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|---|---|
| 1861 | 1 |
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129 stories matching gross
- The Mysterious Death of Abe Gross
A 28-year-old Tacoma dry-goods partner was found shot through the mouth in his bed. His brother's grief, a coroner's open verdict, and a city's disbelief turned a private tragedy into a public mystery.
- City Council Wrestles a 50-Year Streetcar Franchise Into Shape
A committee debate over percentages of gross earnings reveals how Seattle gave away its transit future one clause at a time.
- Hanford Postmaster Fired After Audit Reveals Shortage
A postal inspection in Hanford leads to the sudden removal of M. W. Gross and the appointment of a successor.
- The Streetcar Stranglehold: Eastern Capitalists vs. Seattle’s Future
As a coalition of wealthy investors from the East seeks to monopolize Seattle’s street railway system with a 18-year franchise, local legal advisors warn that without it, the deal collapses—igniting a fierce debate over municipal ownership and corporate power.
- The Pastor, the Pawnshop, and the Forged Minutes
Seattle's Jones Street A.M.E. church removed Rev. Allen Whaley after trustees found missing collection money, a suspicious bank receipt, and minutes he wrote himself.
- The Fire That Killed a Hotel
A disastrous downtown blaze consumed the Star Theater, inadvertently scuttling a major quarter-million-dollar property deal.
- Almshouse Report Blames Commissioners for Defective Construction
A committee investigation reveals gross negligence and poor construction at the new county almshouse, prompting calls for a grand jury probe.
- The Bold Bet on C Street
A local businessman purchases historic market property with eyes toward a massive redevelopment, signaling growing confidence in Tacoma's business corridor.
- The Bear That Wasn't: Seattle’s War Department Scandal
A federal court of inquiry clears the city of corruption but exposes a bizarre military blunder involving refrigerated beef and embalmed meat during the Spanish-American War.
- A Damning Verdict on Steamboat Safety
Following the sinking of the steamer Josephine, a King and Kitsap County grand jury finds the vessel's destruction was caused by 'gross negligence' and a failure to enforce maritime safety.
- The Great Land Grab: Seattle's Board of Commissioners Condemns Northern Pacific’s 'Gross Swindle'
In a rare show of unified civic resistance, Thurston County officials denounce the railroad's seizure of public lands as an outrage against settlers.
- The Broken Promise of the Gross Earnings Tax
A scathing look at corporate influence in Olympia, where politicians promised to repeal a tax break for the Northern Pacific Railroad and failed.
- Tacoma's Two-Million-Dollar Question: Buy the Water Works, or Fix the Sewers?
On the eve of a bond vote, Tacoma's taxpayers are told they can have the private water and electric plant and new sewers too. The arithmetic says otherwise: after the purchase, $3,707 is left for sewers.
- The Warden Fights Back: Prison Labor, Jute Sacks and a Seattle Newspaper Scandal
Accused of selling prison-made sacks to middlemen and brutalizing convicts, Walla Walla’s warden answers his critics with a detailed defense—and a challenge to inspect the prison.
- The Scandal That Shook Seattle: The Arrest of Victoria Woodhull and Tennessee Claflin
In November 1872, two women were jailed for 'obscenity' after sending publications to a prominent broker. Their arrest sparked a frenzy in the young city, drawing crowds and highlighting the clash between radical feminism and Victorian morality.
- Seattle's Streetcar Franchise Fight: A City Council Asked to Extend a Struggling Railway's Lease
In 1896, the Seattle Consolidated Street Railway Company asked the city to extend its franchise to fifty years and share gross returns, arguing that a mandated paving bill would otherwise bankrupt the line.
- Three Streetcar Companies Tell Seattle They're Too Broke to Keep the Lights On
In receivership, in arrears and borrowing from their own bondholders, the city's electric railways ask to be excused from the franchise requirement that they light the streets their cars run over.
- The Price of a Seaman's Hand
A mariner sues for $3,000 in damages, claiming gross negligence led to a permanent injury aboard a ship docked at Port Blakely.
- The Great Insurance Heist That Never Was
Seattle business leaders mobilize to fight an illegal insurance rate hike based on a nonexistent tax.
- The State’s Missing Death Records
A scathing report reveals that county officials across Washington are failing to report thousands of deaths, leaving the state’s vital records in a state of 'gross negligence.'
- The Price of Tracks: Seattle’s Early Transit Struggles
Before the region was a sprawl of connected highways, the Seattle City Council engaged in a fierce debate over a new electric rail franchise, pitting public leverage against corporate expansion.
- The City Council’s Policing Scandal
Seattle’s city leadership sparked outrage in 1886 by refusing to support the Mayor's dismissal of a police officer accused of gross negligence.
- The Price of Reckless Fire in the Forest
A searing editorial from 1886 lambasts the 'gross and inexcusable carelessness' of campers and railroads that leave Washington’s timberlands in ashes.
- The Widow and the Detective
A 64-year-old Spokane woman sues to recover property and mining stock she claims were stolen from her through gross fraud.
- Church Faction Fight at the African M.E. Church
A local pastor faces a push for his resignation, but claims the effort is led by unauthorized parties.
Also about this, in other words
- A Judge's Declaration of War Against Corporate Corruption
Federal Judge Grosscup denounces the 'polite swindlers' of Wall Street, sparking a local debate on the influence of railroad lobbyists in Washington state.
- The Price of Health in the Desert
After building a home, digging a well, and planting five acres of pears, George Mogk was forced to abandon his dream and move to a higher altitude for his health.
- The Price of a Filthy City
In 1877, Seattle editors warned that stagnant water and neglected gutters were more than just a nuisance—they were a matter of life and death.
- Grand Jury Investigates Grocery Cartel
Tacoma grocers and commissioners face scrutiny over allegations of price-fixing and shady contracts.
- The 15-Cent Street Signs That Became a Graft Scandal
A councilman nicknamed 'Boss' hands out a street-sign contract on his own authority, and the town asks why it is buying throwaway tin markers instead of signs that last — at the people's expense.
- The Dangerous Cargo on the Eliza Anderson
A wharfinger and a ship captain face a Grand Jury indictment after shipping fifty pounds of giant powder aboard a passenger steamer.
- The End of the Tidelands Battle
Judge Hanford settles the long-standing Bedford-Grosscup tideland dispute, effectively ending litigation over the rights to Tacoma's valuable waterfront.
- The Great Stink of 1882
When Makah schoolgirls in Neah Bay proved to their matron that rotting whale blubber smelled better than imported Limburger cheese.