Out of the past: Feb. 8

1990

Few objections to a preliminary design for a new cross-city highway and Mississippi River bridge were voiced at a hearing last night at the A.C. Brase Arena Building; only one man, whose house on South Sprigg is in the path of the highway, suggested a different route to be followed; he contended that the recommended route would disrupt the lives of many people who must relocate.

For the first time since last October, barge traffic on the Mississippi River is moving freely between St. Louis and Cairo, Illinois; all constraints on tow size and depth from October through January have been lifted; the river is the highest it's been since last September.

1965

Louis H. Strunk, 80, a retired educator, dies at a hospital here; he joined the staff at Cape State College in 1924 and was a teacher and supervisor of the Campus School, then known as the Training School; he retired in 1954.

Warm weather the past few days creates hazardous conditions on a number of county roads; the thaw brought about by the warm weather has allowed the surface of some roads to become soft; at least one Jackson school bus breaks through the gravel and gets stuck in the mud in the morning.

1940

A total of 5,000 seedling forest trees have been ordered for three farms in Cape Girardeau County; the little trees are all black locust and are expected to be large enough in 15 years to be used as fence posts; Ault Felty ordered 2,000, Mueller & Friedrich 1,000, and Albert J. Milde 2,000.

Extensive alterations in the offices on the top floor of the county courthouse in Jackson are to be made soon; a small compartment between the office of the prosecuting attorney and that of the circuit clerk is to be converted into a fireproof vault for the records of the circuit clerk's office.

1915

A letter received Saturday from former Cape Girardeau resident Capt. George E. Alt by L.R. Johnson indicates that Alt is now in France; he expects to be ordered to the trenches soon.

Eight or 10 of the old militiamen who served in the Civil War on the side of the Union met at the courthouse in Jackson Saturday to give their names and the nature of service to a secretary; the latter will forward the information to the authorities in Washington with the prospect of obtaining pensions for the veterans.

-- Sharon K. Sanders