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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1872 | 2 |
| 1876 | 30 |
| 1877 | 15 |
| 1878 | 11 |
| 1880 | 6 |
| 1882 | 5 |
| 1883 | 34 |
| 1884 | 19 |
| 1885 | 13 |
| 1886 | 9 |
| 1887 | 13 |
| 1888 | 20 |
| 1889 | 24 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 18 |
| 1892 | 37 |
| 1893 | 85 |
| 1894 | 49 |
| 1895 | 101 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 27 |
| 1903 | 7 |
| 1904 | 3 |
| 1909 | 4 |
| 1916 | 2 |
| 1928 | 1 |
| 1929 | 1 |
539 stories matching contract
- State Supreme Court Upholds Lake Washington Canal Contract, Clearing the Way for Tide-Land Transformation
The Washington Supreme Court rules that the Lake Washington Waterway Company's contract to dig a canal and fill tide lands is constitutional, rejecting a landowner's challenge and affirming the state's power to remake the waterfront.
- The City's Broken Lumber Deal
When lumber prices soared in 1887, Seattle’s city contractors simply walked away from their obligations—and the city council let them get away with it.
- 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.
- New Bridge Across Sullivan Slough
A Seattle bridge-builder secures the contract for a key infrastructure project in the local wetlands.
- The Great Seattle Water Contract Scandal
A local newspaper investigation exposes suspicious water hydrant contracts, accusing city officials of mismanagement and sweetheart deals ahead of a heated municipal election.
- The Waterfront Labor Squeeze
A standoff at the Seattle docks over shipping contracts and idle labor leaves the local waterfront in turmoil.
- City Council Members Dodge Responsibility on James Street
While private citizens were forced to fulfill their contracts, two city council members allegedly abandoned their own street improvement project without penalty.
- The Printing Contract Scandal
The City Council awards a printing contract to a more expensive paper, sparking claims of hypocrisy against the self-proclaimed 'reform' administration.
- Seattle’s Tide-Flats Canal Clears the Court
The state Supreme Court upholds the Seattle Lake Washington Waterway Company’s contracts, leaving only a $500,000 subsidy before dredging begins.
- The Eight-Hour War: Seattle’s Labor Law Hits a Legal Wall
As the state’s landmark eight-hour workday law takes effect, prosecutors and judges clash over whether it applies to private contractors like the Pacific Bridge Company, leaving workers in limbo.
- Private Money Wanted to Fill Smith's Cove—and Asked the City to Say Yes
A San Francisco syndicate lined up a state tide-land contract for May 7, with an injunction the only obvious obstacle.
- The Court Rules Against Railway Union Contracts
A federal judge sides with the Lake Shore Road receiver, ruling that collective labor contracts do not bind court-appointed management.
- Seattle Engineering Firm Lands Massive Naval Dry Dock Contract
Moran Brothers Company secures the contract for the pumping station at Port Orchard's naval dry dock, promising local jobs.
- Seattle Starts Building Its Own Ground
Contractors drive the first piles in the tide flats, launching a massive fill project that will remake the city’s waterfront and industrial south end.
- The Steamboat Betrayal
A local captain accuses Ottawa officials of reneging on a mail contract after he already invested in the route.
- The Paper Trail of Patronage
A bold act of civic favoritism in King County sees the Board of Commissioners award a lucrative printing contract to a higher bidder, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill.
- The Bankrupt Streetcar Company Ordered to Keep a Mansion Lit
A Seattle court rules that a receiver must honor a close corporation's strange side deal to power G. E. M. Pratt's home.
- A Builder's Conflict: Parkinson and the City Contract
Local contractors and workers spar over a building contract awarded to an architect, sparking a debate about public versus private interest in Seattle's growth.
- The Steamer Wilmington’s Illegal Cargo
A ship captain faces federal charges for allegedly importing Japanese contract laborers to work on his vessel.
- The City Council’s War on Williams: How Seattle Tried to Fire Its Own Engineer
A bitter power struggle between the Board of Aldermen and city engineer Benezette Williams led to a legislative loophole designed to strip him of his contract, sparking fears of costly lawsuits and stalled infrastructure projects.
- The Contract War for Seattle’s Baseball Manager
A power struggle in the minor leagues pits Seattle's local boosters against the board of control over the fate of Abner Powell.
- A Courtroom Brawl Over a Mining Fortune
John R. Wolcott loses his bid to control the Persinger group of mines in Kittitas County after a contract dispute, and his attorney nearly comes to blows with opposing counsel.
- The Iron Road Comes to the Sound
With the first section of the Seattle and Walla Walla railroad under heavy construction, the city braces for a transformation that promises to connect the waterfront to the mountains.
- The Seattle Sewer Brick Scandal
A political investigation into allegations that the City of Seattle paid inflated prices for materials used in municipal sewer construction.
- Ballard Fights the Tide Land Fill
The Ballard City Council moves to block a private contract to fill in Salmon Bay, fearing it will ruin the harbor and burden local commerce.