100 years ago in Spokane: Valley fruit trees hit hard by frost

Fruit trees in the Spokane Valley area were hard hit by late season frost. Reports from Vera, Oppportunity and Greenacres were that damage to pears, peaches and early apples was heavy. A quarter of an inch of ice had formed and experts say 90% of the Bartlett pears were destroyed, half of the strawberries were frosted and the cherry and peach crop will be practically a complete loss.

From the war finance beat: Spokane’s contribution to the Victory loan drive topped $3 million, though the city’s “quota” was set at $5,243,350. The difference between the money raised and the quota assigned to the city was the “patriotic balance due.”

The money was raised to help pay off the cost of World War I. At a pledge event where dancer Ruth St. Denis entertained the crowd, two brothers, Benny and Louis Miller, ages 12 and 10, respectively, subscribed to a $50 bond and pledged to pay $5 a month until they paid it off.

From the bakery beat: With the two biggest bakeries holding out against striking bakers, housewives in Spokane were going on “bread hunts” and many delicatessans and markets were running out of bread products by late afternoon.

A rush resembling a run on a bank filled Grandma’s Kitchen on Riverside near Monroe until all the cake and bread was sold by about 4 p.m. “We could have sold a lot more if we had it,” said the proprietor.

“We had about 80% of our normal supply of bread, our first shortage, and got by,” said Edward Jeklin of the A and K Market.

Jim Kershner is on sabbatical.