Out of the past: Aug. 23

1999

It is a project more than eight years in the making, but there is an end in sight; the City of Cape Girardeau is waiting to demolish the old Saint Francis Hospital on Good Hope Street; since 1991, the City Council has been in the process of condemning the old facility; during that time, various property owners have held up the process while waiting for paperwork and financing; the latest company, Phillips Cos., based in Arkansas, has extended the demolition deadline to March; that company hopes to build apartments on the land.

Come Saturday, it won’t just be bad manners to pass a funeral procession; except on interstate highways, it will be against the law in Missouri; Senate Bill 270 requires pedestrians and motorists to yield to funeral processions; the new law prohibits drivers from driving between, joining or passing a funeral procession.

1974

With classes scheduled to begin next week, Southeast Missouri State University officials are wondering how to handle an unexpected crush of students; first-time student admissions are up 25% over a year ago, and registration for dormitories has exceeded capacity, forcing the university to place as many as three students in some rooms designed for two.

Scott County Court yesterday signed an agreement with the Cape County Private Ambulance Service to provide temporary ambulance service for residents of North Scott County beginning Sept. 1 and ending Dec. 31, at which time the county expects to have its own ambulance; the court agreed to pay service owner George F. Rouse $750 a month for 24-hour-a-day ambulance and removal services.

1949

Occupancy of the new student service building, Memorial Hall, at State College won’t be possible at the opening of the new school term two weeks hence, Kenneth E. Wischmeyer of Wischmeyer and Lorenze, supervising architects, says after inspecting the structure; he declares it will be impossible to complete the building in time for use and adds that he has no idea how long it will take to finish the job.

Michael Earl Crites Jr., 19 months old, son of Mr. and Mrs. M.E. Crites of Perryville Road, dies of infantile paralysis at Saint Francis Hospital, where he was admitted for treatment Saturday; it is the second polio death in Cape Girardeau County this year.

1924

Dr. N.F. Chostner will start the construction of a new brick California-type bungalow on the corner of Themis Street and West End Boulevard next week; the residence will contain five rooms and a bath and will have all modern conveniences; when completed, Chostner will have built houses on every lot on the east side of the boulevard, between Themis and Whitener streets.

Gus Meyer, 25, a truck driver for Standard Oil Co. at Ste. Genevieve, is in a St. Louis hospital recovering from injuries sustained when he drove his truck in front of a Frisco passenger train, running from Cape Girardeau to St. Louis, Thursday; Meyer was hurled from the cab of the heavy truck onto the pilot of the engine, and it was some time before he was located by train employees after the crash.

Southeast Missourian librarian Sharon Sanders compiles the information for the daily Out of the Past column. She also writes a weekend column called “From the Morgue” that showcases interesting historical stories from the newspaper.