Out of the past: Jan. 18

1999

More pets were taken to the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri and put to death during 1998 than in past years, according to figures released by the society; during 1998, 5,438 animals were taken into the Cape Girardeau shelter as compared to 5,141 in 1997; nearly 1,000 animals were adopted from the shelter, and an additional 237 were returned to their owners; but a growing problem of pet over population in the area meant an increase in animals being euthanized; the shelter euthanizes about 75% of the animals it receives.

Barbara Blanchard and Washington Elementary school are the 1999 recipients of the eighth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award; the award will be presented during the community MLK celebration this evening at First Presbyterian Church; speaker at the event will be the Rev. Dr. Rhymes Moncure, senior pastor of Missouri United Methodist Churches in Columbia.

1974

For the second time, both teachers and pupils at Cape Girardeau Central High School have overwhelmingly voted to continue the trimester scheduling plan with modifications for correcting unsatisfactory conditions; a faculty advisory committee, which made the survey, is expected to recommend continuation of the program with specific modifications in the next school year when the school board meets Monday.

A fiery freak accident destroys two tractor-trailer rigs, injures one man and closes Interstate 55 for nearly four hours near Sikeston; the accident occurs about 5:30 a.m. seven miles north of Sikeston in the southbound lane of the interstate; the right front tire of one of the trucks blows out as it is passing a truck parked on the shoulder; the driver loses control of the rig and sideswipes the other.

1949

Southeast Missouri is sheathed in ice, but it is a thin coating that leaves highways and streets open to traffic; covered, however, are power and telephone lines and vegetation; electric and telephone companies report no great amount of trouble from the ice, but say if the freeze continues throughout the night and more rain falls, difficulties with their lines could be expected.

International Shoe Co. produced nearly 600,000 more pairs of shoes in 1948 than it did in 1947, it is disclosed in the annual report to the company's 11,000 stockholders and in letters mailed to International employees in Cape Girardeau; the company has 37,000 employees; at the close of the fiscal year, it was operating 58 shoe factories, nine sole-cutting plants, 27 plants manufacturing other supplies for shoes and four warehouse.

1924

Henry Williams, 50, an engineer on the Frisco Hoxie passenger train, was instantly killed and his fireman, H.L. Burnett of Chaffee, was seriously burned by escaping steam, when their locomotive en route to Cape Girardeau was derailed and turned over near the station at Advance at 9 p.m. yesterday; Williams was hurled from his seat in the cab of the locomotive and was caught under the falling engine; he was the oldest engineer in point of service on the Cape Girardeau division of the Frisco.

Marion, son of Mr. and Mrs. W.C. Pattengill of Bloomfield Road, is in critical condition in a Cape Girardeau hospital suffering from hydrophobia he contracted from a dog bite five weeks ago; the disease has developed to its most serious stage, and attending physicians say the youth's recovery is doubtful; the 13-year-old boy is being given a serum treatment obtained from St. Louis.

-- Sharon K. Sanders