Out of the past: Aug. 8

1993

The Mississippi River crested at Cape Girardeau at 47.9 feet overnight; but at the crest, Tom LeGrand, family members and others lost the battle to save the family home attached to LeGrand's Transmission at 1237 N. Water St.; they lost, 10 1/2 hours after water began coming up beneath the triple row of sandbags protecting the house; water is now 4 feet deep in the house, 5 feet deep in the garage.

Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport remains dry, thanks to a massive diversion channel levee that separates the airfield from the inland lake that is the diversion channel; the Cape Girardeau facility is the only airport along the Mississippi River between St. Louis and Memphis, Tennessee, that's operating with a control tower.

1968

The proposed merger of Illmo and Scott City hangs in the balance, dependent on an unknown number of absentee ballots in Illmo cast in Tuesday's election; the issue passed in Scott City, but was behind in Illmo by 14 votes; a simple majority is required from each city for the proposal to pass.

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff Ivan E. McLain reports there is an increase in criminal activity in the county, according to statistics compiled for the first seven months of the year; there were 568 complaint forms made out in the period, compared to 358 in the corresponding period of 1967; the sheriff notes there has been a significant increase in prisoner jail days, indicating people are being arrested and sentenced for more serious offenses.

1943

Bishop Ivan Lee Holt, presiding bishop of the Dallas area of the Methodist Church, speaks at two services at Centenary Methodist Church, his former pastorate; Holt recently returned to the United States from Central America, where he completed a tour of Methodist conferences being held in the Latin American republics.

Rain causes today's baseball game at Fairground Park between the Capahas and a Washington University team to be postponed; it is the second Sunday in a row for rain to bring a postponement.

1918

Forty-one members of St. Vincent's Parish in Cape Girardeau have gone to war; these 41 American patriots will be honored Sunday afternoon during a ceremony on the lawn in front of St. Vincent's Church, overlooking the river; a service flag with 41 stars, four of which are for priests from St. Vincent's College -- the Revs. Frank McAuliffe, Frederick Cupall, J.J. Martin and M.J. Le Sage -- will be flown.

Reports from the War Department show Cape Girardeau boys are on the battlefields in France in increasing numbers; Vincent Schaaf, chauffeur for Floesch Construction Co., received letters Wednesday from Emil Hirsch and Maurice "Little Hutty" Huttman, both of whom are in the same company, and both of whom were recently gassed.

-- Sharon K. Sanders