Out of the past: Nov. 2

1995

Friends of U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson say he will fight his recently diagnosed lung cancer the way he fights for constituents and issues: head-on with a positive attitude; the eight-term Republican from Southeast Missouri's 8th District disclosed yesterday that he has lung cancer and plans to begin a series of treatments Friday at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Construction of the Osage Park community center and Shawnee Park sports complex would cost $1.1 million more than the city budgeted, bringing the total price to about $5.3 million; Dan Muser, Cape Girardeau parks and recreation director, says the city underestimated the cost of the projects; the Parks and Recreation and Convention and Visitors Bureau advisory boards will request the Cape Girardeau City Council dig deeper into the motel and restaurant gross-receipts-tax fund so construction can proceed.

1970

Area farmers have been slowed in their harvest by what has been the rainiest October in at least 10 years, according to U.S. Weather Service records kept at the Jackson fire station; while the month's weather hasn't produced an exceptional amount of rain, the number of rainy days has been unusually high, keeping fields soft and crops too moist to harvest.

Green Acres Construction Corp. has started construction in the 600 block of South Kingshighway of a 9,000-square-foot building; the metal paneled structure, located on the east side of the street, will be 80 by 112 feet and will provide quarters for a new retail hardware and farm supply center.

1945

Covered bridge at Allenville destroyed in 1945. (Historic American Buildings Survey)

The old covered bridge at Allenville, built shortly after the Civil War, was blown down yesterday when a cyclonic windstorm struck the community at 2 a.m.; the bridge, about 80 feet long, was lifted off its foundation and dropped into the bed of the old Whitewater River, collapsing as it struck the bottom; in addition to the bridge, the roof of a dwelling occupied by the Tom Reeves family was torn away, and a chimney on the school building was toppled in the storm.

At least three district hunters, two from Cape Girardeau, scored Thursday during the first day of the three-day Missouri deer hunting season; Fred Campbell and J.W. Lewis of Cape Girardeau both bagged deer, as did Bert Sharp of Illmo.

1920

By 4 this afternoon, more votes had been cast in Cape Girardeau than had ever been polled on an entire election day here in the past; not only has the women's vote been added, but more men are casting ballots.

Work continues on the huge platforms of the new Frisco passenger depot, one of which will reach from Independence Street to Merriwether Street, allowing ample room for passengers to board trains or get off them and to provide plenty of space for baggage trucks; the longer of these two platforms is on the east side of the depot, between it and the tracks; the other will occupy space from Merriwether to where the passenger and main tracks join, about 50 feet from Independence.

-- Sharon K. Sanders