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67 stories matching lookout
- The Last Stake: A Gambler's Ruin at a Seattle Card Table
A cautionary tale of a high-rolling stranger, a priceless gem, and the silent, unblinking eye of the house lookout.
- Tragedy at Sea: The Loss of the T.W. Lake
Nine bodies have been recovered following the sinking of the steamer T. W. Lake in a deadly gale.
- The Night the Hue Jacket Struck the Tacoma
A federal admiralty complaint lays out a Strait of Juan de Fuca collision, a missing lookout, and a $15,000 claim against a square-rigged ship.
- Armed Robbery in Nearby Pasco Triggers Local Manhunt
Kennewick law enforcement mobilized to patrol rail lines following a violent highway robbery of a tourist in neighboring Pasco.
- The Concrete Escape: A Forger’s Dramatic Jailbreak in Montesano
A. M. Gowan digs his way out of a 'burglar-proof' concrete jail using nails and a saw, leaving authorities along the coast on high alert.
- A New Haven for Working Women
The newly organized Young Women's Christian Association opens its doors to provide meals, employment, and safety to Seattle's laboring class.
- The Child Shop-Lifters of Pike Street
Two young sisters are caught in an organized attempt to steal shoes from a downtown store, revealing a family in deep poverty.
- The Long Arm of the Law: Opium Smuggler Jack Ford Captured in Seattle
After months on the run, Jack Ford was arrested aboard the steamer Rosalie for smuggling opium, and will face charges in Tacoma.
- Burglars Flee When Interrupted by Fruit Peddler
A routine burglary at Dr. L. R. Dawson's home is thwarted by the most unlikely of sentries—a boy selling fruit.
- The River Keeps Its Secret
Floodwaters have receded, but the search for two men lost in the Yakima River remains fruitless.
- The Wreck of the Revere
A dense fog causes the American bark Revere to run aground near Cape Flattery, resulting in a total loss of the ship but a successful rescue by local Indigenous communities.
- A Father’s Desperate Search for His Missing Daughter
A laundry worker seeks help from police in Tacoma and Seattle after his wife disappears to Olympia with their 10-year-old child.
- The Great Coal Heist
A pile of coal earmarked for the city's poor is brazenly hauled away in broad daylight by thieves under the noses of onlookers.
- The Human Cargo in the Ash Pan
A steamship captain reveals the desperate lengths to which his crew went to smuggle Chinese laborers past authorities in the Puget Sound.
- The Sad End of Sport the Fire Dog
The local firehouse dog, a beloved fixture of the Seattle south end, met a tragic end under the wheels of a patrol wagon.
- The Burglar Who Hid Evidence in His Shoes
Detectives tracking a prolific Seattle house-breaker finally cornered him in a Second Avenue drug store, discovering a curious stash of keys hidden in his footwear.
- 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.
- A Body in the Bay, and Six Weeks of False Hope
Charles Londale vanished from his Port Blakely home. Six weeks later his body was pulled from the water—with no marks, no answers, and a family that refused to believe he had taken his own life.
- A Rare Grade-Crossing Collision
A gasoline-powered handcar strikes a local attorney's automobile in a bizarre wreck that left a section foreman injured.
- The Great Sailor Shortage: Why Seattle’s Labor Market Was Starving for Hands
In December 1876, the city faced a paradoxical crisis: despite the suspension of summer logging work, sailors were vanishing from the docks. Commissioner Ballou reported that a single crewman was worth more than a pair of jacks in poker, as wages had to be inflated just to secure basic maritime labor.
- The Machine's Secret Ballot
With a tight city election approaching, local political bosses reportedly funded the return of exiled gamblers to sway the vote.
- The Unwelcome Swarm
As Seattle prepares for a railroad boom in 1880, the Chief of Police struggles to contain a surge in vagrancy and arson.
- The Unchecked Violence on Front Street
A young boy is victimized by an intoxicated man in broad daylight, sparking community outrage and frustration over the lack of a legal remedy for such a crime.
- The Midnight Ambush in the Alley
A saloon proprietor is attacked by a gun-wielding robber in a case of mistaken identity, sparking fears of a local crime wave.
- The Post Office Con-Artist
Authorities warn merchants of a sophisticated swindler operating across Washington by altering post office money orders.