Out of the past: April 13

1996

Pat Buchanan loyalists battle Bob Dole supporters in nine congressional district caucuses across Missouri to select delegates to the GOP national convention in San Diego; Dole wins 14 delegates to 11 for Buchanan, and Alan Keyes picks up two; 27 alternates also are selected; Missouri's nine remaining delegates will be elected at large during the state GOP convention in Springfield next month; today's outcome is one of Buchanan's best showings since the conservative commentator won the New Hampshire primary in February.

A meandering creek is eroding the St. Louis Iron Mountain Railway's business; Williams Creek is washing out in several places, which means the tourist railway is closed to passenger traffic from Delta to Dutchtown; approximately 10 of the railway's 19 miles of track are closed to passenger traffic because of erosion caused by Williams Creek.

1971

The Cape Girardeau Central High School Stage Band is heading across the sea; the band, composed of 17 junior and senior pupils and under the direction of Bill Ewing, will take its "big band" sound to Europe this summer as part of a special coeducational European music tour; the group will depart June 24 from Kansas City, returning there July 25 after visiting seven European countries and presenting band concerts in several major cities.

Science may be under fire in some quarters, but there's no indication of that at Houck Field House; scores of Southeast Missouri youngsters, grades 7 through 12, lug a variety of plants, placards, electrical lines and even a hive of bees into the field house; this is the opening of the 15th annual Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair under the co-sponsorship of The Southeast Missourian newspaper and State College.

1946

A huge pile of fresh shavings from the planing mill and stacks of tree trimmings that had been dumped in the ravine adjacent to the mausoleum in New Lorimier Cemetery caught fire yesterday afternoon from the continuous burning of rubbish and garbage nearby; the resulting smoke covered a wide area all afternoon and evening; housewives kept their doors and windows closed in efforts to keep out the nauseating fumes as well as the smoke.

Robert Erlbacher, head of the Central States Foundry Co., says the only thing delaying opening of the large, new plant south of the traffic bridge is arrival of roof construction material, scheduled to have been here in October, but delayed by strikes; operation of the plant, 360 feet long and 70 feet wide, was scheduled to have started in November.

1921

The Common Pleas Courthouse will be painted by Louis Hausam, providing the County Court approves the bid he made to the Cape Girardeau City Council last night; his bid is $586; according to the plan, the city will split the expense of painting the historic building with the county.

The County Court some time ago gave a contract to John H. Sander of Jackson to erect the memorial for World War soldiers from this county; the memorial is being made in the East; it will feature a bronze tablet bearing the names of those from the county who were killed in the war; to be certain no one is missed, people should submit names to the county.

-- Sharon K. Sanders