Research the archive
Narrow 25,688 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 |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1892 | 7 |
| 1893 | 8 |
| 1894 | 4 |
| 1895 | 2 |
| 1899 | 2 |
| 1903 | 2 |
| 1904 | 12 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1909 | 2 |
41 stories matching motorman
- Streetcar Collision on King Street
A motorman is hospitalized with a broken leg after two electric cars attempt to occupy the same track on Grant Street.
- Telescoped at the Crossing: A Grant Street Horror
When a Northern Pacific freight train plowed into an electric streetcar on May 20, 1909, one man died and dozens were mangled in the icy water below. The crash exposed dangerous speeds and negligent watchmen at a city intersection that remains vital today.
- A Terrifying Case of Mass Hysteria on the Ballard Line
A motorman and conductor abandoned their moving streetcar in fear, triggering a chaotic panic among passengers that led to multiple injuries.
- The Grant Street Crash: Who Killed the Passenger?
A deadly collision between a streetcar and a Northern Pacific train at Grant Street has sparked outrage. The Seattle Star argues that 'homebody' passengers are to blame for ignoring safety, while demanding accountability from the railway companies.
- The Ballad of Mrs. Mattie: A Seattle Streetcar Scandal
When a drunken motorman tried to force his way into a woman's streetcar car, the resulting courtroom drama exposed the raw power dynamics of early Seattle transit—and left the defendant claiming he was libelled by the press.
- A Stolen Switch in the Fog: Seattle Streetcar Crash Injures Forty
Two speeding cars met on a single-track trestle above the tide flats; dozens of women and children were hurt, and the motorman who tried to steal the switch was among the severely injured.
- Sniper Targets South Tacoma Streetcar
A motorman narrowly escaped death when a mysterious horseman fired a shot into his passing transit car.
- The Unlucky Commute to Ballard
A streetcar motorman's decision to maintain speed leads to an aromatic disaster on the Ballard line.
- Streetcar Plunges into Seattle Waterfront
An electric car derails on the North Seattle waterfront, sliding into the tide flats and impaling a passenger on pier pilings.
- A Fatal Ride on the Grant Street Line
Jack Collins, a nurse at the poor farm, met an instant death after attempting to navigate the rails while intoxicated.
- Armed Robbery on the Arlington Heights Line
Masked men hold up a streetcar three miles outside Spokane, shooting a passenger who attempted to flee.
- The Streetcar Brawl at Ninth Street
A fare dispute turned violent when a Tacoma streetcar conductor armed himself with a heavy switch hook against a passenger, only to be beaten with his own weapon.
- A Mangled Dynamo, A Crippled Provider
A young Tacoma motorman loses his arm while performing a dangerous maintenance task on a moving streetcar.
- 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.
- Trolley Derailment Injures Three in South Tacoma
A motorman’s failure to brake on a sharp curve throws passengers from a streetcar platform near 38th and M streets.
- Streetcar Smash-up on the Spur
A motorman is seriously injured in a collision at a local woodyard after a switch fails to be reset properly.
- Thrown to the Four Winds: A Green Lake Car, a Strawberry Wagon and a Dead Horse
Clinton Little is hurrying his berries to market when a Green Lake streetcar comes down the grade and strikes his rig — leaving him with a stitched scalp and his load scattered across the street.
- A Secret Birth on the Walk to Tacoma Avenue
A young woman collapsed from labor pains while climbing a steep Tacoma hill, forcing a druggist to assist in an unexpected roadside delivery.
- The Tragedy on James Street
A young music teacher's life is altered by a violent streetcar accident, leading to a landmark legal fight against a transit corporation.
- Seattle Streetcar Strike Paralyzes City Transit
After the street railway company rejected arbitration, union workers walked off the job, leading to armed scabs and threats of a city-wide sympathetic strike.
- Sunday School Picnic Ends in Tragedy
A streetcar carrying Sunday school students plunged down a twenty-foot embankment in Seattle after losing control on a steep grade.
- Fireman Killed in Collision Between Hose Wagon and Streetcar
Dan Noonan, a veteran relief fireman, dies after a tragic collision on the steep Twenty-third street hill.
- A Sailor's Last Ride on the Duwamish Bridge
Alexander McRae came from New York to take charge of a lumber barkentine. Near South Park he tried to board a moving streetcar, fell twenty feet through a bridge, and died before reaching Seattle.
- Tragedy on the Twenty-Fifth Street Bridge
A young Tacoma boy is killed by an electric streetcar after being blinded by locomotive smoke.
- Runaway Interurban Car Terrifies Passengers
A defective switch at Puyallup Avenue triggers a near-disaster as a transit car breaks away from its train.
Also about this, in other words
- The Outlaw Who Bought His Way Into a Saloon
Frank Mossman, a notorious repeat offender with three prior jail breaks, walked into a Port Townsend saloon on Sunday night and refused to leave—until he threw rocks at the bartender.
- The Motor Line Returns
Aberdeen and Hoquiam leaders revive the intercity motor line project with a new $40,000 investment plan.
- Miners Clash at a Wilkeson Roadhouse
A quarrel over a woman and drinks ends in a shooting, sparking a community uprising in the coal-mining town.
- The Industrial Engine of Snohomish
How a trio of Maine brothers revolutionized logging in the Pacific Northwest with a singular, patented invention.
- The Mud-Slinging Rivalry of Newcastle and Gilman
A friendly visit between two mining towns turns into a disastrous, mud-caked lesson in humility for a local horseman.
- The City’s War on Early Motorists
Tacoma's Chief of Police launches a crackdown on 'auto speeders' along Pacific Avenue, dragging local business owners and residents into court for driving too fast.
- The Dangerous Thrill of Everett's Early Auto-Cycle Races
Before high-speed motorcycles were common, the Everett Auto Cycle Club turned a local track into a proving ground for 'dare-devil' riders and humorous slow-races.
- Dry Forces Name a Ticket and Expect to Run Newport Unopposed
In a caucus at the Lusher & Chrysler office, the Municipal League put up Mike Fox Sr. for mayor and a full Citizens' Ticket for the December 7 election — and nobody expects a rival slate.