Research the archive
Narrow 25,724 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 |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 3 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1883 | 5 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 4 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 2 |
| 1889 | 22 |
| 1890 | 6 |
| 1891 | 14 |
| 1892 | 33 |
| 1893 | 41 |
| 1894 | 56 |
| 1895 | 28 |
| 1899 | 5 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1903 | 4 |
| 1904 | 10 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1909 | 15 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1911 | 1 |
| 1916 | 1 |
260 stories matching sewer
- Seattle’s Rotten Sewer System Needs Replacement
City Engineer R.H. Thomson warns that downtown’s decade-old wooden sewers are a 'menace to the roadway' and proposes a major overhaul.
- The Sewers Were Cracking — And Seattle Wanted to Know Why
City engineers trace a rash of shattered pipes to Ballard and Olympia, and to the manufacturers who made them.
- Seattle’s Sewer Construction Hits a Wall
A report from the City Engineer exposes significant budget overruns and administrative errors in the 1893 sewer bond projects, forcing an immediate halt to construction.
- The Great Sewer Bond Debate
A convention of the City Council debates the funding of main sewers versus lateral lines, with health and civic honor on the line.
- The Great Sewer Scandal (Feb 08, 1894)
City inspectors and laborers trade accusations over whether Seattle’s new sewers are built to last a millennium or are merely 'rubbish.'
- Seattle’s Sewers Running Into a Budget Deficit
City Engineer R.H. Thomson warns that original appropriations are insufficient to complete critical sewer tunnel work, suggesting design modifications to save money.
- The Open Sewer at the Center of Town
A pedestrian’s fall into an unguarded sewer trench in front of the Odd Fellows Hall sparks a legal battle over municipal negligence in Seattle.
- Seattle’s Crumbling Infrastructure Crisis
City Engineer R.H. Thomson warns that the city’s aging wooden box sewers are on the verge of collapse, threatening the streets above.
- Seattle's Milk Cleans Up, but the Sewers Wait for Hookups
Market inspector says published names shamed dairymen into cutting the water—while householders ignore a law requiring them to connect to new sewers.
- The South End's Sewer Crisis
After ignoring warnings for months, the Tacoma City Council scrambles to address severe residential flooding in the South End.
- City Sewerage System Fails Residents
High water levels turn a poorly installed sewer line into a neighborhood health hazard in South Tacoma.
- Who Should Pay for the City's Infrastructure?
Facing a debt crisis following the Great Seattle Fire, city officials in 1891 debated whether to shift the mounting costs of sewer construction from the public treasury onto the backs of individual property owners.
- City Hall Debates Paying Workers in Scrip
Facing a cash crunch, Seattle city officials consider paying for sewer infrastructure with IOUs that workers might have to sell at a discount.
- City Hall Moves to Consolidate Sewer Oversight
The Seattle Board of Health moves to cut the 'unnecessary' sewer inspector position, arguing the city engineer and plumbing inspector can easily absorb the light workload of ten inspections a month.
- Seattle Mayor Proposes 'City Scrip' to Combat Depression
Mayor J.T. Ronald asks the City Council to issue small-denomination warrants to pay for sewer repairs, framing the move as a humanitarian effort to provide work for the unemployed.
- The Great Sewer Brawl of Washington Street
A minor street scuffle turned into an unintended construction project when a crowd of onlookers broke through the sidewalk into the city sewer.
- The City Hall Sewer Fight
A contractor accuses the city engineer of bad faith after being ordered to halt construction on the town's new sewer system.
- The East Side Sewer Crisis
Stagnant sewage on the tide flats threatens to shutter East Side factories, sparking a desperate plea for infrastructure relief.
- Sewer Graft Scandal Hits Ballard
A contractor linked to Walla Walla infrastructure is accused of corrupting a massive sewer project in Ballard.
- Seattle’s Sewer Scandal and the Mayor’s Failed Purge
Mayor J.T. Ronald’s attempt to remove members of the Board of Public Works over allegations of mismanagement and cronyism is blocked by an injunction.
- Crumbled Infrastructure Uncovered After Four Years
A city commissioner reveals that a $17,000 sewer project installed four years ago was completed without cement in the pipe joints, necessitating a costly overhaul.
- City Council Faces Tough Choices on Infrastructure Spending
Proposals to fund sewer systems and an electric light plant pit civic necessity against concerns over rising debt and wasteful spending.
- Post-Fire Sanitation: The Fight for a Healthy Seattle
Following the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, local physicians and concerned citizens publicly debated the city’s primitive sewer systems, warning that decaying waste in the 'burnt district' threatened a public health crisis.
- Tacoma’s Financial Sewer Fight
A fierce public debate over whether Tacoma can afford a new water plant while simultaneously funding critical sewer infrastructure.
- The $25,000 House That Wasn't: Seattle’s First Sewer Bidding War
As the city prepares to build its modern sewer system, contractors are already fighting over the lucrative contracts, revealing how quickly public infrastructure deals become private fortunes.
Also about this, in other words
- A Sewer Scheme Built on Incompetence
Citizens and taxpayers are calling out the city's reckless mismanagement of sewer construction projects downtown.
- The Great Sewer Debate of 1890
North Yakima’s council faces a high-stakes decision on a controversial new pipe system.
- The Drain Detectives
A warning to tenants: sewer gas is a hidden killer, and your landlord’s thrift might be costing you your health.
- The Quest for a Clean City
A proposed 'Liernur System' could turn Seattle's sewage into marketable fertilizer while solving a desperate public health crisis.
- The Hidden Killer in Seattle’s Business District
The tragic, preventable death of a young businessman in 1889 exposes the lethal lack of sewage infrastructure in the heart of downtown Seattle.
- The Trench That Became a Grave
Two workmen narrowly survive a catastrophic sewer trench collapse on Eighth and Marion, saved only by the quick, heroic actions of their fellow laborers.
- The Sewer Under Beacon Hill
After quicksand, floods and a costly detour, Seattle’s South Tunnel is weeks from completion—and somehow still inside its $100,000 budget.
- The Sewerage Stalemate
A skeptical city council squares off against contractors over a stalled sewer project.