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114 stories matching brass
- The Day the Sloop Fired on a Federal Cutter
In 1860, twenty-four Port Townsend citizens chartered a sloop to save $5 on fares to Olympia. When intercepted by a revenue cutter, their captain opened fire with a brass howitzer—only to discover he’d just threatened the U.S. government.
- The Great McFadden Ovation: A City Stops for Its Hero
In October 1872, Olympia erupted in celebration as thousands of citizens, horses, and brass bands escorted Territorial Delegate Owen McFadden home from his successful eastern tour, contrasting sharply with the cold reception given to his rival.
- The Nancy Came to Town on a Sled—and Ended Up Keel-Up in the Riverbank
Newport's finest new motor launch was meant to link the town with Metaline. Then the unloading crew lost control on an icy grade and sent $300 worth of brass, oak, and electric lights over the bank.
- The Banker and the Brass Brick
An unnamed Aberdeen financier fell for the classic 'antique gold' swindle, paying $5,000 for a metal bar that turned out to be mere brass.
- The Birth of the Snohomish Brass Band
A group of enterprising young men organize to bring music to the Snohomish community, pledging to be performance-ready in just a few months.
- The Queen City Brass Band's High-Stakes Ballroom Dance
In an era of strict social decorum, a Seattle brass band hosts an 'apron and necktie' ball at the Court House, strictly barring 'disreputable characters' to fund their new uniforms.
- Steilacoom Empties Its Garrison for a Near-War on San Juan Island
On Aug. 9, 1859, soldiers and two brass cannon left Steilacoom aboard the steamer Julia to reinforce Capt. Pickett’s tiny command, as the U.S. and Britain edged toward war over a boundary and a pig.
- They Climbed Rainier First—and Slept in a Sulphur-Scented Ice Cave
In 1870, Hazard Stevens and P. B. Van Trump reached Mount Rainier's summit after a brutal 10½-hour climb, then spent a freezing night beside volcanic steam vents.
- The Great Welcome: Seattle Plans a 'Rousing' Ovation for Returning War Heroes
Mayor Humes and city officials rally behind a public subscription to fund fireworks, banquets, and even a mock battle at Lake Washington to greet the Washington Volunteers returning from Manila.
- The Professor, the President, and the Champagne College Deal
A legislative investigation at Pullman exposes secret opposition, abandoned building plans, and site-selection hospitality that included brass bands and champagne.
- A Sailor’s Memory of the 1841 Fourth of July
Before Seattle, Tacoma, or Olympia existed, the Wilkes Expedition celebrated Independence Day on the prairies near Fort Nisqually with a roasted ox and brass howitzers.
- Brawl at Skip Lee's Saloon Leaves Bystanders Maimed
A violent late-night fight involving billiard cues and brass knuckles forces a call for better police protection in the growing town.
- The Electric Gate: An Olympia Father Declares War on Front-Gate Courting
A gadget-minded Eastside householder wires his front gate to deliver a jolt to lally-gagging sweethearts — and proves it first on an unwitting dog and a cabbage-loving cow.
- The Daily Parade of Moral Rottenness
A fed-up Seattle resident petitions City Hall to end the brazen practice of parading sex workers through the city's main streets by carriage and brass band.
- A Dispute Over a Cleaned Dress Ends in a Brawl
A woman allegedly strikes a dyer with a brass lamp after a heated disagreement over a laundry bill.
- The Great Aberdeen Watch Swindle
A traveling con artist successfully bilks residents out of hundreds of dollars, leaving them with worthless brass trinkets.
- Eighty Couples and a Brass Band: Aberdeen's Firemen Throw a Third-Anniversary Dance
The volunteer department celebrates three years with a free dance at Koehler's hall, drawing guests from across Grays Harbor.
- From the Pulpit, a Pastor Takes Aim at Tacoma's Mayor
Rev. Dr. Dean Richmond Babbitt compares Mayor Orr to a Roman official who looked the other way, jeers at 'brass-buttoned police' and warns the mayor he could be prosecuted for letting the law be broken.
- A Palace on Rails Arrives in Newport
Idaho Washington Northern's new Pullman coaches—steam-heated, electric-lit and brass-trimmed—began service out of Newport, promising a new through line to Spokane.
- The 'Aristocratic' Drunk of Commercial Street
A rowdy man’s attempt to assert his authority against a local merchant ends in a street fight and a trip to the city jail.
- The Unstoppable 'Brass and Cheek' of Early Seattle
A Tacoma newspaper begrudgingly acknowledges the aggressive boosterism driving Seattle’s rapid growth.
- 200-Year-Old Flintlock Unearthed from the Cowlitz
A rare brass pistol, dredged from the riverbed near Longview, is sent to London in search of its origins.
- A Parade, a Brass Band, and Dancing Until Four
North Yakima's Odd Fellows mark the order's 72nd anniversary with a march down the business streets, an address at the opera house, and a ball that outlasted the refreshments at the Hotel Yakima.
- The Aberdeen Rifles' First Grand Gala
A night of 'brass buttons and bright eyes' as the new local armory on Heron Street hosts its inaugural dance.
- The Town Brass Band Begins Rehearsals
After the arrival of a new set of instruments, Oroville residents are treated to the discordant, nightly 'rumblings' of a developing community band.
Also about this, in other words
- The Town Organizes a Band
Businessmen gather at Sigrist Hall to form a permanent, incorporated musical body for the benefit of the community.
- The Wheels Threw Him Aside: A Coal Heaver's Narrow Escape
F. Brassell fell beneath freight cars at Tekoa's coal bunkers; he lost an ear and most of his scalp but survived the first night.
- A Gold-Headed Cane for the Man Who Stayed on the Phone in a Burning Mine
Newcastle honored C.C. Anderson, who kept giving orders to trapped miners as the roof burned above him.
- A Costly Penny-Pinching Heist
Local burglars use high-grade explosives to crack an unlocked safe at a lumber company, netting exactly five cents in copper.
- The Ghost of a Bullet
A Civil War veteran finds a long-forgotten piece of shrapnel finally working its way out of his body twenty years after the battle.
- The Hidden Metal Powering the Electric Age
A rare, inaccessible metal from the Ural Mountains has become as valuable as gold, and it is the only thing keeping the world's incandescent light bulbs from shattering.
- Two Explosions on the Great Northern Grade Killed a Powder Driver
A load of dynamite tumbled into the upper Wenatchee River; days later, 100 kegs of black powder went up and Swan Johnson was blown eighty feet.
- A Premature Blast Tore Apart 'Lead' Long's Face Near Metaline
A miner known across the district was badly hurt at the Wake Up Jim prospect when a blast went off early, and details were slow to reach Newport.