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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1858 | 2 |
| 1859 | 4 |
| 1860 | 2 |
| 1861 | 5 |
| 1862 | 15 |
| 1863 | 4 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1872 | 4 |
| 1876 | 28 |
| 1877 | 31 |
| 1878 | 15 |
| 1879 | 4 |
| 1880 | 6 |
| 1882 | 6 |
| 1883 | 33 |
| 1884 | 28 |
| 1885 | 76 |
| 1886 | 20 |
| 1887 | 19 |
| 1888 | 27 |
| 1889 | 60 |
| 1890 | 12 |
| 1891 | 55 |
| 1892 | 159 |
| 1893 | 178 |
| 1894 | 177 |
| 1895 | 177 |
| 1897 | 5 |
| 1898 | 10 |
| 1899 | 50 |
| 1900 | 5 |
| 1902 | 4 |
| 1903 | 104 |
| 1904 | 74 |
| 1905 | 4 |
| 1907 | 2 |
| 1908 | 16 |
| 1909 | 112 |
| 1910 | 17 |
| 1911 | 11 |
| 1912 | 3 |
| 1914 | 16 |
| 1915 | 14 |
| 1916 | 35 |
| 1917 | 27 |
| 1918 | 3 |
| 1923 | 12 |
| 1924 | 11 |
| 1925 | 10 |
| 1928 | 2 |
1,697 stories matching depart
- The Mystery of the Vanished Port Angeles Surveyor
A government townsite project stalls as the surveyor disappears, leaving the Interior Department scrambling to find his missing field notes.
- Corruption at the Naval Department
A scathing report exposes rampant incompetence, fraud, and systematic disorganization within the Naval Department, leaving public service in tatters.
- The Farmer’s Cabinet: Why Seattle’s Papers Are Fighting a War in Washington
An editorial in the *Seattle Daily Post-Intelligencer* argues against elevating the Department of Agriculture to Cabinet status, warning that it would create bureaucratic chaos and ignore the true role of federal oversight.
- The Water Wars of 1899
Seattle's city water department warns residents: follow the strict lawn-watering schedule or lose your access entirely.
- A New Chief for the Seattle Fire Department
Captain W. H. Clark steps in as acting chief amidst political maneuvering and department instability.
- The Power Fight of 1924
A fiery public debate erupts over utility profits, corporate control, and the cost of electricity in Washington.
- The Seattle Fire Department's Political Purge
Mayor Ronald installs a new fire chief amidst internal dissent and a public push for retention of the incumbent.
- Tacoma’s Great Fires of 1903
A year-end audit of the city's fire department reveals a staggering $309,000 in property loss, largely driven by massive blazes at industrial warehouses and cereal mills.
- Seattle's Fire Department Was Being Run Like a Boys' Club
An 1895 editorial blasts the fire commissioners and city council for a chief-appointment mess that left the department leaderless and the public fed up.
- Expansion at State College
With booming enrollment in chemistry and engineering, the college prepares its new laboratory in Morrill Hall.
- The Police Chief Who Couldn't Keep Order
For two years, Seattle's police force has been mired in incompetence and apathy under a Chief who avoids the law.
- A City Fed Up: Seattle Demands an End to the Fire Department Follies
Six years after the Great Fire, an exasperated editor says the wrangling over the fire department has become a farce — and warns the mayor, council and commission to settle it or step aside.
- Fire Commissioner Accused of Drunkenness and Selling His Vote
Mayor Phelps files formal charges against George T. Masel, alleging he sold his vote for chief, kept the chief in fear, and attended a West Seattle fire drunk.
- Seattle's Crime Surge and the Police Problem
City Hall faces criticism for its ineffective police department as crime rates climb.
- Federal Dollars Head to Kennewick Fields
The U.S. Department of Agriculture formally integrates Benton County’s agricultural oversight into its federal mission.
- A Dangerous New Year's Prank
Drunken revelers lure firefighters to a ghost blaze, nearly wrecking the department's equipment in the chaos.
- Federal Bureaucracy Stalls Salmon Hatchery Plans
The State Department blocks a joint American-Canadian salmon hatchery on the Fraser River, leaving Washington officials to fend for themselves.
- Fireman Suspended for Unpaid Debts
The Seattle Fire Department takes a hardline stance against members failing to pay their financial obligations to colleagues.
- The Quest for a Professional Fire Department
Seattle fire companies unite to demand a municipal department after years of disjointed volunteer service.
- Old Soldiers Gather in Vancouver
Veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic meet in Washington Territory to honor General Grant and discuss the future of their department.
- The Battle for the Columbia River Crossing
A federal hearing reveals tensions between the State Highway Department's road plans and a private corporation's bid to span the Columbia.
- City Council Slashes Budget Estimates
Tacoma's finance committee faces a shortfall, cutting police, fire, and street improvement budgets to match available income.
- City Council Faces Backlash for Ousting Fire Chief Kellogg
Citizens and taxpayers are protesting the dismissal of the popular fire chief, alleging the Democratic council is prioritizing partisan control over public safety.
- The Inside Job at MacDougall & Southwick
A trusted department manager is arrested after he is caught pocketing cash from a customer sale.
- Seattle's University Pleads for a Building Worthy of the State
An 1895 editorial makes the case that the University of Washington has outgrown its territorial-era quarters — and that the legislature must fund the new campus between Lake Union and Union Bay.