The Wasp — 1893 — page 16: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page is primarily **advertising and theater notices** for San Francisco venues (July 1890s), with one editorial cartoon titled "A Hint to Our Mariners." The cartoon depicts **U.S. military vessels and mariners in a bay**, illustrating a humorous anecdote about a soldier named Casey digging a ditch near his house. A policeman stops him, questioning his right to excavate. The joke plays on Casey's defiant response—he'll do it anyway—suggesting military personnel's casual disregard for civilian authority or regulation. The caption notes "There is one spot on the Bay that is perfectly safe during the summer artillery practice," implying the satirical point: the only safe location is where Casey's unauthorized digging occurs, mocking either military carelessness or bureaucratic absurdity. The cartoon's humor relies on class/authority tensions typical of 1890s American satire.