Out of the past: May 5

1991

Artist Fred Lincoln visits Cape Girardeau with his rendering of the floodwall mural, which, if approved by the city council Monday, will be painted on the Mississippi River side of the wall.

A thunderstorm blows through Cape Girardeau early in the day, knocking down several trees and limbs; wind gusts of 60 miles per hour are recorded, with the overall constant wind speed being about 40 mph; some power outages are reported.

1966

A report that wasn't encouraging for the immediate prospects of sidewalks on Hopper Road touched off an extended debate at last night's city council meeting, with city officials, parents, a school board member and others participating; school opens Monday at Hawthorn School on Hopper Road, and considerable concern was voiced for the safety of the children who must walk along the narrow, heavily-traveled street.

Cape Girardeau's proposed new federal building, planned for the site of the old post office building at Fountain Street and Broadway, clears a hurdle when it is included in a bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee.

1941

The semi-annual fire-hazard inspection in business districts is initiated by Cape Girardeau Fire Department personnel, with the first visits in business buildings made on Main Street; the visits are made chiefly to familiarize firemen with the buildings, as to locate doors, windows, partitions, storage, etc., and to identify fire hazards.

Rain, the first of any consequence in the Cape Girardeau in two weeks, fell yesterday afternoon, accompanied by high winds, hail and lightning; a bolt of lightning struck the barn on the Edward Hauptman place, near Perryville Road and a short distance outside the city limits, igniting the structure; fed by straw and hay, fire quickly consumed the building; the barn housed nearly $3,000 worth of farm machinery owned by W.F. Koerber.

1916

Celestine Hoch, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Phil Hoch, has been given the position of teacher of English and sewing in departmental work at Lorimier School next year; Louis J. Schultz, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gust Schultz, a cracking fine athlete and good student at the Normal, was assigned the position of mathematics instructor in the high school; he also will handle athletics, coaching the football, basketball and baseball teams, as well as develop a track team.

Members of the Cape Girardeau Commercial Club hold their regular monthly meeting in the evening, welcoming a number of ladies who are striving to get a public library building for Cape Girardeau.

-- Sharon K. Sanders