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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 7 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1883 | 3 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 3 |
| 1889 | 5 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 7 |
| 1893 | 13 |
| 1894 | 14 |
| 1895 | 22 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 2 |
| 1909 | 1 |
| 1929 | 1 |
88 stories matching defect
- Almshouse Report Blames Commissioners for Defective Construction
A committee investigation reveals gross negligence and poor construction at the new county almshouse, prompting calls for a grand jury probe.
- Roused from Sleep: A Family Left Destitute by a Flue Fire Near Green Lake
A defective chimney destroys the home of a Scandinavian family north of Ravenna Park, leaving them nearly without possessions as neighbors take them in.
- The Fire Hose Scandal
Mayor Phelps files official charges against Fire Commissioner George T. Masel, alleging incompetence and corruption regarding the purchase of defective fire equipment.
- The Great Temperance Schism
Over 1,000 Good Templars defect from their order to join the Sons of Temperance amid internal discord.
- The Crumbling Bulkhead of Front Street
A legal standoff between a property developer and the City of Seattle reveals the precarious state of the city's waterfront infrastructure in 1892.
- The Lineman and the Trolley Line
A worker's damage suit against a telephone company is thrown out after the court decides infrastructure shouldn't have to withstand streetcar accidents.
- Defective Sewer Construction in the Third Ward
Accusations of corruption and shoddy craftsmanship arise as city officials are caught using undersized rods and poor brickwork on public projects.
- Yesler’s Waterfront Battle Reaches the Supreme Court
A landmark property rights case regarding Seattle’s harbor lines is dismissed on a technicality.
- The Night They Broke Down the Fence at Lake Union
A squatter’s float, a disputed shoreline and a forcible takeover produce a lawsuit that collapses twice on technicalities.
- The Price of Neglect: Seattle's 1877 Health Crisis
As diphtheria sweeps through a growing Seattle, an 1877 editorial warns that city-wide sanitation failures and individual negligence are turning the climate's natural health into a breeding ground for disease.
- The Delegate Who Stalled the State’s Legal Progress
How a stubborn stand on woman suffrage paralyzed Washington Territory’s legislative agenda in the halls of D.C.
- Technicality Saves Alleged Thief
A grand larceny case against Nellie Blanchard was dismissed after her attorney exposed a critical flaw in the legal filing.
- Seattle Wins Its Yesler Avenue Grade Assessment in the State Supreme Court
The state Supreme Court reverses a lower court and holds that a regular assessment roll alone makes the city's case to collect the Yesler Avenue grade assessment — the defense must now prove any defect.
- The Building That Fell Down
Owners and contractors are locked in a court battle over the construction of a brick building at Third and Washington that collapsed during its assembly.
- Eleven Years Old, and Out of Promises
A Tacoma police sergeant's stepson confesses to a string of robberies. A Seattle judge sends him to the Chehalis reformatory — after Tacoma courts had twice taken the boy's word that he would be good.
- The Loophole Arsonist
A man accused of burning down his own house escapes conviction because the law failed to define arson as a crime when committed against one's own property.
- City Council Debates Defective Fire Engine
A heated dispute erupts over the purchase of a 'third-class' Waterous fire engine that failed to perform during municipal tests.
- The Unintended Neighborhood
Survey errors leave houses in the middle of streets and neighbors at odds over property lines.
- Whistleblower Exposes Shoddy Work on County Almshouse
A veteran bricklayer alleges that the new county building was built with inferior materials and covered up with paint to deceive inspectors.
- Temperance Movement Fractures in Seattle
A bitter internal dispute within the Independent Order of Good Templars leads to a secession and the formation of a new division of the Sons of Temperance.
- The Dignity of the Oyster Bar
A young woman, destitute after her father's death, finds that the labor market is far more welcoming than her former social circle.
- Hospitalization Excuses City Hall's Negligence
The Washington State Supreme Court ruled that a citizen’s hospital stay is a valid reason for missing a 30-day window to file a claim against the city for street injuries.
- City Officials Accused of Corruption and Incompetence
Former Superintendent of Water Works files scathing charges against the Board of Public Works over pump contracts and political job-trading.
- Vandals Target Seattle Shingle Mills Amid Labor Unrest
Striking shingle weavers are suspected of sabotage at the Stimson and Cedar Lumber Company mills, marking a tense escalation in local labor disputes.
- The Fireboat That Saved the Northern Hotel
An insurance inspector in town to check Seattle's electrical wiring watched Monday night's fire — and credited the fireboat with stopping it from spreading.