The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-17
FEARS THE SPRING
WHY WICHITA SETTLERS WATCH
TIE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

| THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS
They See in the Present Hard Winter and
Unprecedented Snow Fall Out West q
Chance for Wichita to Get Good Duck
ing From the Big ArkansaS--The Flood
of Seventy-Seven and a Description of 1t
and Caused Much Trouble at the
Time.
There are some old settlers in Wich-
ita who are forever surprising the new
conner with the question:
| rs it showing in the Rocky noun
| tains?''
The newcomer politely declares that
he doesn't give a continental darn
what it is doing in the Rocky noun
tains and the old settler shakes his
head omniously.
The fact is that the old Wichita set
tier once got duckinS that he will
never forget. And then and there he
learned TO respect the snow in the
Rocky mountains. And every spring
he wanders down to the Big Arkansas
and watches its muddy spring tide.
These later years, the people who live
IN fear of foods take refuge behind
the irrigatiing bitches out west. But
last year the Arkansas river reached
a very high mark in spite OF the irrigat-
Ing bitches. And in this very cold
weather, with immense snow-falls in
the mountains, the old settler in Wich-
TIA sees something to view with alarm
hE. -nrr-r 1,r-
ana spring are torrid when they first
appear, the snow in the mountains
is going to melt and come down on the
Arkansas valley with a rush and a.
roar.
Too much water means that Wichita
VIII be doused, according to the old
Settler, and as this has been an unusu-
al winter he is half expecting it this
spring.
THE ONLY KNOWN FLOOD.
The famous flood in May, 1877, IS
quoted by the old settler in support of
his argument that Wichita has some
thing To fear. This is what the Eagle
said at the time. Wichita was young
then and the Eagle, as usual, gave the
town the best of the affair in its ac-
count. 1t said:
"One of the most remarkable rain
fails that ever visited any section fell
In this valley last Wednesday Inside
or two hours and fifteen minutes il was
estimated that four and halfinches de-
scended from the clouds. The face of
the valley was suddenly transformed
into lake-like appearance. The rain
did not cease. but fell at intervals all
through the day and the following
night, filling the ground and swelling
all the smaller streams. On Friday
evening the rain began again TO come
down i'll torrents and continued all
through the night. Saturday after
noon the suspense and anxiety of the
people eliminated in a frenzy by the
ringing of the fire-bell. In answer to
the alarm, word was given out that
the Little Arkansas was out of it's
banks and its waters coming down
through the town. Hundreds, headed
by the mayor. armed with shovels and
picks made a rush for the breech. The
water came on. Such tearing UP of
carpets, such getting up stairs, such
1mpromptu receptions given by neigh
bors on higher ground. given to their
neighbors on lower ground was never
witnessed in these parts before. And
then the care for squealing porkers.
reScu1ng threatened cows and horses
and general getting up and busting
was more laughable than seriotN
WATER WENT THROUGH TOWN.
''By o'clock Saturday night the
waters of the Little Arkansas We're
running quite rapidly through the low
swale below Lake Side, by the stone
yard and down through town by the
Occidental in a body from one to two
hundred feet wide and two feet deep.
Before morning it had reached the
floors of the business houses and county
offices. IN the meantime. or during the
night, the Little river broke over its
banks near the fair grounds and over
the confines of the mill-race that
r -
creek, three miles north of town. The
result was that the waters when they
reached the railroad bed were turned
back and came down over the upper
portion of the city Sunday morning
Sunday mornings sun rose over a
modern Venice and she was not want
ing in gondolas of a rude description
No church-bell disturbed the quiet of
the city, but the noise and confusion
was like unto gala day. Everybody
turned out to see how their neighborS
had Jared, for which purpose all the
lumber wagons, carriages, buggies and
vehicles of every description We're
brought into requisition. Navigation,
though tedious, was in no wise danger
Gus, there being no perceptible current
except through the low swale mention
ed which crosses all the principal
streets.
There were no mails from Thursday
rumors that were hourly put afioat
were anything but assuring, One
idiotic snooZer rode through the upper
end of town and told all the women
that q dispatch had been received of
food fifteen feet deep coming down the
valley and sweeping all life before IL.
One rumor said that Pueblo and Dodge
City had both been destroyed and that
| Hutchinson was under five feet OF
| water.
| BLAMING THE MAYOR.
1T rained again Saturday night, but
Sunday morning is cleared of. and we
hope for good, for a while. The whole
valley Sunday morning was almost
like vast lake in appearance and re-
minded us Of a remark once made by
Major Shanklin, former agent Of the
Wichita Indians, who said in early
times that he and his Indians used 10
hunt catfish hereabouts with shot-guns
and setteT-dOgs.
cot course nine out OF every ten
! blamed the city authorities in some
/ particular. But such faUlt-fndinS is
all foolishness- Nobody was expecting
! such a food, in the first place. and in
the next place. the talk OK sewering
small place like this is the merest
/ rnoonshine. One main sewer through
the entire town would bankrupt IL Tax
layers would hardly stand q thorough
system OF surface ditching and gutter
ing. and they are right About one
half Of the qUasi-cities OF Kansas to