Out of the past 7/31/06

25 years ago: July 31, 1981

City officials are expressing concern over construction delays and water damage to the partially completed Jackson Public Safety Building following an inspection last week.

BENTON, Mo. -- Excavation has begun on a tract of land just north of Benton on which an industrial facility reportedly is to be built; however, construction officials and the lawyer handling the land transaction have refused comment on what is to be built on the site.

50 years ago: July 31, 1956

A large crowd lined the Cape Girardeau riverfront yesterday to watch the Jaycees' motorboat races; partially cloudy skies in the morning brought some relief from the recent torrid temperatures and made the viewing conditions for spectators more comfortable than had been expected.

Construction of new quarters for the Auto Tire & Parts Co. has been started on the John S. Cobb School property, which the firm, now in business at 501 Broadway, purchased several months ago from the Cape Girardeau School District; the gymnasium, the only part left after the original school building was destroyed by fire, will be converted into a warehouse, machine shop, shipping and receiving space.

75 years ago: July 31, 1931

Highway 61 at a point three miles northwest of Cape Girardeau has the heaviest motor vehicle traffic in Southeast Missouri, according to the state highway engineer.

In the first decision on an appeal of condemnation cases tried in federal court in Cape Girardeau involving land taken in the building of the government's setback levee in Mississippi and New Madrid counties, the U.S. Court of Appeals has sustained Judge C.B. Faris.

100 years ago: July 31, 1906

The warfare between the Chester line and the Eagle Packet Co. has been settled, so far as the Illinois River traffic is concerned; according to an agreement reached yesterday, the steamer Tennessee will be withdrawn from the Illinois River, going instead into the trade between Cape Girardeau and Chester, Ill.; the steamer Chester remains in its trade between St. Louis and Cape Girardeau; and the steamer Gray Eagle of the Eagle Packet Co. will quit its run between St. Louis and Grand Tower, Ill., but will remain on the Cape Girardeau run.

Ed Craig, a registered pharmacist, is now compounding prescriptions at the Good Hope Drug Store.

-- Sharon K. Sanders