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| Year | Stories |
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| 1859 | 1 |
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98 stories matching insuffici
- City Orders Poorly Laid Paving Ripped Up
A commissioner rejects the work of the Barber Asphalt Company for insufficient concrete foundations on North End streets.
- The Prosperity That Wasn't: Bread Lines, Rising Prices and a Pellagra Warning
The Courier takes its critics to task: bank clearances may be soaring, but with the cost of living nearly doubled, the government itself is warning of hunger-driven disease.
- Seattle’s Post Office Was a Public Nuisance
Letters sat for a day, stamps ran short, and clerks were worked to exhaustion while the postmaster earned about $85 a month. In 1883, Seattle’s mail service was barely functioning.
- Vigilante Justice in Shelton
A local dispute over stolen money devolves into a gunpoint standoff on the water near Shelton.
- Homesteading Rules Tightened in Spokane
A federal ruling denies a homestead title, asserting that occasional visits to a claim are not enough to prove residency.
- Investigation Falters in Axelson Murder Case
Local police admit insufficient evidence against a suspect detained in the killing of John Axelson.
- Seattle’s Desperate Need for Modern Firefighting
As the city rapidly expands, the Common Council scrambles to replace inadequate, antiquated fire gear before a disaster strikes.
- The Opium Sidewalk Mystery
Two men were accused of smuggling nearly a hundred pounds of illicit opium, but the case crumbled under the weight of insufficient evidence.
- They Promised Clean Bunks and Good Food. The Sailors Knew Better.
At a longshoremen's meeting in Tacoma, a delegate described how ship's officers lured landsmen aboard with false promises — and told of a sailor who drowned swimming for shore rather than sail on the Henry Failing.
- Spokane Falls Wiped Out by Catastrophic Blaze
A massive fire destroys the heart of Spokane, leveling banks and landmarks while the city's future hangs in the balance.
- The Great Tacoma Water Grift
How a corrupt water monopoly swindled the city out of nearly $1.5 million for a tainted water supply, leaving residents with a decade of filth.
- Local Produce Dominates at Seattle Land Products Show
Despite a rushed preparation, White Bluffs and Hanford growers sweep grand prizes in grape and apple categories at a major Seattle exhibition.
- The Struggle for Space: Seattle’s School Crowding Crisis of 1877
When the closure of the local university forced dozens of children into an already overburdened public school system, the city grappled with the same challenges of rapid growth and insufficient infrastructure that define Seattle today.
- Cable Car Conductor Sues for Permanent Injuries
Charles Brevort, a conductor for the Madison Street Cable Railway, claims a carelessly handled car with faulty brakes left him permanently disabled and unable to support his family.
- The Struggle for Space at Seattle High School
As the class of 1893 graduates, the school’s principal warns that overcrowding and a lack of facilities are stalling the city’s educational ambitions.
- The Internal Feud at a Ballard Lumber Mill
A sawmill partnership in Ballard faces a forced liquidation as the company president sues his partner for mismanagement and mounting debts.
- The Fairhaven Hotel Rises to Meet the Boom
A grand, multi-story hotel with steam heat and electricity aims to make the new city a destination for wealthy tourists and investors.
- The Risks of the 'Shipper’s Order' Grain Hustle
A federal warning exposes how unlicensed speculators were clogging rail yards with hay and grain they couldn't afford to pay for.
- The Sheep-herder and the Gold Rush
A lonely worker from the hills finds big-city trouble after a payday binge in North Yakima.
- The Bank Won't Count Your Trees
Federal land banks rule that orchards offer insufficient security for long-term mortgage loans, citing the risk of disease and neglect.
- The Miser’s Missing $1,500 and the Farmer Who Paid for It
A hidden hoard vanished from a Rosalia stove hearth, a neighbor was arrested, and the case collapsed — leaving an 1894 cold case.
- The Temperance Conflict: Saloons vs. Druggists
A bitter feud over illicit sales, city ordinances, and Sunday gambling in Chehalis.
- The Steamer Victoria Arrives with 400 Chinese Passengers
Federal authorities prepare to investigate claims of forged entry certificates amid the looming deadline of the Geary Exclusion Act.
- The Fire Commission Rejects a Faulty Engine
Seattle fire commissioners break ranks with the city council, condemning a new engine as cheap and unreliable.
- City Council Demands Better Cable Car Service
Tacoma citizens are fed up with broken-down, slow streetcars, and the City Council is finally demanding that the company stop cutting corners on passenger safety.