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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 2 |
| 1893 | 7 |
| 1894 | 5 |
| 1895 | 12 |
29 stories matching gasch
- The City vs. The County: A Dispute Over Who Feeds the Poor
A finger-pointing match erupts between the City of Seattle and King County as local officials refuse to fund the medical care of the indigent.
- The Shadow Side of the Frontier City
City officials and charity workers uncover a desperate scene of poverty, illness, and institutional failure in the city's waterfront shanties.
- A Glimpse Inside Fred Gasch’s Modern Seventh and Union Home
A detailed look at a high-end Victorian residential build in 1885 Seattle, highlighting the era's transition toward 'hard-finished' interiors and local craftsmanship.
- An Unusual Act of Honesty
A struggling immigrant who received public assistance returns every penny, plus a donation for others in need.
- A 'Close Combination' at the Courthouse: Surveyor Accuses King County's Ring of Self-Dealing
King County's surveyor says commissioners paid the prosecuting attorney's rent to their own chairman's Union Block while refusing to cover his office — and he names the men he says run the courthouse for themselves.
- Blacklisted for Striking, a Railroad Man Vanished—and His Family Was Left to Chop Wood
A Seattle charity worker found a mother and three children destitute on the Grant Street line after her husband, blacklisted by every railroad, sailed for South Africa and stopped writing.
- King County Commissioners Billed Taxpayers for 25,943 Miles—More Than the Earth's Circumference
A letter to the editor by F. F. Ames accuses the King County board of padding mileage, charging for trips to Olympia, and paying an unauthorized colleague from county funds—violating state law.
- Battle Over the Poorhouse Budget
Taxpayers sue to halt the construction of a new county almshouse, challenging whether public funds can be spent without a direct vote.
- The Heir Who Sold His Parents' Grave
A young Seattle man's inherited fortune was gone, and a request to move his mother and father to a smaller plot exposed a family rupture at the health office.
- The Unauthorized County Hospital Scandal
Taxpayers sue King County officials for constructing a hospital on the county farm without voter approval or budget authority.
- A Fireproof Infirmary for the Poor
After city officials refused to participate in a joint facility, the county moves forward with plans for a specialized, fireproof hospital at the poor farm.
- King County's Relief Roll: 1,680 People and $4 Apiece
Behind the county's monthly $1,500 poor fund was a line of widows, abandoned wives and barefoot children—many turned away.
- King County Hires Outside Auditors to Chase 'Dark Hints' in the Treasury
Commissioners order a four-year examination of the treasurer's books, over the protest of the prosecuting attorney who wanted his own expert on the committee.
- The Transformation of Front Street
As property values soar in 1887, Seattle’s downtown business district begins a rapid transition from wood to brick, signaling a new era of permanence.
- The Professional Vagrant Who Could Not Stay Away
A habitual traveler of the rails, George P. Small, is caught once again in Oregon, highlighting the desperate, recurring struggle of the era's displaced poor.
- A Christmas Auction That Fell Short—and a Mother Sent Home
Donations expected to bring $600 fetch only $158.40, but the Bureau of Associated Charities still outfits 100 families and buys a destitute mother a ticket to Kansas City.
- Bond Battle: King County Treasurer Resigns After Commissioners Reject His Surety
A.P. Mitten steps down after the board refuses his bond, declaring the office vacant—but not before a pointed exchange over legal instructions.
- The $430,000 Question: King County's Treasurer Bond Fight
A taxpayers' committee demands commissioners reduce John Maple's bond and seat him as county treasurer, but the board says his sureties aren't worth the paper they're printed on.
- The Tragedy of a Miner’s Search for Work
A desperate father leaves his Seattle family to seek mining work, only to be found dead under a trestle.
- The Fight Over Who Gets to Count King County's Money
County commissioners hire outside experts to comb the treasurer's books, brushing aside the prosecuting attorney's claim to the job.
- When Seattle's Mayor Took on Poverty: The 1895 Charity Bureau Meeting
At the Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Byron Phelps and local leaders discussed unemployment, aid to families, and the growing demand for relief during a depression year.
- A Missing Man, a Dead Wife, and a Sewing Machine Full of Money
Joseph Von Lingenau vanished after his wife died in childbirth. His friends fear murder; his neighbors remember a man coming apart.
- Taxpayers vs. County Hall: The Municipal League's 1895 Revolt
A poorly attended Municipal League meeting still sent 200 taxpayers' signatures to the county commissioners, threatened impeachment, and fought over private counsel and school warrants.
- The Banks That Wouldn't Pay Their Taxes
A county official fires back at his critics, revealing that the Municipal League members attacking him are stockholders in seven national banks suing to dodge their property taxes.
- The City Wharf as a Stone Yard: Seattle's Plan to Put Its Idle Men to Work
A petition signed by dozens of prominent Seattle businessmen asks the city council to turn the waterfront into a public stone yard, trading honest labor for meals and lodging — and to run the beggars out of town.