Research the archive
Narrow 22,457 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 |
|---|---|
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1892 | 4 |
| 1893 | 4 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1903 | 2 |
| 1904 | 2 |
16 stories matching gripman
- A Near-Miss and a Generous Gesture
A Seattle gripman saves a man from a streetcar accident, leading to an unlikely show of gratitude and a $50 gift.
- The Man Who Wasn't There: Tacoma's Gripman Dies from a 'Minor' Car Accident
Sylvester Farrell, a beloved streetcar worker and union member, succumbs to injuries sustained weeks earlier when a broken cable strand caused his car to jerk. His death highlights the hidden dangers of early 20th-century transit labor.
- The Price of a Poodle on a Cable Car
A muddy dog sparked a violent brawl between a streetcar passenger and a gripman, leaving a commuter toothless and the transit worker with a fine.
- Streetcar Smash-up on Madison and Third
A cable car and an electric car collide downtown, leaving passengers injured and raising questions about right-of-way.
- The Cable Car That Dodged a Runaway Electric—and the Lawsuit That Followed
A Madison Street cable car narrowly avoided a speeding Third Street electric car in 1893; passenger E. K. Marvin won $1,000 after a second trial over his sprained ankle.
- The Tragic Cost of Seattle's Early Cable Cars
A mother sacrifices her life to save her children after a runaway cable car loses its grip at Second and Pine, exposing the perils of the city’s rapid, unregulated infrastructure boom.
- The Narrow Streets of Early Seattle
A three-year-old child is severely injured after being struck by a cable car on Front Street, highlighting the dangers of growing city transit.
- The Runaway Cable Car of Madison Street
A silent, uncrewed cable car plunges down the steep grade toward Lake Washington, resulting in a fatal collision and a sobering coroner's inquest into transit safety.
- Thrown From the Cable Car
A woman seeks damages after being flung from a Union Trunk Line car when the gripman lost control.
- A Cable Car Gripmans's Violent Run-In
A cable car operator faces legal trouble after a collision with a child results in a serious infection.
- The Counterfeiters of Boren Avenue
A Secret Service investigation reveals a family-run forgery ring using 'secrets of wise men' and early forensic fingerprinting to manufacture bogus coins in Seattle and Tacoma.
- Trolley Collision at Fourth and Jackson
A freight car and a passenger cable car collide in downtown Seattle, but fortunately leave no passengers injured.
- A Ten-Inch Snowstorm Buries Seattle and Stalls the Cars
The city's streetcars, telegraph wires and outlying districts struggle under a heavy January snowfall as Portland reports three feet and the weather observer warns of more to come.
- The Perils of the Pike Street Curve
A streetcar passenger sues the cable company for $15,000, claiming the line's dangerous construction and the crew's carelessness left him permanently disabled.
- The Unwanted 'Souvenir' of a Rainy Tacoma Commute
Commuters on the Tacoma Railway & Power Company lines faced flooded cars and dripping seats, turning a simple transit ride into a soaked ordeal.
- A Breakfast Tragedy at Pacific Avenue
A local woman’s accidental encounter with a cable car turns the intersection into an omelette station.
Also about this, in other words
- The Pullman Fairgrounds Tragedy
A young man faces the gallows for a fatal shooting at the local fairgrounds, marking a dark chapter in the town's history.
- The Stranglehold at Turner Hall
A local wrestling match turns into a scene of chaotic challenges and bravado in Seattle.
- Two Revolvers, One Patrolman, and a $25 Thank-You
A Tacoma streetcar robbery ends in a downtown saloon gunfight — and the motorman's employer rewards the officer who walked into it.
- Drunken Brakeman Crushed on Northern Pacific Line
A railroad worker is killed near Meeker after falling between cars while intoxicated.
- Ex-Convict Strikes Miner with Cane in Saloon Altercation
N.M. McLain, recently released from the penitentiary, allegedly assaulted a mine carpenter at the Opal Saloon in a dispute over property.
- The Traveling Salesman Who Out-Wrestled a Footpad
When an armed robber tried to hold up a local salesman late at night, he found himself in a Greco-Roman wrestling match instead of an easy mugging.
- The Trusted Watchman’s Secret Life
After 16 years of loyal service, a Hoquiam mill watchman is caught red-handed with a secret kit of burglary tools.
- The Glass-Chewing Drifter of Seattle
A traveling laborer with a bizarre appetite is arrested after a barroom brawl ends in broken glass and a ruined mirror.