A Casual Fire at the Mascot Saloon
While firefighters worked on a blaze in the upper floors, business continued uninterrupted at the bar below.
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.
The Mascot saloon on South Third street was damaged by fire last night, with the loss to building and fixtures totaling about $500. An alarm was rung in by Officer Lubscher at about 8:15 p.m. While fire crews worked to bring the blaze under control, the bartender and a number of other habitues of the ground floor did not leave the barroom at all. The fire started in the upper floor, which is divided into twelve rooms occupied mostly by the Italians. The property is owned by P. Ben and William Loman.
“The barkeeper and a number of other habitues of the ground floor did not leave the barroom at all while the firemen were working overhead.”
The nonchalance of the saloon patrons—choosing to stay at the bar while the floor above them burned—offers a vivid, darkly humorous snapshot of late 19th-century Seattle nightlife culture.
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