Out of the past: July 10

1994

The summer peach-picking and canning season is getting off to a slow start this year, because a hard freeze in March destroyed almost all of the early variety peaches in many area orchards; later variety of peaches, however, weren't affected by the low temperatures.

Ground is broken for a new church for Hobbs Chapel United Methodist Church; the 101-year-old Hobbs Chapel burned Nov. 26, 1993; the new, 4,800-square-foot edifice will be attached to the existing activity center; construction will begin Sept 1, and the congregation hopes to have its first service in the new church by Easter.

1969

Cost of operating the City of Cape Girardeau continues to spiral at a far greater rate than income increases; city manager Paul F. Frederick made the statement yesterday when presenting to the City Council for study the preliminary budget for the current 1969-1970 fiscal year, calling for expenditures of $1,593,310 in the general revenue fund for municipal operation.

Cape Girardeau County is notified by mail it must increase real estate assessments by $7,146,475 for this year; the increase order from the State Tax Commission specifies $2,335,475 should be on town lots and $4,811,000 on rural acreage; this amounts to a 5% increase for lots and 30% increase for rural acreage.

1944

Three possible sites, proposed as locations for a veterans' hospital which will be built in Missouri or eastern Kansas, have been suggested in Cape Girardeau; they include the Hirsch family tract near the river in the north edge of the city, a small farm owned by Judge I.R. Kelso on North Sprigg Street Road, and a tract near Cape Rock.

Marquette Cement Mfg. Co. plant resumes operations in the morning after being idle last week for its annual vacation for employees; R. Moyle Sr., vice president in charge of operations, is here from Oglesby, Illinois, and speaks at a safety rally; the safety record is 2,460 days in the mill department, without an accident, and 1,115 days in the quarry.

1919

Charles L. Blattner, retired farmer, wealthy citizen, banker and public administrator of Cape Girardeau County, died yesterday, following a paralytic stroke suffered last Friday; Blattner would have been 60 years of age next month.

The campaign to raise funds for an addition to the shoe factory has been sun struck; the high temperatures are blamed for the cessation of efforts in the campaign; up to noon, the fund had reached $14,035, which lacks about $2,000 of being half of the total that must be raised; a Commercial Club committee has decided to start the campaign anew tomorrow morning.

-- Sharon K. Sanders