The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-04-26
ROSE I5 FEET.
The Kansas River Makes a Sud
den Rise.
Packs Acres of DriftWOOd
Against the Bridges.
SOME PROMPT WORK
Prevents the Bridges From Co.
ing Out.
Thousands Visit the River to
See the Sight.
SOME PROMPT WORE

Were you down to see the river yes
terday?
If you were you saw the sleepy old
Kaw rushing madly toward the east
like mountain stream. There was
water and drift wood in abundance
work for many men and an interesting
view for thousands of people.
The Kansas river began rising Sat
urday night. and by Sunday morning it
was bank full and in some places over
flowing.
Dead trees logs and brush were dis
lodged from the banks and came down
stream rapidly.
At the point where the Santa Fe
crosses on the AtchisOn branch, the
| bank is low. The river overf1owed and
| there was water five feet deep over the
| Topeka railway tracks, making travel
over the trolley road to Oakland i'm
possible.
There has not been an electric car to
Oakland since Saturday evening; the
indications are that travel may be re-
sumed over that line sometime this eV-
ening or tomorrow morning.
The main point of interest yesterday
was a the Kansas avenue bridge. The
river yesterday afternoon had reached
| the point on the water guage of l472
| feet above low water mark.
All the works of the new bridge We're
| completely submerged and the fiat boats
containing pile drivers ana ell
gineS were taken to points OF SaIely
not to bee seen and the causeway con-
| structed from the island to the north
| bank was swept away The island was
| being removed and the dirt and sand
| thus recovered was placed at the north
| bank, where fill will be made.
| The water yesterday covered almost
| the whole island and the swift current
| did the work of washing the sand and
| dirt away-much swifter than Abe Full
| ford could do it
/ The greatest sight was at the west
| side of the trolley car bridge Large
| quantities of driftwOod had hOated
| down and lodged against the bridge.
| On account of its construction it pre-
| sented a face which seemed to catch
nearly every log over six feet in length.
A large force of Topeka railway men,
| city employees and bridge men were at
work from early sunday morning uhll4
/ late into the night and today the work
| of removing the drift Is being pushed
| BY rapid work three channels We're
| kept open for the logs and trees to pass
| through Men walked about on the
| temporary island just as if it had been
| solid land. The drift was packed to-
| eyether very closely and it required
| much power to loosen any part of it.
| Two electric cars are kept on the
| bridge to which are hitched ropes for
pulling the drift apart piece oy piece.
| 1t is a slow, tedious and expensive
| job.
There are now two large piles of drift
| against the bridge The larger IS ol-
J
! fully 100 by 200 feet in extent. The 9TH
| er one is south of it and about one-half
| as large It will be two or three days
| before the drift is entirely removed.
| Assistant Superintendent HiXon, OF the
| Topeka Railway says that he has seen no
| less than 20 carcasses of animals floating
| down the river. All appeared to have
| been dead some time, a fact when was
! nafnfulIy evident to the person who stood
| oD the bridge and breathed the river air
/ Councilman o. D. Skinner worked like
| a +rooDer Yesterday morning assisting in
! the drift above the troll
| lev bridge. He was directly under She
| bridge and two or three times when logs
| fell into the stream he got thorough
| ducl1ing But he was dressed for the oc-
| casion and his services were gratis to the
The crowds which visited the river yes
| to-day were immense 1t required the eff
| forts of four policemen to keep people
| 1cen,,a LolIl bridge PeoDIe insisted on placing
| themselves in dangerous places regard
| less of warnings. Several logs struck the
| f-al niers of the old bridge and when
| tbev did the structure shook like a leaf.
one log three feet in diameter and full
" IN feet long struck a middle pier square
" People standing near it ran in terror
| and many thought the bridge would sure
| II he Washed down stream. The pier was
! strained and moved slightly and after eff
| ed and sent on down the river.
| The crowd which is watching the work
| at the bridge today is somewhat smaller
! than yesterday. One of the most inter
tbe river esereneIy smoking his pipe and
| specllating on the conditions and prOba-
BE completion of the work.
| Manager Patten of the Topeka Railway
company says that the. drift has not in
| iured their bridge. 1t is difficult to say
! whether the old bridge piers have been
loosened or not Drivers of heavily load
| ed wagons are warned before they go
| over, mat the old structure is not safe. So
| far there have been no accidents reported
| Incident to the high water al Topeka.
! This morning man who gave MS name
as Johnson was standing on the Old
| bridge contrary to orders, watching the
| work when a farmer drove his wagon
against him. The hub caught Johnson's
leg and squeezed it against the bridge
"a ling The mans trousers were torn
aud his leg badly bruised but no bones
He remarked to PatroIman Whitaker
as he was hauled away in a buggy: III
sue the city for $4,000 for this"
| Today the water in the Kansas river il
falling Last night about II 0 clock it had
reached its highest mark-151a feet above
low water mark. This noon it was 13 feet
above and is falling slowly