100 years ago in Spokane: New plans emerged for the Schade building, and a father of seven was killed while repairing a street light

The old Schade Brewery, on Trent Avenue, had been sitting idle because of Prohibition, but a new owner had plans to convert it into a modern meat packing plant.

The old beer vats were “big enough to hold all the pork placed in brine in the city.” The brewery’s large ice machine would also be useful.

The wooden floors were being replaced with cement floors, said the owner of the Adam Brown Packing Co.

The Spokesman-Review said that the Schade Brewery was “one of the best-built structures of its kind in the city.” The years have borne out that assessment – the building is still in existence today, on what is now called Spokane Falls Boulevard. It’s now the Schade Towers office building.

From the accident beat: John S. Diedrich, 65, was repairing a street light in Chewelah when he apparently came in contact with the high voltage cable.

A witness heard him crash to the ground and rushed to his aid. It was too late, “death having been instantaneous.”

Diedrich was the superintendent of Chewelah’s city light and water plant. He was survived by a widow and seven children.

Also on this day

(From the Associated Press)

1770: The Boston Massacre took place as British soldiers who’d been taunted by a crowd of colonists opened fire, killing five people.

1933: In German parliamentary elections, the Nazi Party won 44% of the vote; the Nazis joined with a conservative nationalist party to gain a slender majority in the Reichstag.