Out of the past 10/8/04

25 years ago: Oct. 8, 1979

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Firefighters from Marble Hill, Lutesville, Glenallen and Bollinger County fire departments spent much of the weekend battling fires; firefighters fought a house fire at Marble Hill, three brush fires and a grain silo fire at the Ronnie Hindman farm near Sturdivant.

North West End Boulevard, between Amethyst and Emerald streets has been reopened to traffic after being closed since last fall, when a box culvert collapsed as a result of Mississippi River backup into Sloan's Creek.

50 years ago: Oct. 8, 1954

Police chief Kenneth Cruse submits his resignation to the city council, effective immediately; in his resignation letter, Cruse says, "I now find myself in the untenable position of being retarded in my efforts to bring about the best in law enforcement for Cape Girardeau by other officials in the city government."

The SEMO District Fair this year, for the first time in five years, will show a profit, says secretary of the board Herman W. Keller; while receipts and expenditures haven't all been tallied, it looks as if the fair will make between $2,000 and $3,000.

75 years ago: Oct. 8, 1929

Concluding that three owners is too many, the owners of the Sweet Shop on Main Street in Cape Girardeau and a confectionery shop in Perryville drew lots to see who would retain the businesses.

Effective with the issuance of new city licenses, operators of taxicabs in Cape Girardeau will be required to take out liability insurance covering property damage or personal injuries.

100 years ago: Oct. 8, 1904

The Cape City Soap Works is putting in a drying room to be used during the winter in drying the soap; during the summer, warm weather serves the purpose, but in winter it is necessary to have a steam-heated room.

The federal government is having fences constructed into the Mississippi River from the eastern shore, a short distance north of Cape Girardeau; these fences will direct the current from the Illinois shore against the head of the sandbar that has lain off Cape Girardeau several years; when the river rises with spring rains or melting show, the strong current will wash away the bar.

-- Sharon K. Sanders