The Tragic Death of a Young Printer
Nineteen-year-old George Schaar, a breadwinner for his widowed mother, dies after a week-long battle with a mysterious illness.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
George Schaar, aged 19, passed away on Thursday, June 23, 1892, at his home on the corner of Seneca and Third streets. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, in 1873, he moved to Seattle with his parents four years ago. After his father's death a year later, George took up the printing trade to support his mother. He was highly regarded by his peers and deeply loved by his family. His death followed a sudden week-long illness, initially thought to be typhoid fever, but which developed into a complex set of symptoms that baffled local physicians. Several doctors held an autopsy yesterday to determine the cause of death. He leaves behind his mother, Mrs. N. L. Rogers, and his stepfather, Captain Rogers.
“He was a great favorite with his associates and dearly loved by his mother, and his death has almost made her frantic with grief.”
In 1892, Seattle was a boomtown still developing basic sanitation, leaving residents vulnerable to outbreaks like typhoid fever that could devastate a household in days. Today, the corner of 3rd and Seneca is part of a dense downtown core, a world away from the precarious, rapid-industrial life experienced by printers like George.
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