Out of the past: Feb. 7

1999

First Assembly of God Church holds a groundbreaking service in the afternoon at 1367 Platinum Court; the church is beginning construction of a house to be used by missionary families who return to the U.S. on furlough; construction of Harvest House will be paid for by contributions from church members.

A new historic preservation study of Cape Girardeau recommends zoning changes in areas with numerous historic or architecturally significant buildings to better protect the integrity of those neighborhoods; five neighborhoods are specified for the new zoning, including the residential areas along South Spanish, South Lorimier, South Fountain, Themis and Independence streets; this is the city’s oldest residential area.

1974

The tentative agreement reached in the morning between representatives of the striking independent truckers and government officials in Washington to end the 8-day-old strike is being viewed skeptically by truckers blockading pumps at the Rhodes City Truck Plaza south of Cape Girardeau; the truckers, hearing that the agreement would probably not include a rollback on diesel fuel prices, react with disgust.

Cape Girardeau will begin city-owned, city-operated refuse collection and disposal with no service charge for curbside residential pickups and reasonable fees for voluntary commercial collections, the City Council voted unanimously last night; rear-door service will be available at a monthly charge, probably about $5, with a reduced charge for the elderly and handicapped; the operation will be funded by federal revenue-sharing money, which the city will receive for at least three more years.

1949

Torn up track and ties, a scrambled arrangement of coaches, one of which leans precariously, was the resulting scene when the northbound Frisco passenger train left the track just south of Cape Rock early today. This photo shows a general scene of the derailment, looking south. (Southeast Missourian archive)

The engine, tender and six cars of the northbound Frisco passenger train, en route to St. Louis, are derailed three-quarters of a mile south of Cape Rock at 4 a.m.; all passengers escape serious injury as the heavy cars plow up a 100-yard stretch of track, settle deep into the earth, splinter ties and twist rails into knots of steel; 47 passengers are taken by bus to the rail station, where they are met by two St. Louis-Cape Girardeau buses, which take them to St. Louis; 16 Black passengers remain aboard a coach of the wrecked train until 9 a.m., when another bus is chartered to take them on to St. Louis.

Frank A. Lowry says he won’t be a candidate for the Legislature when a special election is held to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Rep.-elect Roy E. Goodwin of Jackson; the attorney general recently ruled that an election should be held, and Gov. Forrest Smith is expected to set the date for it soon.

1924

A total of 1,372 state license plates for vehicles is sold in Cape Girardeau by noon, seven days after the 1924 plates were sent here to the Automobile Club office for distribution; of this number, 1,272 were for passenger automobiles and 100 for trucks; more than $10,000 has been turned into the local office as payment for the tags.

The storeroom at Broadway and Main Street, formerly occupied by the Metropolitan Restaurant, has been rented to G.M. Rosenthal of Paragould, Arkansas; he will open the place as a clothing store.

Southeast Missourian librarian Sharon Sanders compiles the information for the daily Out of the Past column. She also writes a blog called “From the Morgue” that showcases interesting historical stories from the newspaper. Check out her blog at www.semissourian.com/history.