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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 4 |
| 1878 | 3 |
| 1883 | 3 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 4 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 3 |
| 1889 | 5 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 4 |
| 1892 | 5 |
| 1893 | 8 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1895 | 5 |
| 1898 | 2 |
| 1903 | 2 |
| 1904 | 7 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 3 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1929 | 2 |
71 stories matching decay
- The Snohomish River's 'Miasma of Decay'
An 1876 editorial decries the hazardous state of the river banks, warning that stagnant water and rotting sawdust are breeding sickness in the growing town.
- A Ghastly Discovery Near Sugar Creek
A set of skeletal remains, pinned under a decayed fir tree, suggests a lonely, long-forgotten death in the remote mountains.
- Tacoma’s Crumbling Infrastructure
Public Works Commissioner William Welsh warns that over a dozen city bridges are rotting and unsafe for public travel.
- The Midnight Carriage in Seattle
A witness recounts a harrowing night ride through Seattle’s alleyways, carrying a trunk that smelled of 'decaying flesh' and the suspected secret of a doctor’s botched surgery.
- The End of the First Coal Bunker on the Pacific Coast
After thirty-four years, the historic Bellingham Bay coal bunkers are being dismantled, marking the close of the region's first industrial era.
- The Sudden Awakening of Samuel Baxter
After years lost to the shadows of insanity, a Seattle man shocks his family by abruptly returning to his senses.
- A Foul Nuisance in the Indian Addition
A rotting horse carcass left in the street sparks an urgent health complaint from a neighborhood near 34th and V.
- Ezra Meeker’s Golden Rules for Hop Success
The legendary pioneer shares his controversial methods for baling hops hot to secure the crucial foreign market.
- Waterfront Wharf Collapses Into The Bay
Decaying piles succumb to teredos, dumping 50,000 feet of lumber into the Elliott Bay waterfront.
- The Price of a Tiny Needle Prick
A trivial accident at home turns into a harrowing medical ordeal for a Seattle woman.
- The Ruins of a Bishop’s Household
After years in storage on the Seattle waterfront, Bishop Paddock's furniture was recovered in a state of 'shameful' decay, riddled with rats and broken glass.
- The Treasury Dept. Helps a Seattle Woman Recover Buried Riches
After her nephew buried $150 in greenbacks near Gilman five years ago, the money decayed into an unrecognizable mass. Local bankers and federal experts worked together to save her investment.
- The Perilous Bridge at Union Gap
Superintendent Prowell lobbies for the relocation of the decaying Union Gap bridge, citing safety hazards and potential Northern Pacific assistance.
- The Lonely Death of John Mannette
A pioneer’s remains discovered in a clearing near the Puyallup River, leaving behind only questions about a solitary life.
- The Pulpit Against the Saloon
Rev. Wallace Nutting argues that legal prohibition is the only way to shield Seattle's youth from the moral decay of the saloon.
- The City’s Crumbling Infrastructure
Walla Walla's decaying water main system is thwarting local efforts to lower insurance costs.
- A Call for a New Asylum
Legislative committee finds territorial asylum buildings beyond repair, recommending a new site in Eastern Washington.
- The Fight for Sanitary Food
Tacoma’s club women are spearheading a radical new ordinance to force bakeries and food merchants to meet strict hygiene standards.
- The Unfiltered Reality of Tacoma’s Water
An exposé reveals that the city's water supply flume runs through backyards and cesspools, gathering filth before reaching the tap.
- The Cyrus Walker Returns to Service
After two and a half years of neglect and decay, the steamer Cyrus Walker has been completely rebuilt from the hull up.
- City Council Demands Better Streets
After contractors repeatedly ignored demands to fix decaying pavement, Tacoma officials threaten to use bond money to perform the repairs themselves.
- The Unknown Man Below the Falls
A decomposing body wedged between trees near a downtown Spokane thoroughfare is examined by a coroner's jury — and buried without a name.
- The Perils of the Seattle Tideflats
A mother survives a terrifying fall through a rotten wooden sidewalk into the mud-filled depths of the Seattle tideflats, exposing the dangerous state of the city's infrastructure.
- The Great Debate of Reason vs. Revelation
Seattle's Armory hosts a week-long verbal brawl between a Christian minister and a secularist skeptic over the role of the Bible in modern life.
- The Great Sewer Bond Debate
A convention of the City Council debates the funding of main sewers versus lateral lines, with health and civic honor on the line.
Also about this, in other words
- The Invisible Army Under the Microscope
A scientific lecture delivered in Snohomish contemplates the origins of life, the invisible world of bacteria, and the processes of decay.
- The Fragile Earth Beneath Our Feet
An 1877 editorial from the Seattle Daily Intelligencer warns that the city's obsession with waste and its failure to return fertility to the land mirror the downfall of Rome.