The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-05-25
THE GREAT FLOOD.
The Arkansas and 90 eGOn-
wood Overflow their
Banks.
Wichita, Hutchinson and Other Towns
Under Water.

Banks.
Wichita, Hutchinson and Other Towns
Under Water.
Great Damage to Property and Crops.
Highest Water Known for Many Years.
The heavy rains which had pre-
vailed here and throughout the
whole of Western Kansas culmiua-
ted in the hardest storm aud heev-
lest fall of water known for many
years on Friday. All day long FRI
day heavy black clouds hung off to-
ward the Arkansas and upper Cot
tOnwood. These streams were al
ready greatly swollen from previ-
Gus rains, and the earth was every
where thoroughly soaked. This
additional storm, which lasted about
ten hours in the west and south
west, was well calculated to cause
serious app-ehensiens for the dam
age it threatened both to the towns
situated on the bottoms and the
growing crops.
We have not been able to obtain
much that is reliable from the Ar
kansas valley. Reports are in cir
culation that Wichita aud Hatchin-
son have been under water several
feet deep, and that in many instsn-
ces houses and stores had to be de-
serted. The following is the latest
from Wichita TO the Common
wealth:
WICHITA, KS, MAY 81, 1877.
Both the Big, and Little Arkansas riv-
ers are falling slowly; also the smaller
streams. The bridge over the Little Ar
The crops along the lower valleys are
damaged some. Part of our city is still
under water. 1t is hard to estimate the
damage yet, but it is not very great. No
mails since Thursday.
r. p. MURDOCH.
We learn that at Hutchinson the
water ran into the windows of the
houses, and that much damage has
been done.
A gentleman who came from the
west Monday night and stopped
over here says that at Florence par
ties were fishing from the doors of
Pixies hotel. He saw many large
fields of wheat which had promis-
ed so well, lying fat upon the
ground, literally in the mad. The
track on the Santa Fs road is in
many places washed away for con-
siderable distances, or badly dam
aged. The injury to the Santa Fe
company must be counted by the
tens of thousands of dollars. at
Newton Sand creek rose so rapidly
that many families had to be taken
from their houses. Work will be
hindered on the Florence and Edo
RADIO railroad about a month.
The trains on the Santa Fe road
arrived here all the week from one
to five hours late, and Saturday and
Sunday they could not go through
to Newton. Many of the bridges
were considered in dangerous con-
dition. No mail came from Wich-
tia or west of Newton since Friday
of last week till a. IN. of Wednes-
day this week.
We are permitted to make the
following extract from letter
written by a prominent citizen of
Marian Center, to a gentleman in
this city, dated May 21st:
Water from three to four feet deep all
over town Saturday, and every sidewalk
in it washed OF. No serious damage here;
only two horses and about TIVE hundred
hogs drowned, and some cellar wallis fall
len in. Not more than One-half dozen
houses in town thai it did not come from
three 10 twenty-siA inches over their
floors.
The Kaw valley seems to have
shared the same fate as the Arkan-
sas and the Cottonwood. AT Law
renee, Topeka and all along the X.
p. road the damage to the track has
been great, while the river is repor-
ted higher than since 1858. The fol-
lowing dispatch explains itself:
TOPEKA, May 2l.-No trains to-day
west of Manhattan on the X. p. road or
west of Emporla on the Santa Fe. The
eastward bound trains on the two roSds
combined here ana went on over the K.
II. to Perry, where they found that they
could not get through and came back.
The trains of the two rosds came from
Kansas City on the K. p. track to Law.
renee, crossed the river there and went
over the Lawrence u Carbondale road &c
the latter place, the Santa Ee coming in
here and the X. p. going on to EmpOris
d. L. track. The Cottonwood and the
Arkansas rivers are overlooked, and the
bridges on all the streams are carried
away. The train from Atchison is the
only one that Came in on time to-day.
The Commonwealth of the 23d
says the Santa Fe company had
men at work all day Tuesday on
the Kaw river railroad bridge to
keep it from gong off. From the
same date we clip the following:
There was no eastern mail received
here yesterday. The Atchison mail go
here about p. m. 1t was brought aer Os!
| by wagon, the railroad company no
| deemIng 1t safe to cross the railroad
bridge. The train from the west on the
Santa Fe came through, we believe, from
E.lenwo0d. This shows that this roaC
is not in as bad q candItion as was feared
An unprecedented riot occurred
in Albany, New York, on the 18th
Governor Robinson had vetoed thu
bill appropriating 81, 100000 to con
tinue the werk on the new cspito
building there. When the assem-
bly, came to vote on passing the bill