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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1859 | 1 |
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 2 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 2 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1907 | 1 |
16 stories matching diem
- The City That Refused to Drink: Seattle’s Water War of 1876
When the local water company demanded a quarter-century monopoly and the power to seize private springs, Seattle’s leaders said no. Now, with fire risks mounting and growth accelerating, the city faces a stark choice: build its own system or wait for disaster.
- Fifteen Minutes to Confess: The Morphine Trial of Port Townsend's Captain De Lion
A former mayor, Chilean consul and dry-dock promoter worth half a million dollars sits in superior court while his emaciated wife describes a year of morphine, delusion and a pocket watch set on the table between them.
- The Water Miracle in the Moxee
After expensive drilling, a new artesian well turns arid sagebrush into a potential oasis for Yakima settlers.
- Tacoma’s Costly Water Scandal
City officials discover that the expensive gravity-fed water system sold to the public is a fiction, sparking a search for accountability.
- The Pullman College Scandal
Regents of the State Agricultural College face serious accusations of misusing public funds, including charges of billing the state for personal hotel extras like overalls and Sunday travel.
- Corruption Charges in Snohomish County
The Snohomish County Attorney charges commissioners with 'malfeasance, misfeasance, corruption, and misdemeanor' in a sweeping legal bid to remove them from office.
- The Primary Teacher’s Plea: Why Seattle’s Schools Are Failing Our Children
Miss C.I.T. Parsons delivers a scathing indictment of the King County Teachers' Institute, arguing that cheap buildings and unqualified instructors are robbing Seattle’s youth of their potential.
- King County Auditor Accused of Padding His Salary with Extra Jobs
A letter to the editor details how Auditor Frank Twichell drew extra pay as purchasing agent, building-fund agent, and legislative lobbyist—all while collecting his regular salary.
- The Jailbreak Problem: When Every County Was Its Own Penitentiary
In 1877, Washington Territory struggled with a chaotic, decentralized justice system where county jails were crumbling and prisoners were held for profit.
- Artesian Water Breakthrough in the Yakima Valley
A new artesian well discovery promises to boost irrigation capabilities in the region.
- A Reader Says Smiles and Bows Won't Save Port Townsend
A letter to the editor takes aim at the sentimental notion that a town prospers on politeness alone, insisting that Port Townsend needs capital, labor and trade — not suave manners and boosterism.
- The Territory’s Muskets Were ‘About as Dangerous at One End as the Other’
A Pierce County taxpayer audits the 1859 Legislature: condemned arms, a new enrolling clerk, and the old habit of hoping Congress will pay.
- A New Sawmill for the Tacoma Addition
A local mill is relocating to expand operations near the railroad bridge, signaling a boost in industrial employment.
- The Politics of the Per Diem
A spat between county officials over travel expenses exposes the partisan friction simmering beneath local administrative life.
- The High Price of Lawmaking in Olympia
Members of the Territorial Council scramble for housing as local hotels burn down.
- Establishing the Penitentiary's Pay
Legislators grapple with the cost of housing inmates at the Steilacoom jail while the permanent penitentiary site remains a mystery.
Also about this, in other words
- A Marriage Cut Short by Tragedy
A young bride dies suddenly on her second wedding anniversary, triggering a callous rumor mill that the press quickly works to correct.
- The Deadly Cost of a City Election
A Tacoma land locator collapses and dies from delirium tremens following a heavy drinking binge triggered by a local bond vote.
- A Desperate Act at Chimacum
A local laborer, facing destitution, ends his life in a violent explosion that rocks a small settlement.
- The Deadly Silence of the Mill
A young fireman is killed instantly when a mill boiler explodes, leaving the community to wonder how his body was thrust beneath the furnace.
- Death in the County Jail Cell
A man suffering from delirium tremens has died in the Tacoma jail after falling from a steam pipe.
- The Miser of Komo
A local man who distrusted banks is robbed of his hidden savings, highlighting the precarious nature of wealth in a frontier town.
- Planting the Seed in 'Germany'
A century-old account of missionaries in Japan and their long-term project to shift the cultural landscape of the East.
- Death the Price of a Job
A brutal internal railroad memo reveals that safety rules were meant for legal protection, while speed was the only metric that mattered for keeping a job.