Out of the past: Sept. 23

1993

Cape Girardeau County Emergency Operations Center director Brian Miller says more than 1 million sandbags were used around the county during the flood of 1993 -- nearly half of them at Dutchtown; now that the river is receding, many of the sandbags will be used to fill ditches; while some farmers have collected bags at Cape Girardeau to use in filling gullies, most will be taken to the city landfill for use as daily cover.

Southeast Missouri State University president Kala Stroup had the second highest salary among presidents of Missouri's public four-year colleges last fiscal year, excluding the University of Missouri system; Stroup's salary of $109,200 was exceeded only by that of the president of Central Missouri State, who made $120,733.

1968

Spiro T. Agnew, Republican candidate for vice president, tentatively plans to make Cape Girardeau a campaign stop on Oct. 3; the Maryland governor would address a noon rally at a place here yet to be determined.

Jack Stapleton of Stanberry, Missouri, chairman of the Missouri State Highway Commission, comes to Cape Girardeau at the request of Gov. Warren E. Hearnes to make an on-the-spot survey of the two Highway 74 intersections in the south part of the city.

1943

It seems the labor shortage in Jackson isn't as acute as had been surmised; the Absogood Co. has put on a night shift and now employs, part time, a number of high school boys and girls after school hours; J.R. Bowman of the Cape County Missing Co. report a number of men have applied for work at his office, but all places on the staff are filled; he referred the men to the Absogood Co.; the labor question came up recently, when Angelica Jacket Co., in St. Louis approached the Jackson Chamber of Commerce about opening a branch factory there.

Fifteen eating establishments in Cape Girardeau have been approved for the patronage of service men and are notable by the large placards on their windows or doors; there are 41 licensed restaurants in the city.

1918

According to reports brought to Cape Girardeau by Frisco trainmen, there were 15 burials in Portageville, Missouri, yesterday, 14 of the deaths having been caused by Spanish influenza.

City Clerk A.P. Behrens, secretary of the city's board of health, receives a message from the state board of health advising him that beginning at once a report must be forwarded to the state secretary giving the number of new cases of influenza and pneumonia developed and also the number of deaths resulting from either disease.

-- Sharon K. Sanders