Out of the past: Sept. 16

1993

The Mississippi River is on the rise for the ninth time this year; the National Weather Service is predicting a 37-foot crest this weekend at Cape Girardeau, the result of heavy rains this week north of Cape Girardeau.

A labor of love lasting nearly 11 years may not drag on much longer in the small, north Cape Girardeau County town of Old Appleton; if all goes well, the years of fundraising, hard work, frustration and patience that have gone into restoring the 114-year-old iron bridge over Apple Creek could come to a climax around this time next year; by then, the bridge should be back together and ready to be placed over the creek dividing Cape Girardeau and Perry counties, where it was washed away by a flash flood in 1982.

1968

The rain held off until after the SEMO District Fair for a change, giving farmers not at the fair a chance to begin harvest of early planted, early variety corn; this morning's rain interrupts these early harvest efforts, but is generally welcomed in this district for breaking what was turning from a dry spell to a drought.

John M. Scully, 27, son of Dr. and Mrs. Mark F. Scully of Cape Girardeau, has been appointed an assistant U.S. attorney and will be assigned to the civil section of the U.S. Attorney Veryl Riddle's staff in St. Louis.

1943

His patrol car being wrecked as he was trailing a suspect on Highway 71, five miles north of Carthage, Missouri, late last night, Trooper Paul Corbin, 26, formerly of Cape Girardeau, was fatally inured; the patrol car and a truck collided at a bridge.

Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Hanley, commanding general of the Easter Flying Training Command, pays an official visit to Harris Field, the highest Army officer yet to visit the station; accompanied by an aide, Hanley spends 1 1/2 hours in an inspection of all the field facilities.

1918

Because of the heavy rains here, the four aviators from Memphis, Tennessee, are unable to leave in their two airplanes, having given flying demonstrations during the fair week just ended; it's probable they will be stuck here several days; the field south of Cape Girardeau where they landed is very soft, and it is believed the machines cannot get aloft until the ground dries out some.

Recently, the Missouri Public Commission ordered the Frisco Railroad to build a passenger station at Hazel Spur, the Illmo point of boarding the Frisco trains; now it seems the time has been extended for three months, which means that for another winter, passengers must stand out in the snow, the ice and the slush to wait for their trains to come on very uncertain schedules.

-- Sharon K. Sanders