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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1889 | 6 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 1 |
| 1899 | 2 |
| 1909 | 3 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1916 | 1 |
| 1918 | 1 |
25 stories matching payout
- The Great Seattle Bond Rush of 1892
Facing a mountain of debt, Seattle voters were asked to decide the city's future through a flurry of bonds for sewers, water pipes, and court-mandated payouts.
- The Battle for Madison Street
A dormant railway company suddenly awakens to block a new transit line, sparking a fierce clash at City Hall.
- The Ghost of William Radloff
A Seattle poultry farmer appears to have staged his own death in a house fire to claim a $55,000 insurance payout, leaving investigators to wonder if the charred remains in the ruins were those of a stolen corpse.
- The Price of a Life: Labor Fights Back Against Dangerous Legislation
Organized labor in Everett rallies against a proposed senate bill that would cap death and injury payouts for workers at $5,000.
- The Grave Robbery Insurance Scam
A Seattle man faked his own death using a stolen corpse to collect a massive insurance payout, but a lover's confession blew the lid off the plot.
- The Bitter Taste of Fruit Returns
White Bluffs growers are reeling after receiving final payouts from the Spokane Fruit Growers Company that fell far short of promised profits.
- The Human Cost of Industry
Reflecting on four months of Washington’s landmark workmen’s compensation law, the Journal argues that safety, not just payout, must be the priority.
- The Vaudeville Star and the Seattle Showdown
After her husband allegedly cheated her out of her share of a touring variety show, Blanche Norris took the business to court in Seattle—and won a $4,450 payout.
- The Fence That Stopped the Railway
A Seattle property owner and his neighbors took matters into their own hands, blocking a streetcar line with a barricade to force a payout for damages.
- The Widow’s Gamble: A Seattle Man’s Death in Alaska Triggers a Federal Insurance Battle
Mrs. By H. Rietson sues the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company for the payout on her husband Archie C. Rietson, who perished with 13 others when the steamer Jessie sank in the Kuskokwim River last June. The company refuses to pay until his death is positively proven.
- The City Hall Sewer Crisis
After intense debate, the Seattle City Council moves to settle a long-standing payment dispute with engineer Benezette Williams to ensure the completion of critical sewer infrastructure.
- Virginia Bill’s Riverbed Gold Rush
An enterprising miner plans to use a steamer’s machinery to pull gold from the Okanogan River, boasting a massive payout before winter arrives.
- Seattle Calls a Patent Bluff and Wins
A federal judge rules that John Klein's insulation-pin patent was no invention at all—saving Seattle a payout that Portland and San Francisco had already made.
- The Expensive Cipher Mistake That Rocked Colfax
A bungled telegram message causes a small-town grain buyer to accidentally trigger a massive payout to local farmers.
- The Mayor's Expensive Advice
Seattle taxpayers are up in arms after the City Council approved a $500 payout to Mayor Robinson for 'legal services.'
- County Settles Multi-Acre Tax Dispute with Northern Pacific Railway
Grant County commissioners reach a compromise to refund thousands in tax payments to the railroad, marking a significant fiscal adjustment in 1916.
- Kennewick Faces Budget Cut for Local Roads
Legal wrangling with the county leaves city streets with a fraction of expected repair funds.
- Northern Pacific Pays Out Thousands for Point Defiance Land
A significant payout to property owners marks the resolution of land disputes for the new Northern Pacific railway route.
- The Golden Rule of Payouts: How One Seattle Grocer Got Paid After the Jackson Street Fire
While the world watches the tragic death of Crown Prince Rudolf in Austria, a local grocery store owner is praising the Home Fire Insurance Company of Seattle for their prompt and fair settlement after his business was destroyed.
- The Fire That Paid: A Grocery Store’s Lucky Escape
When a Jackson Street grocery burned down in January 1889, the owners didn't just rebuild—they received a full cash payout from their insurer, Pacific Carpet Company President John P. Hoyt, and sent a public note of gratitude.
- The Fire That Paid the Bills: A Grocery Owner’s Gratitude
In the chaotic early days of Seattle, a local grocery firm received a full cash payout from an insurance company after their Jackson Street store burned down—a rare moment of financial relief in a city prone to disaster.
- The State's Long-Overdue Debt to Country Editors
After months of carrying the state's land sale advertisements on credit, Washington's rural newspapers are finally seeing a payout.
- The Price of Infrastructure
The Aberdeen City Council finalizes a massive payout and establishes a new water superintendent position, marking the city's rapid shift toward municipal utility control.
- The Fire That Paid Its Bills
A local grocery firm thanks their insurance agent for a prompt payout after Jackson Street burns down.
- The Boom Town That Rose from the Ashes
How Seattle’s rapid transformation and architectural resurgence in the 1890s was fueled by coal, timber, and the decisive payout of insurance firms after the Great Seattle Fire.
Also about this, in other words
- The 'Chisel' Game: How Seattle's Working Class Fought Labor Exploitation
A scathing report from 1887 reveals the corrupt 'ticket' system that allowed middlemen to siphon wages from laborers—a century-old echo of modern gig-economy wage theft.
- The Persistent Promise of Easy Money
A classic 19th-century 'work from home' pitch promises Snohomish laborers a fortune for minimal effort.
- The Hustle of the Territorial Frontier
A glimpse into the 19th-century mail-order economy, where ambitious merchants sought to capitalize on the labor and curiosity of working-class families across the Pacific Northwest.
- A $20-a-Month Alimony Bill, a Vow to 'Starve Out,' and a Warrant
Frank Heath, a Seventh Avenue line conductor, was wanted on a warrant after his ex-wife said he refused to pay $20 a month and vowed to 'starve out' rather than comply.
- Workers File Liens to Secure Unpaid Wages
Employees of two local businesses resort to legal action to ensure they are paid for their labor.
- A Laborer's Grievance Over Skimpy Wages
A worker on the Madison Street grade reports that his contractor is withholding pay, sparking a debate on fairness and city debt.
- The Wage Suit That Ended With Altered Receipts and a Vanished Proprietor
A Paris restaurant worker sues for unpaid wages; the defense produces receipts that the plaintiffs say were doctored, and the proprietor slips away to California.
- The Tragedy at the Arcade Saloon
A well-known Seattle boarding house keeper ends his life, leaving behind a young daughter and a legacy of property, marking a grim moment in the city's growth.