Out of the past: July 31

1993

Yesterday, the National Weather Service revised the Cape Girardeau Mississippi River flood crest up one-half foot, to 49 feet; the river is still forecast to crest Thursday, barring any significant and prolonged rain to the north; the river at Cape Girardeau is at 46 feet.

There are now more than 1,016 National Guardsmen on state emergency duty from St. Louis to Commerce, Missouri, an area covering more than 130 square miles; the primary missions of the Southeast Missouri Task Force are levee upgrading and sandbagging support, evacuations and security and traffic control.

1968

A highly debated issue that began in 1960, after the communities of Ancell and Fornfelt combined and became Scott City, will come to a head Aug. 6; that day, voters of Scott City and Illmo will go to the polls in a special election to determine whether they want the two towns to consolidate; a simple majority from each city is required for the issue to pass.

Two suntanned, bearded adventurers paddle into Cape Girardeau for a stop-off during their three-month trip down the Mississippi River in preparation for their excursion on the Nile River in Africa; Clarence Redburn, 37, of Flint, Michigan, and Dan Glasco, 32, of Davison, Michigan, dock their homemade racing canoe here in the afternoon to send a telegram, apparently back home.

1943

Farm operators and workers, chiefly classed as small farm operators, in Cape Girardeau County have been granted releases by the War Food Administration so they may take off-season industrial jobs, it is said at the U.S. Employment office; until authority was given, the office and the County Extension Service were unable to release such workers to take shoe factory or other jobs.

Starting tomorrow, members of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department will take on the war job of cooking meals for the prisoners in the city jail; Mr. and Mrs. Luther Little had been supplying the meals but have resigned; he has taken a pipeline job.

1918

The final plans for the new Frisco Railroad depot for Cape Girardeau are expected to be received here any day; once the city has approved the plans, the railroad is expected to ask for bids immediately; the Frisco general manager has asked for the names of several local contractors, and Vogelsang Brothers and J.W. Gerhardt were given him.

The Home Guards at Illmo-Fornfelt are doing some fine work; there are five squads of men guards and three squads of the women guards; several men from Commerce, Missouri, have joined the local unit.

-- Sharon K. Sanders