The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-04-13
RIVER IS RAGING
Little Arkansas Is Out of Its
Banks.
PARKS ARE FLOODED
Eleventh and Seventeenth
Street Bridges in Danger.
FLOODED

| Inc Little ArhduSdS TlNer Wnlcn mas
been rapidly rising the past three or four
days is on q rampage and is out of its
banks in several places along the line o.
its course. The continual rainfall Of the
past week IN this vicinity alone has been
nearly four inches which is something
extraordinary and exceeds abe average
for the whole month of April by over an
inch and a half. Big rains 10 the north
and west of US have also helped to swell
the food that is ripping and raging along
between the banks Of the Little Arkansas
and which threatens to overflow the city
in the vicinity of the park and the north
end.
Last night the river was rapidly rising
and at sunset was up to the six foot
mark on lie guage which is higher than
the water has been since 1883.
-! c. II. Irwin reports the river out Of
its banks at the Sullivan dam, four miles
north OF town and the water is up around
and covers the roadway, leading from the
south side of the bridge at that point,
for couple of hundred feet. The water
there is high enough to reach the bed of
a wagon driven through il and the farm
ers in that section are getting somewhat
uneasy. The mill race to Chisholm creek
relieves the pressure a little UP in that
section, but not much as it now is carry
in gall the water it viii stand and the
banks are overfowed on both sides and
Chisholm CreeA is full of water and high
er than seen for some time. The water
company's pumping station is cut off
and surrounded and the water is up with
in three or four feet Of the pump house
and the employees there can only make
connection with this part Of town by boat
or wading. West of the pump house the
ground is covered with water foot deep
for distance Of a quarter Of a mile and
to the north it is all under water The
island known as Doyle's island on which
stands a small yellow house, and near the
pumping station, is all under water and
not a square foot Of dry land on it. The
house is occupied by the family of James
Kabler and they have had to vacate and
take to dry land. The approaches to the
bridge leading to the station on Central
avenue are under water and Mr.. Cramer,
the chief engineer at the pump house says
that the water is higher than he has seen
it for sixteen years. The Wichita street
railway company stopped running their
Riverside car yesterday afternoon On
the last trip made the water came up
nearly over the car wheels in several
places during the run through the parks.
The old PARK or Griswod park is flooded
and the north end of the car company
bridge is under water. The river has
swept over the banks in the north part
Of Riverside park and the circle drive
leading west from the Findlay Ross foun-
tain is all under water.
Judge Dale's fish pond is now a part
of the river and no doubt by this time his
carefully treasured stock of back bass
have probably escaped to their native
home and gone a glimmering. one cor
ner of Finlay Ross boat house is stick |
ing out Of the water which is up within
a foot OF the bank at --e Oak street /
bridge. The embankment OF approach /
leading to the Eleventh street bridge has |
been swept away and the bridge there is /
in a shal1y condition. At Thirteenth !
street the water is within eighteen inches !
of the flooring and at the Seventeenth /
bridge it is up covering the bridge string |
ers. At s O'Clock last night Chief of /
Police Frank Burt sent out a wagon /
with half dozen men to be placed as I
guards at the several bridges. The men /
were provided with lanterns and were /
placed one on each side of the river at ]
the Seventeenth street bridge, at Oak I
street and at the Eleventh street cross
ing which is totally unit for the passage /
of teams or pedestrians. No men were 4
put at the Thirteenth street bridge as I
the water on the east side is up so high +
in the low places that the bridge is IN /
approachable. The driver who returned I
with Towards wagon said last night thai /
the men left at the Seventeenth bridge I
thought that the bridge would be swept /
away before morning and that the guards /
at Eleventh street expected that bridge f
to wash away as the whole east en-
bankment was gone and the bridge rock
ing and swaying with the current. If /
one or both of these bridges goes they /
viii likely carry away the Thirteenth
street bridge and perhaps wreck the park
bridge north of Oak street The action
of the chief Of police IN placing the
guards at the different bridges was a
good one as some person might have
blundered along in the nign- with team
and drove of into the river. There IS no
immediate danger Of the city being food
ed as Ions as the Big Arkansas is not full
of water. r. however, the spring rise
sweeps down the channel OF the Big River
before the little river subsidies then Wich-
tia is liable 10 have some high water. In
Colorado and the mountains they have
had heavy snow followed by rains and
the Big Arkansas IS the natural water
way for all this surplus water. but il IS
not apprehended that this rise VIII set
here in time 10 cut in with the Little Ar
kansas and give the people OF Wichita an
old time Hood.