Out of the past: July 22

1993

The Mississippi River at the Cape Girardeau gauge yesterday was 46.7 feet; the crest has been moved back to Saturday at a mark of 47.2 feet; Marcella Bennett, disaster application center coordinator for FEMA, arrives in Cape Girardeau to oversee the opening of a disaster application center in the basement of Centenary United Methodist Church.

Like the muddy floodwaters edging up at Cape Girardeau, the costs of fighting back the Mississippi River are rising; direct costs incurred by Cape Girardeau city government and levee districts has topped $100,000; approximately 120 residential structures and 275 people have been affected by floodwaters; a dozen commercial properties are closed and an additional 10 are seriously affected.

1968

Dallas Estes, who has been with the Finney Drug Store in Cape Girardeau for many years, is now managing the Jones Drug Store in Jackson, recently acquired by the Finney interests; the Jackson store, one of the oldest and most widely known in the area, was started in 1871 by Henry Jones.

CAIRO, Ill. -- Fire early in the morning sweeps through the First Bank and Trust Co. here, destroying or heavily damaging the quarters of 13 businesses and destroying city and school district financial records.

1943

For the 12th consecutive day, Cape Girardeau swelters in above 90-degree temperatures, with today's temperature predicted to reach the record 98-degree mark; those without electric fans are having to provide their own motive power to keep cool; electric fans are virtually impossible to obtain.

The U.S. Engineers dredge Grafton moves to a point on the Mississippi River near McClure, Illinois, preparatory to starting pumping operations to rebuild the crevassed levee at the northeast side of the town; the Grafton has completed filling a similar break at Hanging Dog Island, near Neelys Landing, also created in the record May flood.

1918

A crowd of around 2,000 gathers in Jackson in the morning to see off the 146 draftees who leave for military training camps by train; the boys are orderly and well behaved, and many are the tearful farewells between the boys and their relatives.

Dr. E.H.G. Wilson, who recently was commissioned a captain in the Medical Reserve Corps of Army and called to duty, has been sent to Camp Funston, Kansas, for training; Dr. J.D. Porterfield, who has also been commissioned a captain in the Medical Reserve Corps, has been ordered to report for training July 24; another Cape Girardeau physician, Dr. O.E. Seabaugh, has also received his commission, but has not yet been notified to report for duty.

-- Sharon K. Sanders