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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 2 |
| 1859 | 2 |
| 1860 | 2 |
| 1861 | 3 |
| 1862 | 4 |
| 1863 | 3 |
| 1864 | 2 |
| 1865 | 2 |
| 1872 | 8 |
| 1876 | 27 |
| 1877 | 19 |
| 1878 | 17 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 7 |
| 1882 | 6 |
| 1883 | 24 |
| 1884 | 17 |
| 1885 | 51 |
| 1886 | 27 |
| 1887 | 31 |
| 1888 | 24 |
| 1889 | 55 |
| 1890 | 16 |
| 1891 | 37 |
| 1892 | 109 |
| 1893 | 97 |
| 1894 | 60 |
| 1895 | 17 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1898 | 9 |
| 1899 | 44 |
| 1900 | 7 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 55 |
| 1904 | 48 |
| 1905 | 3 |
| 1908 | 8 |
| 1909 | 38 |
| 1910 | 7 |
| 1911 | 7 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 6 |
| 1915 | 9 |
| 1916 | 22 |
| 1917 | 6 |
| 1918 | 2 |
| 1923 | 6 |
| 1924 | 5 |
| 1925 | 2 |
958 stories matching spark
- University Student Killed in Mountaineering Accident
A tragic fall on Mt. Kaletan claims the life of a prominent young climber and Boy Scout leader.
- Firefighters Save Lumber Yard from Train Sparks
A rapid response prevents a major conflagration after engine sparks ignite a pile of posts.
- The Land Office Commissioner Caught in a Crossfire of Corruption
When Commissioner William Sparks began fighting land-grabbing monopolies, the corporate press launched a smear campaign calling him insane, ruffian, and incompetent.
- The Tinderbox Downtown
A small chimney fire at a local tin shop narrowly avoids tragedy, sparking a community call to clear flammable debris from Seattle's rooftops.
- The Great Seattle Sawmill Fire
A spark from a passing train ignites a massive blaze in the Seattle lumber district, consuming millions of feet of lumber and threatening to incinerate the city's waterfront.
- The Struggle for the Promised Land of Washington Territory
While Washington pioneers clamored for the development of government-held land to build a state, political gamesmanship in Washington, D.C. left the local economy in limbo.
- Midland Residents Demand Fire Safety
Neighbors petition the county fire warden to stop a local mill from burning refuse in open air, fearing forest destruction.
- End of the Old Mill Street School
A historic landmark, the Mill Street schoolhouse, is reduced to ash by a spark from a neighboring sawmill.
- The Woodin Mill Burns Down
A fire sparked by a friction belt destroys a major Fairhaven lumber mill, leaving forty-seven men jobless in an already struggling economy.
- A Spark on the Roof: Fire at Rothschild & Co. Spurs a Petition Against Fireworks
Quick action saved a downtown Port Townsend store from burning, and the close call prompted residents to demand a ban on fireworks within town limits.
- Ballard Mill Fire Sparks Legal Battle with Great Northern Railway
Insurance companies have filed suit against the Great Northern Railway, alleging a passing locomotive started a massive fire that destroyed the Fleming-Ayerst mill.
- High Winds Spark Multiple Fires Across Tacoma
A day of high winds kept city fire crews busy across several neighborhoods, threatening industrial sites and residential homes.
- A Nighttime Murder in Tacoma
A popular patrolman is stabbed to death by strangers while off-duty, sparking a vigilante threat in the streets.
- In One Hour, Montesano Lost Its Mill and Its Lights
A Saturday-evening spark from a smokestack leveled the Stetson mill — and with it the city's electric light plant, which carried not a cent of insurance.
- The Watchman Fought the Flames, but the Clipper Mill Was Gone
A spark from the slab pile was all it took to destroy J. P. Armstrong's shingle mill at Bothell, despite Alfred Johnson's hose and pumps.
- Fireworks Committee Blamed for Panic at Wright Park
Careless handling of explosives during Tacoma's Fourth of July celebration left spectators injured and fleeing for their lives.
- The Smoke and Mirrors of Aberdeen's Variety Halls
A skeptical journalist pulls back the curtain on the 'Human Electricians' and fire-eaters captivating local audiences with chemical tricks.
- Sparks from Burning Trash Devastate Local Ranch
Twenty tons of hay and a large barn are lost at the Anthony ranch near Richland; family home saved by neighbors.
- The Judge and the Skunk Hole
A local editor alleges that a Whitman County judge engaged in witness tampering, perjury, and attempted kidnapping to secure testimony in a personal vendetta.
- Wildfire Took a Congressman's Ranch
Forest fires in Clallam County destroyed Representative W. R. Hoole's nine-room home, his timber, and the Beaver Leader printing plant.
- The Ghost of the Gatherer: A Captain’s Suicide Haunted by His Own Cruelty
Decades after a horrific voyage where officers maimed and murdered sailors to escape their 'demoniac' captain, the master of the ship dies by suicide in Puget Sound, fulfilling a prophecy of vengeance.
- Firefighters battle blaze in the ruins of the old McMaster mill
A fire sparked by a passing engine ignited the long-abandoned McMaster's mill wharf, forcing firefighters to wade through shallow mud flats to save the structure.
- A Town Buries a Judge
Olympia’s bar and Masons escort John G. Sparks to the Masonic cemetery, with resolutions praising a lawyer, magistrate, and civic fixture.
- Steamer Triumph Lost to Fire in Fairhaven
A ferry boat plying the Puget Sound trade caught fire from a loose spark while its watchman slept, resulting in a total loss of the vessel.
- The Price of Neglected Weeds
A rash of grass fires in Kennewick sparks a debate on municipal maintenance and railroad responsibility.