Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 June 1903 — DEATH AND DEVASTATION SPREAD BY FLOOD AND FIRE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

DEATH AND DEVASTATION SPREAD BY FLOOD AND FIRE

More than 50 Persons Perish in Calamity at Topeka, Kan. Suburb Across the Rtver Is Almost Destroyed by the Elements. Residents Cling to House Roofs as They Are Swept by the Torrent. nti Thousand Made Homeless by Waste of Waters in Three States. Death, wr«*'‘k and devastation have iu the wake or great floods iu 'Kansas. Nebrii*nka aud lowa. Many jjhave been drownt'd, hundreds placed iln mortal peril and tons of thoailaauds driven from their homes ,by iraging rivers swollen beyond all pretvlous measure by the rains. Two State capitals-•■ Topeka and lies MoinesWere the centers oT'Ttie ruin and suffering. To the danger of the rushing waters which had invaded both business aud residence districts of both capital* was added the more dreadful peril of tire. Submerged, the water Works of both cities and a score of lesser towns In the three Statewtiad lieen abut down and no proteetiou against flames bad been left to them. it’lro aud flood are responsible for ttie taking of 50 lives in North Topeka, a suburb of Topeka, Kan., directly ■croSH the Kansas River. Marly Nh I unlay afternoon one or two •f the water logged houses took tire. ,W,ltb Uve miles of water all around there was no means of lighting the Uames. A high wind was hlowlug and one of the burning buildings broke loose from its foundations, aud, swept ouwanl by the swirling current, spread tleatti and destruction on every hand. Acre* of Kill 111 In ir* Ablate. Noon the acres upon acres of submerged territory were dotted with burning buildings, some stationary, •onto wind blown from point to point. The floating fireships ignited whatever they touched These spread the flames • m> rapidly that at one time eighty separate tires were eoHUted from the dome of the: capital. All the preceding night and during the daylight hours the roofs of houses, factories, aud other buildings had been havens of refuge for the men, women mid children who lived and were trup-

The rains have been general, and every river iu five States is out of Its bands. Reports of loss of life and property losses will not all be in for a week, as wires are down in all directions and scores of miles of railway track have been swept away. The greatest damage has been occasioned between Kansas City and Ellsworth, Kan.,-200 miles west. At Kansas City, Kau., and In the suburban towns of Armourdale and Argentine, and at Harlem and Sheffield, Mo., near Kansas City, an aggregate of 10,000 persons have been forced to leave their

per In the district. They had not suffered for wrut of food, even though each house tout ten feet of water In It. and though the rapidity of the current prevented rescue l»y boat they all hoped that hi twenty-four hours or so the flood would subside sufficiently to allow their escape. Hut when death by tire appeared beYore I heir eyes they became panic stricken. In a number of cases they Jumped into the water long before -their arks of refuge were threatened hr the flames, preferring death by drowning to their chances of being caught by I lie tire. Futile Attempts at Escape. ■Futile attempts were made to escape thy every method that ingenuity apurred on by the sight of rapidly advsaclug death could suggest, ltafts were Improvised, on which the women and children were placed. Men threw trunk*, bureaus, tabb's and other articles of furniture Into the water, then jumped on them, and sought to float to safety. Those who escaped tlie floatjug Are as a general rule, were of little Yalue In buffeting ihe swirling torrent full of hunting driftwood and the det»rl» of wrecked houses. Buxines* in Topeka was practically kt a standstill Itecause of Memorial day a ml most of ihe stores were closed Ihe greater part of the day. The flood sad the condition, of the sufferers took the attention of everyone, to the exclusion of all else. An army of tueu was eugaged in tlie relief work, and it Would l»e idle so attempt to place an estimate on the immepse number rescued. Thousand* Given Shelter. Tlmusauds were sheltered In the public buildings and in the Auditorium 2.000 homeless people are quartered. Great wagon loads of clothing and provisions were sent and the immediate needs of the unfortunates provided for. lu this large number of refugees were Russians, Italians and aiany other of the poorer class of the ctty’sepopulatioa. A number of these arses afflicted with contagious diseases The physicians of the city say that as • result of this an epidemic 0t sickness of all kinds may be looked

homos ami 8,000 employes of the numerous packing house and railroßd shops in the bottoms are out of employment. Large District Under Water. The already flooded condition of central and eastern Kansas, whieh has been in the grasp of the flood, became acute Saturday night by n sudden rise in all streams, which were swollen by heavy rains. The rivers along which the main damage was done are the Kansas, whieh nt many places from Its source at Kansas City to Manbatton, Kan., n distance of 110 miles, has spread out ever miles of land on either side of its original bed; the Smoky Hill river, south from Manhattan, a distance of another 100 miles, touching Junction City, Abilene, Salina and Ellsworth. flooding all these towns and the intervening country; the Blue river north from Manhattan, the Missouri river north and east of Kansas City and the Lies Moines river at Des Mollies. Ilailway traffic In Kansas has been practically at a standstill for several days, dozens of big bridges having been washed out between Kansas City and Ellsworth and many miles of tracks being under water. In Kansas Oklahoma and Missouri not leas than 80,000 persons ate homeless

RESILTS OF THE FLOODS IN THE MIDDLE WEST DEAD. > North Topeka. Kan (Estimated) 50 Kansas City and Armourdale, Kan (Estimated) 50 Council Grove, Kan... 15 Dea Moines, lowa 7 Other lowa Cities .". 5 Valencia, Ivan 8 Kansas City, M0...’ 1 Oklahoma City, Okla 1 Total . 132 DYING FROM EXPOSURE. North Topeka (Estimated) 50 HOMELESS. Kansas City, Armourdale and Argentine, Kan ' 25,000 North Topeka, Kan 10,000 Dos Moines. lowa. 6,000 Other Kansas points (Estimated) 2,000 Other lowa points .... ,i 1,000 In Nebraska 1,000 Harlem aud Sheffield. Mo ...... ....... 1,000 Total 40,000 FINANCIAL LOBBES. North Topeka. Kan (Estimated)*ss,ooo,ooo Kansas City and Armourdale, Kan 4,000,000 Other Kansas Cities 2,000,000 Des Moines, lowa (Estimated) 2,000,000 Lincoln, Beatrice, and Madison, Neb 800,000 Crops in Middle West and Miscellaneous .. 3,000,000 Total 318,000,000