Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 June 1903 — FIFTY DEAD IN KANSAS CITY. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FIFTY DEAD IN KANSAS CITY.

Kaw and Mlisonri Rivera Overflow an t Work Great Havoc. Kansas City, Mo., and its suburbs are enduring the worst Hood ill their history. Fifty persons are reported killed, and millions of dollars' worth of property has been destroyed. The waters of the Kaw and Missouri Rivers are four feet above the disastrous level of 1881, and their swollen tide spreads over.tweive square miles of the city and its suburbs. Twelve bodies were counted ns they floated past on Sunday. In nearly every instance they were lying across pieces of wreckage.

The heaviest financial loss is at Armourdale, where the losses to the packing industry and others are placed conservatively at $2,500,000. Argentine, another suburb, liar suffered losses estimated at $500,000. Other losses which cannot now be estimated will increase the total very materially. Artnourdale, with a population of 10.000 people, is deserted, and its site marked only by the tops of buildings and a number of fires. _ Two- thirds of Argentine is under water. Over 4,500 people in this suburb found safety in the higher part of the town. All bridges over the Kaw Hirer are down and the only communication with Armourda) Is by boat. Kansas City is without a water supply, the flood having disabled the pumping station, and the utmost care is being taken that no fires shall break out. Even a small fire, It is feared, would start a conflagration. Only one street car line in the city was running, owing to the disabling of the power plants by the flood. Two-third* of Argentine, a railroad and manufacturing .town on the south bank of the Kansas River* six miles from Kansas City, is inundatedyby ten to twenty feet of water, and probably $600,000 of damage has been done. Forty-five hundred of the 0,600 irihabkents are homeless, and nearly 3,008 are destitute. Five bridge# have been swept away, all the railroad tracks and fiptoriee are under water, and business is suspended.

SHADED PORTION OF MAP INDICATES FLOODED TERRITORY.