100 years ago: Woodrow Wilson appears to have the election in hand

The Spokane Daily Chronicle put out a late-night extra edition blaring the news: President Woodrow Wilson’s party, the Democrats, appeared to be likely to remain in control of both the House and Senate.

Early returns also indicated that Democratic incumbent C.C. Dill was leading Republican J. Stanley Webster in the U.S. House race for this district, but it was far too early to declare a winner.

From the flu beat: City health officer Dr. John B. Anderson, who spent much of the past month trying to quell panic over the Spanish flu, abandoned that approach and said “the situation is grave … really serious, more serious than the general public seems to realize.”

The most immediate crisis was a shortage of doctors and nurses. The superintendents of nurses at both Deaconess and St. Luke’s hospitals were now sick along with their patients. Anderson and other health officials around the state were begging for volunteers. But volunteers were getting impossible to find.

“Your doctor needs rest,” Anderson said. “So do the nurses. They have been working almost night and day.”

The number of flu cases was approaching 4,000 and the number of deaths was approaching 100.

Editor’s note: This article was changed on Nov. 5, 2018 to correct information suggesting the Woodrow Wilson was a candidate in the elections. Wilson won re-election in 1916.