The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-05-30
Man and Team Drowned.
Travel stopped on the Railroads.

one OF the greatest floods eYer known
in the Cottonwood and Neosho rivers,
since the settlement Of the country, took
place this week.
Up TO last Sabbath, the 18th, II had been
raining more or less for some two weeks.
The streams were high and the ground
was thoroughly saturated with water.
Railroad tracks and bridges had been in n
preearious condition. just after ~ o'clock
on Sabbath last, heavy cloud came up
from the west, and the rain began to pour
down We do not remember 20 have eY-
er seen a harder rain than that which
fell during that afternoon. IL continued
far into the night. There were ten or
twelve hours of lncessanf, pouring rain.
Dry ravines were turucd into rushing
torrents. The whole surface OF the
country seemed almost like alake.
AS might be expected, it was found the
riyers--Neosho and Cottonwood-eac a
/ mile from town, were extremely high.
The Neosho raised twent7 feet during the
night. A good many people made prepa-
rations for leaving the bottom lands, and
some OF them came out Monday morning.
The rivers were visited by large numbers
OF people. All day the rivers came up,
and it was evident to .hose who witnessed
the overflow Of June, 1866, that the rivers
would come out of their banks.
On Tuesday morning both rivers over
flowed, and the bottoms south OF the Cot
tonwood, north OF the Neosho. east or
| town, between the streams, up towards
Americas, between the Neosho and Allen
creek, looked like one vast sea. During
the day hundreds of people visited the
streams, and viewed the grand sight from
the distant hill tops.
During Tuesday and Wednesday thous-
| ands OF acres OF growing corn, wheat and
oats laid under water, and it IS believed
great injury has been done TO the grow
ing crops. Thousands of rods OF fence
have been washed away. on Allen and
Dow creeks. two or three passenger bridg-
es were carried away. Just north OF the
Neosho forty rods of the road bed, iron
and ties, on the NJ. X. & y. road were.
washed away, and travel was suspended
for two or three days. On the track of
the A L. & S. +. u break occurred just
this side of the river, and trains were
stopped for some two days. Assistant
superintendent Pagan, Of the a. II. 81 S.
F., and Mr.. Coggswell, of the III. X. & T.,
were on hands promptly and did all in
their power TO get the ROADS in running
order ut the earliest possible moment.
II. ID. Curtis. an old citizen on Allen
creek, in trying TO get from here to Amer
ieus Monday night, lost his team, aud mar
rowIy escaped with his own life. This
occurred where q rayine crossed the wag-
OH road. We learn that young man
named Harris was drowned on the south
side of the Cottonw God. We have heard
that considerable stock was drowned, but
have no particulars. The opinion pre-
walls hat many fields of growing grain
are utterly ruined.
.-he only other time anything like this
has occurred since the settlement Of the
country was in June, 1866. At that time
the Cottonwood was supposed to be about
% feet above low water mark, We learn
from w. T. Soden, proprietor OF the km-
poria Water Mill, ut the foot Of CONNER
cial street, that the water this time was
three or four inches higher than
in 1866. The water this week ran into
the first loor of the mill, and everything
movable had TO be carried up stairs. The
Neosho, It's said, was not quite so high
as in the flood of 1866. 1t is n noticeable
coincidence that there had been about the
same number Of days rain in 1866, pre-
vious TO the heavy fall, and that the big
storm on that occasion also came on sim
day. 1t was the 10th of June, and con-
tinued from sunday iii Tuesday morn
ing. Soden's mill was then several feet
lower in the foundation than now, and he
sailed in and out of the windows in a ca
noe. Ii was thought the mill would 90
down certain. There was also very high
waters in 1865, but 1886 aud 1919, must
stand out in the history OF this country
rs the great hood years in the Neosno and
Cottonwood.
In looking over our flies for that year
we find that no very great damage TO the
crops followed, ana Jet Us hope that this
may be the case this time. We had u
local item a few weeks after that flood
which reports the yield Of 4D2 bushels of
wheat from 1884 acres ON f. Workmsn's
place, on Phenis creek--nearly 3G bushels
| TO the acre.