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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1858 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 2 |
| 1877 | 4 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1891 | 5 |
| 1892 | 6 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 1 |
| 1895 | 5 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 1 |
| 1904 | 4 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 3 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 3 |
| 1916 | 2 |
51 stories matching futil
- The False Hope of Soap Lake
A local resident returns home after a futile journey seeking a miracle cure for his ailment.
- The Phantom Murder of Snohomish
A night of terrifying screams and gunfire leads to a frantic, futile search for a body in the river.
- Anacortes Mayor Quits in Protest Against 'Subsidy Brokers'
A.P. Sharpstein steps down, accusing the city's powerful corporate interests of stifling growth and ignoring the needs of local citizens.
- The Futility of Policing Morality
An 1877 editorial from the Puget Sound region challenges the effectiveness of prohibitionists attempting to legislate temperance via 'paper petitions.'
- A Two-Year-Old's Fatal Fall From an East Seattle Wharf
A two-year-old girl drowns after falling from a Seattle wharf, a grim reminder of the city's rapidly expanding waterfront dangers.
- A Sudden Tragedy on the Tide Flats
A dray team loses their footing on a rain-slicked plank road and plunges into the dark water below.
- The Gail Vanishes: A Launch Stolen From a Private Landing in the Night
R. L. Banta's gasoline launch disappears from his own riverfront landing. A steamboat captain half-remembers seeing her; a search up the Snake comes back empty.
- City Council Slashes Infrastructure Budget
Council finance committee moves to tighten the city's belt, cutting bridge and sewer projects despite resistance.
- The Sinking of the Alaska
A coal-laden ship goes down off Cape Flattery, leaving a captain and crew to fend for themselves in the open sea.
- The Sad Tale of a Funeral Con
A man in mourning clothes successfully swindles a local funeral director out of three dollars under the guise of grieving for his dead wife.
- The Mysterious Disappearance of Sergeant Brown
A career soldier vanished without a trace after leaving his post on the cableship Burnside in Tacoma.
- The Futility of Prohibition
A skeptical legislator warns that strict alcohol bans in Washington Territory will lead only to evasion, black markets, and public distrust.
- Fire Leaves Hoquiam Family With Only the Clothes on Their Backs
A house fire in Hoquiam destroyed everything after a stove mishap left the home in ruins while the couple attended a local concert.
- The City Council’s Perpetual Muddle
A failed attempt to sort out the city's chaotic tax records leaves property owners carrying the burden for their delinquent neighbors.
- Industrial Tragedy at the Far West Lumber Camp
A young laborer is crushed to death by a falling boiler at an Electron construction site.
- The Struggle for Yakima Irrigation Rights
Kennewick editors push back against accusations of land-grabbing, demanding only the water rights promised to the lower valley.
- Night Watchman Shoots Intruder at West Seattle Elevator
A thief attempting to steal grain sacks from a West Seattle elevator was shot in the leg by a vigilant watchman and forced to surrender.
- A Victory for the Pile Drivers
A long-standing labor dispute between a local pile driving firm and bridge workers ends in a settlement.
- The 1877 Argument to Run Seattle Like a Corporation
A fiery editorial from the Daily Intelligence argues that municipal voting should be tied to property ownership, mirroring the management of railroads and banks.
- Richland Trading Company Store Destroyed by Fire
The town's largest mercantile establishment burned to the ground early Wednesday morning in a blaze suspected to be caused by faulty electrical wiring.
- The Unlucky Treasurer and the Misbehaving Rifle
A banking executive is accidentally shot in a downtown Seattle gun store, sparking a brief mystery about the weapon's safety.
- The Untamable Columbia
Army engineers dismiss dreams of a navigable river highway, citing fatal drops and impossible terrain.
- The Great Railway Freight Revolt
In a 1891 legislative showdown, Washington lawmakers slashed freight rates by 25 percent to combat railroad monopolies, sparking a fierce debate over state versus corporate control.
- The Van Valley Bottling Works Remains Unfair
A labor dispute over wages and union jurisdiction continues to heat up in Everett.
- Vigilante Mob Targets Interracial Couple in Walla Walla
A masked group forcibly removed a man and his wife from their home, subjecting them to a brutal public assault.