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182 stories matching wet
- Stevens County Votes the Saloons Dry — Then Newport's Saloon Men Go to Court
A low-turnout local-option election shut down thirty rural saloons, with Newport precinct voting 18 to 5 dry while Ione held out wet and the legal fight moved to the next court term.
- Washington Votes Dry
Benton County joins a statewide landslide for prohibition, leaving only two 'wet' counties in Washington.
- Wet Harvest Spoils Wheat Across Eastern Washington
State inspectors report that an unusually rainy autumn has led to widespread spoilage, forcing local growers to struggle with compromised crops.
- Ione Votes Itself Wet, and Builders Follow
In a 42-to-8 landslide, the Pend Oreille County town chose saloons over dry status—and local boosters said half a dozen business blocks depended on it.
- The Dries Sweep Stevens County—and 39 Saloons Get Their Notice
A local-option election gives the dries a 677-vote majority, closes 39 saloons, and leaves Newport's saloonkeepers pinning their hopes on a court challenge.
- Banquet Bridges the Prohibition Divide
In a display of small-town unity, the citizens of Palouse hosted a 'Wet' and 'Dry' banquet to focus on common infrastructure goals.
- A Wet Rope, a Live Wire, and a Boy on a Bricklaying Crew
Reed Crews was coming down from a tin roof when a wet rope touched a power line. The accident left him dying and exposed the everyday lethality of 1909 work.
- A Hundred Feet of Great Northern Trestle Slips Toward the River
Wet, frozen clay undermines the fill east of Newport, forcing railroad crews to wait for a pile driver before they can rebuild.
- Labor Keeps Its Distance from the 'Wet' Fight
State Federation of Labor leaders refuse to take sides in the brewing local option prohibition fight.
- The Mayor's Change of Heart on Prohibition
Seattle Mayor Hiram Gill publicly disavows his 'wet' past, citing the positive social impact of the state's dry laws.
- The Political Tug-of-War Over the Temperance Vote
As Everett prepares to vote on the liquor question, the Labor Journal critiques state senator George Cotterill's approach and argues that labor's interests transcend the wet-dry binary.
- Everett’s First Commission Election Heats Up
The Labor Journal urges voters to look past the 'wet vs. dry' moralizing and focus on the structural challenge of the city’s transition to a new government form.
- Newport Would Vote Itself Wet or Dry
A local-option petition with 80 signatures forced a September 7 election to decide whether saloons could operate in Newport—and Idaho's border loomed over the fight.
- The Town That Voted to Keep Its Saloon
By a single vote, the town of Steilacoom decided to maintain its remaining liquor license in a special election.
- The Political Primary of 1912
Everett voters head to the polls to narrow down candidates, with the 'wet or dry' saloon question looming over the civic contest.
- Seattle's Broken Sewers Were Shoveled to Pieces, Engineer Says
City Engineer Thomson rejects the explosion theory and blames wet clay clods and soft-burned pipe for fractures under Kenny Street.
- The Unlucky Hitchhiker of Seattle
A freak accident during a spring storm proves deadly for a man seeking shelter under a passing wagon.
- A Fatal Fall for a Tacoma Fireman
A member of Native Hose Company No. 1 dies after falling from a wet, slick roof while responding to a call.
- The Laundry Woman's Stolen Underwear
A trio of burglars was rounded up after they were identified for stealing from a South Seattle laundry worker and local bachelor shacks.
- When the Brewery Trust Told a State Inspector to Bring It On
A dairy commissioner orders dairymen to stop feeding cows wet brewers' grain. The Seattle Brewing and Malting Co. writes back that the National Brewers' Association will fund the fight — and dares him to take it to court.
- Dry Districts, Wet Phone Lines: The Loophole in Washington’s Local Option Bill
An Anti-Saloon League official says the bill targets door-to-door liquor canvassing—not a telephone order from a thirsty household.
- The Search for Fruitful Soil in the Seattle Basin
A pioneer orchardist shares a nineteen-year struggle to master the stubborn, clay-heavy soils of the Duwamish Valley and the Puget Sound region.
- The Wet-Dry Tug-of-War: Voters Face Triplicate Liquor Initiative
As Washington state grapples with its new dry status, three competing liquor initiatives challenge the stability of the 1914 prohibition law.
- A Deadlocked Senate, and a Pierce County Man Holding the Switch
Thirteen roll calls, thirteen 21-21 ties. As Olympia's galleries packed the senate chamber for a fight over local option, the whole thing came down to two senators quietly promising to change sides.
- A Terrifying Night Adrift on Puget Sound
Four men cling to the hull of an overturned boat for three hours in the frigid waters of the Sound before a daring rescue saves them from certain death.