Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-01
FLOODS WORK GREAT HAVOC
Topeka Finds No Relief from the OOnd-
tions Of Saturday.
MANY ARE RESCUED BY STEAM LAUNCHES
Kansas City and las suburbs, KRnsa
CITY, Kaa., ArmourdaIe and Arr
Bentine, suRer Losses IBtO
the Millions.

CONTINUED from First Page.)
street car just north of the bridge and
have been there for thirty hours. but will
be rescued. Eighteen people were rescued
late this afternoon from a house at 1908
North Monroe street. From this place the
current is now swift and after great labor
the place was reached. A man who has
just returned from the scene of the food
says he could see as many as ten persons
hanging from trees near the sardou avenue
bridge, at the foot OF Morse street.
Rescuers I'm Danger.
E. ID. Lang and Charles Walden, Santa
Fe employees, started cut in a boat early
today TO rescue q Russian whom they saw
on the roof Of a house not far from the
south bank of the river. They got the
Russian in The boat, which Immediately
capsized. The three found resting places
In trees. where they remain at this time.
Another party Is trying to rescue the trio.
At $3.50 o'clock the water had receded
exactly seven and a half inches an hour.
Before this a rise of an inch had been re-
ported. The gauge went UP and down all
afternoon until at 3 o'clock a fall set in.
At 4 o'clock the water had left the first
floor of the Rock Island general offices,
but was yet six feet deep just outside the
building. 1t was then that b gang of tele-
graph linemen succeeded in having a heavy
wire cable stretched across the top of the
pontoon bridge. A large sand dipper was
attached to this and used to take large
Quantities Of provisions TO those who were
not yet rescued. The first food victim to
be rescued by the cable was Rev. A. N.
Pearson. pastor OF the North Topeka Eng
lish church. MI Pearson said:
w spent three days on the top OF our
house. We were fairly warmly dressed,
but had only two loaves of bread for our
family of four during that time. All day
Saturday and today we had nothing to eat.
Our situation was desperate and extremely
uncomfortable, but we at no time lost faith
In the ultimate ability of our friends to
rescue us. Yesterday my wife and chill
dren were rescued. Today my turn came
and I canot begin to tell how thankful
l am
Minds Fail Under strain.
w. N. Keppard and wife, aged people,
were rescued at 4 o'clock. They were so
numb that the could not feel and had to
be knocked down into the water before the
men could reach them. They were stand
ing close together i'm the attic of a house
M so severe has been their experience
that their minds gave away under the
strain. They cannot recover. A Mrs. An
derson and her 1-year-old baby a been
for three days i'm a tree In plain sight of
people who we're powerless to rescue them.
The mother clasped her child close In her
arms and managed to brace herself against
a tree in a reasonably secure position. For
three days she kept up the battle for life.
Az I o'clock her rescue was very near, but
she lost consciousness Both mother and
child fell into twelve feet OF water and
were drowned, being Immediately drawn
under by the current.
Harvey Parsons. a local newspaper man,
had a thrilling experiences. He took a boat
Friday night. made his way to a house
hoping to make some rescues, A woman
md baby. names unknown. were. in the
house and Parsons took them into his boat.
They proceeded only n short distance when
the boat capsized. Parsons ,contrived to
get himself and the others up into a tree
and there they remained until 3 o'clock
this afternoon, when rescued. They were
brought to a place of safety, but will prob
ably not survive.
Steamboats, DO Good Work.
Two small steamboats, were put into SER
vice at 4;30, one from ottawa, and the other
from ST. Joseph. BY this means the work
of rescue was greatly facilitated. One OF
the boats brought eighteen people and
landed near the dessicating plant. They
fioated half a mile and became lost north
OF the Melan bridge. This was before the
food had reached it's height.
Fourteen people had entered a tranded
street car. but soon had to seek the roof.
Standing in this uncertain position for
twenty-four hours. their condition was
desperate until they were taken off at 4:45
with the aid of the big cable.
B. l.. Wise. former city engineer. was
dragged from the hay loft of a barn. He
was unconscious and numb from cold. but
soon revived. His story of thu beginning
of the flood is dramatic,
BY aid OF small steam and gasoline
launches, forty men in South GARFIELD park
were rescued. They had perched them
selves In trees. They had nothing to eat
for thirty-siN hours, These men we're in
a fenced grove, where they could not keep
q close watch of the situation. All they
could see was the angry water rushing
about among the trunks of the trees. One
OF the men said they could not hear each
other speak above the roar of the water.
Uncertainty was thus added to their other
misery and not one OF them had any hopes
OF escaping,
Patrick BeliRe, his wife and three small
children were taken from the attic OF three
small dwellings. The parents were obllge
to hold two younger children constantly
in order TO keep their heads above water.
They were nearly starved and probably
cannot ecove
Miss Annie Noble, operator at the Union
Pacific railroad headquarters in North
Topeka, was forced to leave the building
when the water covered the floor Vv,.L
her mother and young sister the plucky
young woman took up housekeeping quar-
tiers In an abandoned horse car. This was
good enough shelter until the water rose
a foot above the floor OF the car, hut there
they had to stay until today, when they
were included among the rescued.
Passenger Are ImprIsOned.
Near the Rock Island depot Is a pas-
senger train of seven coaches stalled by
the mood. The train came in Friday night