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| Year | Stories |
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| 1876 | 1 |
| 1878 | 2 |
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46 stories matching sprinkl
- The City’s Controversial Watering Hours
New city regulations for lawn sprinkling spark protests from North End residents who claim the schedule ignores the reality of their working hours.
- The Water Wars of 1899
Seattle's city water department warns residents: follow the strict lawn-watering schedule or lose your access entirely.
- The Water-Sprinkling Scandal
A taxpayer calls out city hall for permitting the wealthy to water their lawns for free while the rest of Tacoma pays.
- The Battle Over Public Water on the Speedway
A city council dispute erupts over whether the Riding and Driving Association should get free water for the Yakima Avenue speedway while businesses pay for their own.
- Newport Nearly Drank Itself Dry
A dry month and a heavy hand with the sprinkling can brought the town to the edge of a water famine. The water company has more than doubled the flow from its springs and is digging a reservoir to catch what was running to waste.
- The Water Inspector Who Shut Off Seattle’s Lawn Sprinklers
Seattle’s water superintendent cracks down on out-of-hours sprinkling on Renton Hill, turning off service until offenders pay—and finally restoring pressure.
- The Dust That Cost a Dollar: Kennewick’s Summer of Dry Streets
With city coffers empty and saloon licenses expired, the Commercial Club faces a parching summer. Will business owners pay for water, or let the dust settle?
- The Speedway Water War
A debate in City Hall reveals deep friction over municipal water usage for private recreation versus public benefit.
- Tacoma’s Water Crisis: Livestock and Ducks Contaminating the City's Supply
While citizens face water shortages and lawn sprinkling bans, city officials grapple with a public health dilemma where contaminated surface water is routinely mixed with pure well water.
- Walla Walla's Growing Thirst
City officials begin enforcing strict sprinkling hours as a record-breaking rainfall deficiency threatens the local water supply.
- The Salvation Army's Odorous Opponents
A group of young men tried to drive the Salvation Army out of town by dousing their hall in polecat oil.
- The Water Famine on Kenton Hill
Residents get water only about three hours a day while Seattle’s two council houses argue over pumps, sprinkling schedules and fire hose.
- A Heartbreak by the Snohomish River
A lonely local man is caught in a 'melancholy case' of unrequited love, spending his days watering a hitching post in a lovestruck daze.
- The Chicken Poisoning Scandal on South K Street
A neighborhood dispute over trespassing poultry leads to an arrest and a court-ordered settlement in Tacoma.
- The Mysterious Fire on Second Avenue
A Spokane shopkeeper finds herself behind bars after a suspicious blaze tears through her dress shop.
- The Crumbling Pump House
A report to the City Council reveals the city's water infrastructure is near total mechanical collapse.
- City Council Clashes Over Paving Failures
A stalled Pacific Avenue paving project sparks a fiery city council debate over contractor accountability and city ordinance violations.
- Tacoma’s Water Infrastructure on the Brink
A surprise inspection reveals crumbling pumping stations and a mounting $1,000 repair bill just to keep the city's water flowing.
- 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.
- The Midnight Attack on a Chinatown Cigar Stand
A deliberate arson attempt threatens to ignite the heart of downtown Seattle after rags soaked in coal oil are discovered burning against a Chinese-owned business.
- The City's Experimental Bike Lane
Walla Walla tests a new $140 wooden bicycle path on Alder Street to solve the issue of rough cinder trails.
- A Machinist Committed to the Asylum
A perfectly rational machinist is sent to Steilacoom despite his protests, leaving behind a wife and child.
- Fireproofing the Tacoma Theater
Mayor Campbell mandates safety overhauls to ensure audience egress and stage safety at one of the city's premier theaters.
- The Wind That Spoke: Kennewick’s Dusty Plea for a Sprinkler Cart
A fierce Monday wind storm drove residents to subscribe to a new municipal sprinkler fund, proving that the battle against dust was won not by speeches, but by grit in the eyes.
- The Political Funeral of Whitman County Populism
Local reformers attempt to bury the Populist party and replace it with a new, direct legislation movement.