Out of the past 6/7/05

25 years ago: June 7, 1980

Cape Girardeau County Coroner Harold G. Cobb has been appointed acting sheriff, following the resignation of Sheriff James J. Below yesterday; members of the county court are considering Below's permanent replacement.

Almost two months after the scheduled completion date of the system, Cape Girardeau city officials are starting to classify the still incomplete disaster warning system as just that -- a disaster; a test Friday of less than half of the system was even less successful than a test Wednesday, when three of the seven sirens tested failed to perform correctly.

50 years ago: June 7, 1955

Members of the Grace Methodist Men's Club, to raise money for the church's building fund, have all turned farmer and are cultivating four acres of crops on the Charles Weiss farm five miles north of the city on the Perryville Road.

Several changes which would provide additional space for pupils at overcrowded Franklin School, including the switch of a class to the Junior High School building, were approved or considered last night by the school board; a major change was the switch of the 6-A class from Franklin to Junior High; they will be joined by six pupils in the 6-A class at Lorimier School.

75 years ago: June 7, 1930

The Missouri Public Service Commission rules that the Missouri Utilities Co. must build a filter plant to provide a better water supply for Cape Girardeau, but modified its previous order to such an extent that the plant may be built at any location desired by the company.

Frisco passenger officials say that a special fair on the railroad for trains between St. Louis, Mo., and Memphis, Tenn., doesn't affect fares from Cape Girardeau, the regular and excursion rates remaining in effect for passengers to and from here; the new rate as announced from St. Louis to Memphis is $6 for the round trip on all trains, where as the old fare was $11.19 for one-way only.

100 years ago: June 7, 1905

Officials with the Cotton Belt Railroad report that 1,055 cars have passed over the Thebes, Ill., railroad bridge on Sunday; of these about 770 were loaded freight cars and 23 were passenger cars; the balance were empties returning to the South and Southwest for loads.

Amon Yount, who lives in Marquand, Mo., is in Cape Girardeau and takes charge of a threshing outfit that was shipped to him by boat.

-- Sharon K. Sanders