100 years ago in Spokane: The cold weather was putting some residents of the Manito Park zoo ‘in a nasty mood,’ but not the polar bears

Winter was putting the animals at the Manito Park Zoo in an unhappy mood, according to the zoo’s caretakers.

“The elk are treacherous,and no one cares to take any chances with them,” the zookeepers said. “… The bear, except the polars, are in a nasty mood, too, just now.”

The keepers were taking no chances with them. The bears are “poled into their dens and the gratings closed before the caretaker enters the cage to clean up and make the next meal ready.”

The polar bears, on the other hand, “are friendly fellows.” They were allowing the caretaker into their cages without a fuss.

Over in the bird house, the magpie “is just as saucy in winter as any other time of year.”

“He calls himself ‘Maggie’ and chatters away at a great rate when anyone approaches.”

From the music beat: Famed bandleader and composer John Philip Sousa was scheduled to bring his band to the Lewis and Clark High School auditorium for two benefit concerts.

Sousa said he would bring new material, but will “not neglect pieces that have become national favorites,” including “Semper Fidelis,” and “The Washington Post March.”

Also on this day

(From the Associated Press)

1942: During World War II, U.S. bombers struck the Italian mainland for the first time with a raid on Naples. President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the dismantling of the Works Progress Administration, which had been created to provide jobs during the Depression.