The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-20
GREAT FLOOD OF 1914.
When the Great June Rise Covered
sections Along the MissOuri River.
From the ST. Louis Globe Democrat.

| From the 81. Louis Globe Democrat.
WASHINGTON, July 29E-The flood Of the
| Brazos was without precedent for that To-
caity. 1t still puzzles the government mete-
| biologists, who can only account for 1t by
most unusual conditions of rainfall. The
fact is interesting to recall that similar
| surprise occurred in the Missouri valley over
half a century ago. AS 1.-THE great flood OF
1874" II has place in the local history.
From the earliest Indian traditions to the
present time that stands as the greatest flood
Of the lower Missouri There had been no.
thing to compare with 1t before. There has
been nothing like 1t since. In the records Of
the government weather service these data
about the flood of 1874 are preserved:
1.-The stage reached on the present scale
of river measurements was 81 feet on June
20 at Kansas City. 16 feet above the danger
line. At Bonneville the river reached 1915
feet two and half days later, which was
1875 feet above the danger line at that
place. The flood was caused by the coinc-
dence Of unusually heavy and protracted
rains. with what Is known as the June
RISE the melted SHOWS from headwaters.
1t is said that about, the middle of April
lLo rains Dtkdu W ldll III DTleI buONeTS
nearly every other day After few weeks
it began to rain every day. 1t poured down
for days and weeks, almost without cessa-
ton. The river was rising quite rapidly, but
no danger was anticipated. for the Oldest
settler had never seen a general and de-
structive overflow, and did not know that
such thing could occur. The river con-
tinued to rise, however, at the rate of twelve
to eighteen inches day until June s, when
1t went over its banks, and the situation be-
came alarming. The channel was full of
driftwood; occasionally log house aoated
down, with chickens and turkeys on the
roof. In several instances men, women and
children were seen on the tops of houses
floating hther and thither, and turned and
twisted about by heavy logs and Jams, but
the people were rescued by parties in skffs
"On June 20 the water had reached its
highest point and the next day began to
fall, but the damage done seemed absolute
and the ruin complete. The flood extended
from bluff to bluff, generally, two miles.
There was not an acre Of dry land in the
rive bottoms from Kansas City to the
mouth OF the river The rains subsidized, and
the river fell rapidly few persons moved
back to their farms in what was then
very sparsely settled region, and, although
1t was impossible to do any farming until
the latter part of July. 1t is reliably re-
ported that enough corn was raised that
SS.ieoh ava thc pSoPo III many places to
subsist on.
Where Kansas City now stands the flood
was about three miles wide. In what Ia
now known as the packing house and
wholesale district where the Union depot
stands and all the switching grounds are
located the water was about ten feet deem
The food extended over the present site NJ
Armourdale and Argentine In Kansas, near
the mouth Of the Kaw but there were few
settlements at the junction of the Mississippi
sequence OF the great flood was the season
OF sickness which followed and the high
rate OF mortality. 1t Is said that IL was
Impossible to find we'll person on account
OF the miasma resulting from the decaying
animal and vegetable matter. Chills and
fever prevailed in their most malignant
form, followed in the winter by spinal
meningitis, then called head disease
which proved very fatal. An important
fact connected with this food was that
steamboats, going UP the river found It as
low as usual above St. Joseph, Mo- All the
tributaries of the Missouri, in the state M
Missouri, are believed to have overlooked
their banks in 1874 very extensively, al
though In that early day there was scarcely
anything to damage along the streams in
the way OF personal property.
The HOOD level at Kansas City was de-
termined and marked on a pier of the Han
nibal bridge when 1t was being constructed
by Mr. Octave Chanute who was SUPER
vsing engineer Of construction. The stage
was obtained by the collation. Of eleven or
twelve high-water marks. preserved by old
settlers on both sides of the river Mr.
Chanute states that there was practical
agreement In the we'll authenticated marks.
Some years after the completion of the
bridge, few local engineers expressed some
doubt as to the accuracy OF the stage,
claiming that 1t was too high, but Mr.. Cha
mute who was then building a bridge across
the Missouri at Sibley. about thirty n,iISS
east OF Kansas City, found the high water
marks at that place to correspond very
closely with the established mark at Kan
sas CITY; after allowing for the slope of the
river. MI Chanute tested all data worthy
OF consideration In his determination. an
that there is nothing upon which 10 base
q doubt of its accuracy"