100 years ago in Washington: Snoqualmie Pass was nearly open for tourists behind the wheel

Snow-clearing crews were making progress on Snoqualmie Pass, so the Inland Automobile Association said that it might soon start routing tourists through the pass.

“For the past two weeks, steam shovels have been clearing a passage through the mountains and contractors claim they will be able to open the northern route between eastern and western Washington by May 1,” the IAA spokesman said. “We feel, however, that we will not be able to advise all tourists to take the Snoqualmie Pass route till May 5, at least.”

He said there was one stretch of road where the snow was between 8 and 9 feet deep. Once opened, autos would still have to drive between two high banks of snow for several miles.

From the music beat: The famous New York Philharmonic orchestra arrived in Spokane in four special train coaches.

The 96-member entourage, under the direction of Joseph Stransky, was scheduled to play the Auditorium Theater. Advance ticket sales “indicated a record audience.”

On this day

(From Associated Press)

1788: Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the Constitution of the United States.

1945: Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were executed by Italian partisans as they attempted to flee the country.

1967: Heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali was stripped of his title after he refused to be inducted into the armed forces.

1986: The Soviet Union informed the world of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl.

2001: A Russian rocket lifted off from Central Asia bearing the first space tourist.