Out of the past 8/3/05

25 years ago: Aug. 3, 1980

The Rev. John E. Owen is the new pastor of First Baptist Church in Cape Girardeau; he is the grandson of Dr. E.D. Owen, who was pastor of First Baptist in the late 1920s and early 1930s; his father, Dr. Franklin Owen, executive secretary of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, was ordained and licensed as a Baptist minister at First Baptist.

MOUNDS, Ill. -- Damage is estimated at a minimum of $500,000 as the result of yesterday's fire at the Hudson Grain Co., which destroyed one building and damaged another; firefighters from six area fire departments labored for four hours in near 100-degree heat to bring the blaze under control.

50 years ago: Aug. 3, 1955

Four-H Club members yesterday in an intensive canvass of merchants of Cape Girardeau and Jackson sold a total of 27,380 booster tickets to the District Fair; the tickets, priced at 10 cents each, were offered to merchants in blocks of 100 and 250.

There will be 7,246 persons in Cape Girardeau eligible to vote in the special election Aug. 16 on the $165,000 bond issue to finance a new municipal swimming pool.

75 years ago: Aug. 3, 1930

Contractor E.L. Markham is making progress paving Highway 61 west of Jackson; a large force of men pour 720 feet of slab today, Sunday; within another two weeks, all of the slab to the intersection with Highway 25 at Jackson should be completed.

The severe drought has worked a hardship on Cape Girardeau sportsmen, who have sought vainly during the past few days to "get a bite" in any of the many district streams and other fishing holes; streams are lower than they have been in 25 years.

100 years ago: Aug. 3, 1905

Adam Weber, who has been taking the poll on the county courthouse proposition in the First and Fourth wards, finished his work yesterday.

The board of health meets and, after much discussion, decides to ask the city council to appoint John Grieb a special sanitary officer; in the meantime, reports from southern fever districts show the disease is spreading, and that most every city in the country is already at work cleaning up and preparing to prevent a possible outbreak of any disease.

-- Sharon K. Sanders