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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1892 | 2 |
| 1893 | 2 |
| 1894 | 4 |
| 1895 | 14 |
22 stories matching masel
- The Mayor Clears the Room: Phelps Fires a Fire Commissioner and Stares Down a Coup
When Fire Commissioner Masel and two allies tried to break Chief Allen on a trumped-up morals charge, Mayor Phelps suspended Masel for not being a freeholder — and the three commissioners walked out into the night.
- Fire Commissioner Accused of Drunkenness and Selling His Vote
Mayor Phelps files formal charges against George T. Masel, alleging he sold his vote for chief, kept the chief in fear, and attended a West Seattle fire drunk.
- A Mayor Suspends His Fire Commissioner—and a Firehouse Scandal Erupts
Mayor Phelps removed Commissioner George T. Masel amid a fight over Chief Allen and a teenage girl's allegation against a fireman at department headquarters.
- Fire Chief Ousted in Late-Night Commission Coup
A divided fire commission removes Chief Allen for 'incompetency' and taps ex-Chief Kellogg, prompting a furious protest from the mayor.
- The Fire Commissioner, the Cockfight, and the Deed to His Mother
Seattle’s joint council weighs whether George T. Masel was a freeholder or merely a meddler—while a West Seattle cockfight and a suspiciously late property transfer steal the show.
- A Fire Commissioner on Trial Over Rotten Hose
George T. Masel faces the city council over charges he moved to force unfit Baker fabric fire hose into service — and witness after witness describes the couplings flying off under pressure.
- Seattle's Fire Chief Vanished Before His Day in Court
A.B. Hunt disappeared after telling friends he was off to Tacoma for trial; the city removed him, named Alexander Allen Jr. chief, and left a mystery that only deepened when his father was summoned to prove his birth.
- Seattle’s Suspended Fire Commissioner Skips His Own Hearing
George T. Masel is a no-show before a joint session of the city council, and the rumor is he would rather face charges than let creditors see his property.
- The Mayor Moves Against the Fire Commissioner
Mayor Phelps suspends Fire Commissioner George T. Masel, files five counts of incompetence and meddling with the chief, and calls a special session to hear them.
- Seattle Fire Commissioner Suspended Amidst Hose Scandal
Mayor Phelps fires T. Masel, alleging incompetence and a fraudulent fire hose contract, sparking a chaotic power struggle at City Hall.
- The Mayor Tells the Fire Commission Who's Boss
A monthly meeting erupts into a power struggle over Chief Hunt, with Mayor Phelps warning Commissioner Meek that he alone will decide when the fire chief goes.
- The Fire Hose Scandal
Mayor Phelps files official charges against Fire Commissioner George T. Masel, alleging incompetence and corruption regarding the purchase of defective fire equipment.
- The Fire Commissioners' Two Failed Moves to Fire the Chief
Two Seattle fire commissioners tried twice in one meeting to unseat Chief Hunt — first with a citizens' petition, then with a charge that he had lied to get his naturalization papers.
- Try Masel and Risk Contempt, Council Is Warned
Attorney John Wiley says an appeal has stayed the case against the deposed fire commissioner—and that city officials could be hauled before the supreme court if they proceed.
- The Lawyer Who Bombed City Hall With a Piece of Paper
Attorney John Wiley served the Seattle city council a superior-court writ of prohibition mid-hearing on the Masel case, freezing the proceedings and leaving the aldermen sputtering in their chairs.
- The Great Seattle Fire Department Mutiny
Twenty-seven veteran firemen resigned in protest after a political appointment replaced their chief, leaving the city with an untested crew.
- Fireboat or No Fireboat: Insurers Threaten a 25% Rate Hike
Underwriters tell the city to staff its fireboat properly or watch waterfront insurance premiums jump a quarter.
- The Unpaid Fireman Who Claimed His Job Back
A suspended firefighter, accused of bribery, returns to city hall demanding back pay for his two-year absence.
- 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.
- The Seattle Fire Department's Political Purge
Mayor Ronald installs a new fire chief amidst internal dissent and a public push for retention of the incumbent.
- The Fire Commission Rejects a Faulty Engine
Seattle fire commissioners break ranks with the city council, condemning a new engine as cheap and unreliable.
- The Sleeping Fireman and the Rat-Trap Defense
Two city firemen faced an investigation after one was caught sleeping on duty and the other admitted to abandoning his post to hunt rodents.
Also about this, in other words
- The Miser’s Missing $1,500 and the Farmer Who Paid for It
A hidden hoard vanished from a Rosalia stove hearth, a neighbor was arrested, and the case collapsed — leaving an 1894 cold case.
- The Maniac at the Opal Saloon
A hotel runner causes chaos after barricading himself inside a Third Street bar.
- The Morning a Tow Rope Nearly Cost Appel Bros. a $600 Raft
A launch propeller seized, the boom was waiting, and a raft of poles was suddenly drifting toward disaster on the Pend Oreille.
- A Three-Year-Old Lost to the Pend Oreille
Marvin Fewel slipped into the river while his father built a fence nearby; the community mourned a child gone in minutes.
- The Maniac of Huntsdale: Constable Harrow’s Fatal Standoff
A local constable shoots and kills a man described as 'crazy' in the woods near Georgetown, sparking questions about mental health custody and frontier justice.
- The Tragic Busking of Mr. Schengler
Inspired by a legend of a famous opera star, a local man attempts to sing his way to fame on the streets of Seattle—with a painful result.
- A Mill Worker's Narrow Escape
A standard day at the Port Blakeley mill turned catastrophic when a falling door triggered the log carriage, pinning a worker against the machinery.
- The 'Mashers' of the Shopping District
An editorial calls for public accountability for men who harass women in Tacoma's downtown streets.