Out of the past: Oct. 13

1997

A gas leak prompted Cape Girardeau firefighters to close traffic to Houck Stadium Saturday afternoon; a "large, circus-type tent" set up near Broadway and Houck Place for Southeast Missouri State University's Homecoming celebration had a stake holding the tent driven into a gas main; the problem wasn't discovered until workers started taking the tent down.

Some businesses along Broadway are cleaning up and making repairs after a power outage yesterday; it is thought high winds on Sunday blew a high-voltage power line feeding the Union Electric Clark Street substation into another line, eliminating power to a quarter of UE's Cape Girardeau customers and knocking out nine stop lights.

1972

McCarthy Bros. Construction Co. of St. Louis is the apparent low bidder among bids opened Thursday for construction of the new Saint Francis Medical Center at Mount Auburn Road and Route K; while McCarthy's base figure was low, the bid tabulation sheet contained 33 alternate proposals, some adding costs to the base bid and some deducting various amounts; those alternatives must be evaluated before a contract is awarded.

Business of Cape State Bank's facility in Town Plaza Shopping Center will be transferred during the next two weeks to a temporary structure, already on location, to permit razing of the present building to make room for a new building of approximately 2,000 square feet of floor space; the mini-bank will have five drive-ins, two wall teller spaces and other interior features to expand bank services.

1947

Judge Rubey M. Hulen in Federal Court rejects a motion by the City of Cape Girardeau that he pass now on the question of ownership of Courthouse Park and order instead that condemnation proceedings continue looking to acquisition by the federal government of a site in the park for a new post office; intervening petitions have been filed seeking to establish that heirs of Louis Lorimier are entitled to any proceeds from the sale and that the city has no right to transfer title to it.

Law enforcement officers from Southeast Missouri attend the first session of their five-day Police Officers Training School in the afternoon at American Legion Hall; G.B. Norris, special agent in charge of the FBI office in St. Louis, explains the purpose of the school and E.F. Emrich, special FBI agent, explains the course; officers will train on auto thefts, burglaries, accident investigations and firearms.

1922

Approximately 1,000 teachers of Southeast Missouri are attending the 47th annual session of the Southeast Missouri State Teachers Association at the Teachers College; the estimate is based on the number attending the opening session of the meeting last night, when the spacious auditorium of the college was almost filled.

Bull Moose train service between Cape Girardeau and Poplar Bluff, Missouri, will be resumed early next week, according to Frisco officials; this service had been discontinued because of the coal strike; a new motor car is due to arrive in Cape Girardeau from St. Louis late today; the car was built on the principle of an automobile, with seats for 38 passengers, 800 horsepower, weighs 14 tons and is 40 feet long.

-- Sharon K. Sanders