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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 5 |
| 1876 | 9 |
| 1877 | 5 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 3 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 6 |
| 1884 | 8 |
| 1885 | 13 |
| 1886 | 6 |
| 1887 | 5 |
| 1888 | 3 |
| 1889 | 16 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 21 |
| 1893 | 24 |
| 1894 | 31 |
| 1895 | 40 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 9 |
| 1903 | 3 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1929 | 1 |
216 stories matching combin
- The Mediums' Trust: When Seattle's Spiritualists Tried to Fix Their Prices
A secret meeting of clairvoyants and mediums ended in failure as new arrivals undercut their rates, proving that even the spirit world is subject to market forces.
- A Mayor's Nomination and the Aldermen Laying Plans to Block It
Mayor Phelps names John J. Scurry to the board of public works, and the same aldermanic combination that fought his predecessor quietly organizes to sink the confirmation.
- The Great Seattle Flour Price War
A California miller defies the combine, forcing a drop in prices to the delight of local consumers.
- The Arcade Saloon Melee
A morning brawl involving the 'John Bull Combination' spills out of the Arcade Saloon and into the street.
- The Seattle Mill Owners’ Secret Cartel
How local timber barons in 1886 fixed prices and controlled production to squeeze profits from the West Coast lumber trade.
- The Lumber Trust Comes to Seattle
Seattle lumber firms move to form the Central Lumber Company of California, pooling sales to squeeze out British Columbia competition.
- The Newspaper Monopoly Holding Seattle Hostage
In 1887, the Post-Intelligencer exposed a 'printing ring' between rival newspapers that artificially inflated the cost of public contracts.
- Federal Crackdown on Washington Territory Land Grabs
General Land Office Commissioner launches a sweeping investigation into corrupt land entries.
- A Smear Campaign in the Seattle Streets: Newspaper Turf Wars and Local Politics
A reader writes in to defend Senator Allen against a rival political 'combine' flooding Seattle with Tacoma newspapers to influence local opinion.
- The Ice King’s Plot: How a Monopoly Would Have Starved Seattle of Cold
A Chicago-based trust is buying up ice companies across the nation to control prices. In Washington, experts warn that consolidating dozens of competing delivery wagons into a single fleet will leave thousands of local workers unemployed.
- The Secret Syndicate Attempting to Control the Pacific Timber Trade
A covert effort by lumber barons to establish a monopoly by paying smaller mills to shut down.
- The Railway Strike and the Law
An editorial arguing that the American Railway Union's sympathetic strike is an unlawful conspiracy against public welfare.
- The Kendall Combination Delivers a Moving Performance of 'M'liss'
Seattle theatergoers are captivated by Mrs. Julia Kendall’s portrayal of the waif M'liss at Yesler's Hall.
- The End of the Steamship Monopoly
Competition heats up on the Sound as new steamer lines challenge the dominance of the Villard railroad and boat combinations.
- The Safe Combination Swindle
A merchant is arrested for grand larceny after allegedly tricking a sick man's wife into opening their safe to steal a promissory note.
- Pacific Northwest Lumber Barons Push for Price Fixing
A secret meeting in San Francisco may spell the end of independent competition in the region's most vital industry.
- The Great Sound Mill Slowdown of 1879
A secret price-fixing agreement in San Francisco forces local mills to cut production, threatening the livelihoods of workers across the region.
- The Collapse of the Hop Corner
Ezra Meeker breaks a massive market manipulation scheme that threatened to hold Pacific Coast hop farmers hostage.
- A $23.25 Haul and a Very Patient Safe-Cracker
Burglars peeled a window, drilled the door and chiseled the combination at A. C. Fry's produce store on the Seattle waterfront.
- The 'Combined Eye-Glass and Deadshot Expectorator'
A traveling salesman tries to peddle an absurd invention to the local elite of the Pacific Club to 'fix' a social problem nobody knew they had.
- The City's High-Tech Gamble on the New Holly Pump
Seattle's municipal water works achieves a massive efficiency win with new equipment, proving the city's investment pays off.
- Voters Shoot Down High School Bond
A combination of Populists, skeptical taxpayers, and general voter apathy results in the defeat of a $125,000 high school bond for Capitol Hill.
- The 'Reform' Administration’s Open Secret
While the police publicly touted a permanent closure of gambling, four major houses reopened under a new protective arrangement.
- The Trust’s Empty Wallet: How Monopolies Are Starving Seattle’s Hotels and Stables
As giant combines fire thousands of traveling salesmen to boost profits, the ripple effect hits local businesses hard—yet consumers see only higher prices.
- The Insurance Cartel's War on Competition
Seattle underwriters clash over a 'non-intercourse' rule designed to force agents to abandon independent companies.