strange and aggressive new way to test if his wife is 'sound' while shopping in 1877 Seattle.