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 |
|---|---|
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1878 | 2 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 2 |
| 1892 | 5 |
| 1894 | 1 |
| 1895 | 3 |
| 1904 | 1 |
| 1909 | 1 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1915 | 2 |
23 stories matching sprint
- Aberdeen’s Deadlocked Election
A tie for City Treasurer leaves the winners debating whether to settle the race with dice, straws, or a sprint.
- Three Banks, One Creamery, and a Race Against the Clock
Seattle and Tacoma banks claw over the last assets of an insolvent creamery, ending with a sheriff's sprint to the wharf before an injunction could land.
- The Lion in the Boiler Room
When a traveling circus lion escaped into a Seattle industrial district, two workers found themselves trapped in a boiler-house, staring down a predator while attempting a quiet rescue.
- The One-Armed Compositor: A Seattle Printer Defies Gravity and Doubt
Harry Penrod, who lost his left arm in a train accident three years ago, has mastered the art of typesetting with one hand—working faster than two-handed men and setting records that baffle the industry.
- The Day the Hurricane Wrecked the Waterfront
A fierce gale tears through Seattle, collapsing a partially built factory on the tide flats and sending laborers sprinting for their lives.
- Seattle’s First Basketball Craze Was a Bruising, Nine-Man Battle
In 1899, the Y.M.C.A. and Seattle Athletic Club prepared for a rough indoor championship match at the Armory—played with nine men a side and almost no mercy.
- Racing the Iron Horse on the Trestle
A man’s late-night walk toward the city turns into a desperate sprint for life against an oncoming train.
- A High-Stakes Carnival Chase
A hatless stranger dodges police bullets and makes a daring escape into a carnival tent.
- A High-Stakes Footrace Challenge
Two rivals trade insults and deposit cash wagers for a sprint contest to determine the 'fastest man on the Sound.'
- The Fire Beneath the Floorboards
A careless act in a pumphouse triggers a blaze that halts production and leaves miners sprinting for their lives.
- Fraternity on the Diamond: The Odd Fellows' Grand Celebration
When Seattle’s Odd Fellows hosted a massive multi-day anniversary celebration in 1892, they turned the local baseball park into a scene of chaotic amateur athletics, friendly rivalries, and unbridled civic enthusiasm.
- The Muddy Victory of 1892
Seattle defeats Tacoma on a rain-soaked field in a hard-fought Thanksgiving football match.
- The Professor Who Rowed Himself Into the Lake
A local athletic instructor's intense workout on Lake Union ends in a watery disaster when his boat literally falls apart.
- The Wild Foot Race on Commercial Street
Before the city grew, Seattle’s main thoroughfare hosted a high-stakes sprint that drew crowds to the rooftops and left bettors stunned.
- The Last Swing at Madison Street Park
A hard-fought benefit game for the local professional baseball team draws a crowd to say goodbye to the season.
- The Unlucky Runner of Kennewick
A mysterious stranger who attempted a high-speed escape from local law enforcement is put to work on the city streets.
- The Muddy Victory at the Ballpark
Despite a torrential downpour that turned the field into a quagmire and the ball into a slippery bar of soap, the Seattle Athletic Club managed a hard-fought win against Stanford.
- The Meadow Snake Fiasco
A bashful farmhand’s desperate attempts to avoid the local quilting party result in an unintended, high-speed chase with a black snake.
- The Lynden-Bellingham Relay Race
Twenty-three local boys sprinted 16 miles to beat the Bellingham record, ending in a victory banquet.
- A Deadly Base on Balls Costs Seattle a Win
Despite a late rally and a hard-fought pitcher's battle, the Seattle baseball club fell to Spokane after a shaky ninth inning defined by control issues.
- The Great Balfour Dock Pie Heist
A group of hungry laborers were left with nothing but their pride when two men made off with their dessert, ignoring everything but the pastries.
- The First Annual Tacoma High School Cross-Country Run
High school athletes brave snowy conditions to set new records in the city's first cross-country race.
- The Boy Who Ran a Mile for a Handkerchief
A Seattle youth sprints down Wayne Street to stop an excursion boat, not to catch his sister, but because she left her flirtation handkerchief behind.
Also about this, in other words
- A Crippled Prisoner’s Wild Dash at the Flyer Dock
A United States prisoner slips his handcuffs and leads a deputy marshal on a frantic footrace through the railyards.
- A Runaway Team at the Satsop Line
Escaping steam from a locomotive sends a team of horses bolting, leading to a nasty accident for a local driver.
- A Desperate Dash from the Marshal
A United States prisoner attempts a daring escape from a carriage in Spokane, leading to a high-stakes chase.
- Racing Against the Wreckage at Ilwaco
A federal official promises to speed up equipment for the new life-saving station after a local attorney demands action following a maritime disaster.
- A Railroad Feud in Whatcom
Citizens of Whatcom are up in arms after a railway company performs a bare-minimum, last-minute track laying to save their franchise.
- The Wild Frontier of the Great Northern Railroad
Construction along the Great Northern line brings a chaotic boom to mountain settlements, featuring lawless towns, massive snowslides, and precarious tobogganing.
- A Runaway Grocery Team Crashes on Second Avenue
A panicked grocery wagon, fleeing down the steep slopes of Pine Street, ends in a tragic collision with a cable car, killing the horses and scattering goods.
- The High-Stakes Duel on Jackson Street
Two prominent Seattle businessmen settled a long-standing rivalry with an elaborate, heavily trained, and well-wagered foot race across a city bridge.