Out of the past: Oct. 24

1999

Members of Lake Girardeau Assembly of God Church in Crump recently burned the mortgage note on their loan for land; a special service was held earlier this month to commemorate the debt retirement; the church, which has 35 members, paid off its $26,000 note in less than 11 months.

Good help is getting even harder to find; the high level of employment demand, which has prevailed for more than two years in Southeast Missouri area, is expected to continue; although more than 500,000 pink slips have been passed out by U.S. companies during the past year, and at least another 500 jobs will be lost in Cape Girardeau and Scott counties over the next six months, new hires have surpassed those numbers; while both Florsheim and Columbia Sportswear are planning to close plants at Cape Girardeau and Chaffee respectively, other manufacturing companies, like Thorngate Ltd., are looking to hire a few good people.

1974

Bill Franklin Jr., 19, of Cairo, Illinois, dies early in the morning at St. John’s Mercy Hospital in St. Louis, after he was critically injured Tuesday night in an explosion and fire at the Illinois Waterway Terminal at Birds Point; a second man injured in the explosion and fire, Anthony Morris, 23, of Wyatt, is in fair condition at St. John’s Hospital.

Two illegal immigrants from Mexico are released after questioning by the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff’s Office because, according to Sheriff Ivan E. McClain, U.S. Immigration authorities at St. Louis refused to come to Jackson to take them into custody; the pair, both of whom admitted entering the the U.S. illegally, are released by deputies after two hours of questioning by an interpreter.

1949

Missouri Pacific freight service into Cape Girardeau, tied up more than six weeks by the strike of operating employees, will likely resume Wednesday or Thursday, says local agent J.C. Tinsley; the strike was settled yesterday.

A three-room, frame dwelling in the Smelterville suburb was destroyed by fire early yesterday morning, but firefighters saved a second house only eight feet away; destroyed was the residence of G. Tailor, while the home of Willie C. Kim’s was saved; since there are no water hydrants in the vicinity, firemen were required to haul two tanks of water in the auxiliary truck from the John Dietiker store, 2004 S. Sprigg St., six blocks away.

1924

The Southeast Missourian published a pen and ink sketch of its new building, which is being erected at the corner of Broadway and Lorimier Street; more men are now employed on the building by J.W. Gerhardt Construction Co., which has the contract for its erection, than were ever employed on a building in Cape Girardeau; the favorable weather is permitting the work to proceed marvelously fast; the first floor over the basement is now being poured.

At a recent meeting of representatives of Illmo, Fornfelt and Ancell, the temporary organization of a Tri-City Chamber of Commerce was accomplished; J.E. Kinkead was elected president and W.M Wigger secretary of the tentative organization, to officiate until a permanent body can be formed.

Southeast Missourian librarian Sharon Sanders compiles the information for the daily Out of the Past column. She also writes a weekend column called “From the Morgue” that showcases interesting historical stories from the newspaper.