Out of the past: March 27

1998

Burglars have taken more than 100 telephones and complete telephone systems from four Southeast Missouri Job Service Offices, including the Cape Girardeau office on two occasions; telephone systems were taken this week from Missouri Job Service offices at Sikeston, Poplar Bluff and Kennett; the Cape Girardeau office was burglarized twice in one week in February by thieves who took the telephones and systems both times.

Two former state transportation department officials don't buy into the financial doom and gloom that the Missouri's 15-year highway plan is underfunded; Wayne Muri, the former head of the Missouri Department of Transportation, says the plan should be cruising financially, and Jim Toft, who retired as assistant chief engineer last April, calculates more than $8 billion in revenue for projects in the plan; however, the state's Total Transportation Commission estimates a $14 billion shortfall, and deputy chief engineer J.T. Yarnell estimates the shortfall at between $2 billion and $13 billion.

1973

A Mississippi River crest higher than the one March 18 is forecast for Monday at Cape Girardeau, the National Weather Service warns as runoff from heavy weekend rainfall keeps the river way above bank-full; the Weather Service's office at Cairo, Illinois, predicts serious flooding from the Quincy-Hannibal area in northern Missouri and Illinois down through St. Louis, Cairo and New Madrid, Missouri; rain-soaked levees are holding their own, but the Army Corps of Engineers is patrolling some dikes, particularly the Birds Point-New Madrid Floodway levee in Mississippi and New Madrid counties.

The largest number of exhibitors in recent history -- 230 -- will show their scientific talents and compete for many awards at next week's 17th renewal of the Southeast Missouri Regional Science Fair; there are 76 more exhibits than last year; the fair, cosponsored by The Southeast Missourian and Southeast Missouri State University, will be held next week at Houck Field House.

1948

Good Friday's battering hail storm shattered hundreds of window panes in residential property in Cape Girardeau, and today dealers are deluged with calls for replacement glass; although yesterday's hail was general throughout the city, its main force was centered in the west end of the city, particularly in the section near Park Avenue, crashing through window panes with bullet-like force; Superior Electric Products Co. on Independence Street lost 117 panes of glass at its plant; at Knaup Floral Co., 136 S. Pacific St., 216 double-strength greenhouse glass panes, 14-by-20 inches in size, were broken, and extensive damage was done to potted plants and cut flowers by flying glass and the ice pellets.

Barring rain, J.S. Magruder, weather observer at Cairo, Illinois, predicts Cape Girardeau will see a stage of 38.2 feet by Monday night; earlier, he had predicted a crest Monday of 37.6 feet.

1923

Armed with injunction papers issued in Federal Court in St. Louis yesterday restraining the War Department from seizing the government barge fleet leased by Edward F. Goltra, Democratic National Committeeman from Missouri, U.S. Deputy Marshal O.A. Knehans is speeding up the Mississippi River late this afternoon to meet the fleet and serve the papers on Col. Thomas Q. Ashburn; Ashburn took over the fleet in St. Louis on Sunday on orders of the War Department; the fleet was seized by the government after it was charged Goltra "was negligent in getting it into action"; Goltra leased the fleet a year ago with the understanding it would be placed in the freight service.

Charles L. Stubbs, formerly of Blodgett, Missouri, is now connected with the Bowman Brothers Realty Co. in Cape Girardeau; he will have charge of the land and farm department.

-- Sharon K. Sanders