The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-04-23
THE KANSAS FLOOD.
Fearful Devastation Caused by the Water
spout or Cloud Burst.


WIoHITA, Kan, April pa special to The
Daily Eagle, dated yesterday at Medicine
Lodge, recounts the fearful results of the
water-spout or cloud burst which seems TO
have been the same that nlled the Minnesota
to OVERLOOKING. The special says that the
water rolled down over the low lands east Of
Medicine Lodge CITY Ave to twelve feet per-
pendiculsr, carrying everything in its way.
Several families are known 70 have been
drowned. Yesterday morning, parties who
had gone out to give relief, found men, wo-
men and children clingipg TO trees with moth
ing but their night clothes 10 protect
them, and some without any clothing what
ever, bat still alive. Their cries could be
heard as early as o'clock in the morning
above the racing waters. Three ate mpts
were made to rescue parties beyond the
Ilver, but each boat in turn was swampsd,
and the occupants only saved themselves by
swimming to the shore. Five bodies had
been rescued IN TO tbe hour OF writing the
dispatch, which was sent over to the hrst
railroad point by mail, when another body
was IN sight but could not be reached.
There were eight movers wagons camping IN
the bottoms. and one old man has recognized
the bodies of three of his family, his wife and
two children, FIVE and seven years of age.
James Gibbs and his daughter and niece
were washed awsy with their home. Mrs.
Harris and her little girl OF eleven years old
were found drowned. O. w. Paddock and
family, consisting of a wife and four chill
dren, are thought TO be all drowned. Frank
Shippler put his wife and child on the roof,
and bis hOuse went down. he was knocked
off by projecting limb and swan ashore,
but OF the fate OF his wife and child nothing
wss En0wu.
Later Reports from the Dsluged District.
Kansas CITY, April % The Timsss Medi-
cine Lodge, Kas., special gives the following
additional particulars of the disastrous food
there: The town is situated between the
Medicine River and Elm Creek. Early
Tuesdsy morning the food came down the
streems quickly, oye,howing their bottom
lands to depth Of about ten feet. In the
Elm Creek bottom . dozen houses we're en-
tirely destroyed, and many OF the occupants
drowned or saved only By clingiug TO the
branc es OF trees. In camps IN the bottom
were ten or fifteen emigr2nt wagons filled
with families, and not half of these
| persons have yet been found. North
| of here entire families were drowned.
the streams were so high that no cOmmn1i-
cation could be had with the east, and to-
| day the first dispatches were sent out. The
stores in town were closed yesterday, aud
every citizen engaged in the work OF rescu'
| ing people by means Of boats snd RATS from
their peril0us positions in trees and On
| house tops. This work was extremely haz
ar3ous and by nightfal there were Still
| some isolated prisoners. Ire people on
| Medicine River bottoms had earlier Tarll ag
1 and al ped with their live, though bun-
dIt6s CT cattle were drowned ana gcea'
felds OF crops ruined. Hundreds o. Gssd
animals also line the banks of Elm Cresk-
The rise started at dark on Monday night
and the rain poured steadily for six hours
which vas followed By great cloud burst
| north of the town.
Among those known to be lost are the fol
loving: G. Maddox. wife aud four children