Research the archive
Narrow 25,724 newspaper stories by words, years, place, newspaper and subject. See when and where they ran, then download what you find.
Put a phrase in quotes ("rent strike") or leave a word out with a minus (strike -baseball). Old scans misspell names, so when little is found, near-spellings are offered.
Refine
Show the numbers
| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1892 | 1 |
| 1893 | 1 |
| 1894 | 1 |
| 1895 | 4 |
16 stories matching forecastl
- A Shipboard Altercation at Port Blakely
A sailor is hospitalized with a broken leg following a mysterious scuffle in the forecastle of a ship docked at Port Blakely.
- The Strike for a Messboy
When the crew of the whaleback steamer 'Wetmore' demanded a messboy to clean their quarters, the captain faced a labor standoff that revealed the grim realities of maritime life in the 1890s.
- Tragedy at the Mouth of the Columbia
A broken hawser on a tow line claimed the lives of three sailors in a sudden, violent accident off the bar of the Columbia River.
- The Hanging Party That Wasn't: Puget Sound's First Murder Arrest
A retired sailor recalls the day a ship's crew nearly lynched a stevedore at Port Blakely—and the strange reunion that followed years later.
- The Ill-Fated Voyage of the Duchess of Argyle
A majestic ship meets a violent end against the rocky cliffs of the Washington coast, leaving a crew stranded and a vessel shattered.
- The Madman with the Million-Dollar Conspiracy
A wandering stranger’s frantic claims of a plot to rob him in Seattle lead to his arrest and a stark reminder: the city is growing too fast for its own good.
- The Steamer Evangel Goes Down at Her Own Dock
A forgotten siphon floods the Evangel at Port Angeles; seven sleeping passengers escape in the dark, including the only woman aboard, pulled from the water by a rope.
- The Revenue Cutter Steward’s Opium Cache
A longtime employee of the U.S. revenue cutter 'Oliver Wolcott' is arrested for smuggling opium from British Columbia, exposing a decade-long secret life.
- Two Hundred Lives, One Closed Door: The Pacific Inquiry
Witnesses swore in Port Townsend that the steamer Pacific was rotten when she sailed. Now the very inspectors who certified her seaworthy are investigating her loss — in secret.
- Armed Guards, a Locked Forecastle, and One Sailor Who Swam for It
Seattle's Sailors' Union accused a British ship of shanghaiing five men at Port Blakely; one escaped by jumping overboard, while the Shipowners' Association called the charges 'all bosh.'
- The Wreck of the Lily Grace
After surviving a harrowing gale and the total loss of his ship near Cape Flattery, a sea captain washes up in Seattle to recount a battle against the elements.
- The Fiery End of the Bark 'Hark Hope'
After failing to extinguish a mystery fire in the cargo hold, the crew of a Honolulu-bound vessel was forced to sink their own ship to save it from complete destruction.
- Sold to the Highest Captain: Seattle’s Sailor Boarding-House Scandal
An editorial demands an investigation into Seattle’s sailor boarding houses, where men were allegedly lured into debt, beaten, and effectively sold to ship captains—and warns union organizers against using the same coercion.
- The Shipmate’s Miracle: A Story of Grit at Sea
A young sailor survives a hundred-foot fall and a double compound fracture, saved by the improvised surgery and steady care of his shipmates far from any port.
- The Night They Walked to an Indian Village: A Shipwreck Survivor’s Tale
After the steamer *Port Gordon* smashed against rocks near Destruction Island, four men survived a nightmare of broken lines and drowning comrades by building a raft from hatches—and then walking ten miles through the brush.
- The Slave Ship That Vanished: An Old Man’s Confession in Seattle
A weathered sailor walks into a Seattle saloon and recounts the night his crew mutinied against a slaver, only to watch the ship sink with 200 souls aboard.