The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-01
viewed through held glasses from the top

viewed through field glasses from the top
OF a high building on the bluff.
All the fires appear to be Isolated except
one at Eleventh and Bluff streets. which
started In a lime warehouse and spread 10
a fruit warehouse. Close TO the fruit house,
which Is still burning, is a shed containing
thirty barrels of oil. IL this should eaten
fire the flames might spread 10 the whole
sale district.
At Toad-a-loup, three blocks OF small
buildings appear to be burning, while at
another point a string of box cars are
afre.
REPORTED DEAD.
Fifteen persons have been drowned in the
west bottoms during the day. Because of
the difficulty Of recovering the bodies iden-
tifcation of most of the dead is impossible.
Tn dead as reported are as follows:
JAMES DEERMAN, drowned on Usage
avenue.
UNKNOWN MAN and TWO chill
DREN, drowned at Mill and Usage.
UNKNOWN WOMAN, dead in a mass of
drift.
WILLIAM HERBERT and two other
persons, drowned at Second and Usage.
THREE MEN and TWO WOMEN,
drowned by the capsizing of a boat near
the Union Pacific bridge.
A man on a Belt line engine which was
surrounded by water was seen TO disap-
pear.
High water and much damage to crops
and railroads are reported from the Mis-
souri, river valley east of Kansas City. AT
Buckner the river is four and one-half miles
wide, and thirty families have been driven
from home.
In Saline county the Chicago & Alton and
Missouri Pacific have suffered from wash
outs and high water. Many fields of corn
and wheat are flooded.
Thousands of acres of corn and wheat
lands in the bottoms In Cooper and How
ard counties are under water. Two steam
ers were engaged last night and to-day re-
moving families and live stock of the
Islands above and below Boonville.
notwithstanding the reports of great loss
or life very few of the stories could be
substantiated late tonight, and il will be
several days at least before there is any
accurate in this regard.
william Heisler, seventy-ive years old,
is known to nave drowned near his home in
the east bottoms this afternoon. In COM
pany with his wife, he started to leave
his home and both were borne down. Mrs.
Heisler managed TO grasp a bit OF floating
sidewalk and Chunk to it until help arrived.
Her husband was unable to fight against
the current and drowned.
Edward Blanchard, city plumbing in
spector, is authority for the statement that
three women were caught in the freight
house of the Union Pacific Railroad. He
declared that he saw them late in the aft
ernoon waving their hands and beckon-
ing for help. 1t was impossible for anybody
10 reach them, however, and they are still
imprisoned.
HUNDREDS RESCUED.
1t is estimated that $50 people were res
cued from buildings in the west bottoms
during the day. Four dray wagons were
used by the firemen and police in remov-
Ing people from buildings which were
partly under water. This was continued
until the water rose to such a height that
the horses could scarcely struggle through
Ii. Then a large number of boats were
pressed into service and refugees were re-
moved TO the approaches of the 81" road
stations from which point they could climb
TO places of SAFETY. About the middle of
through every street of the best bottoms,
was so high that people were driven to
the upper floors of buildings and 1t was
necessary to adopt other methods to res
cue them In many cases along West Ninth
street people were pulled up to the struc-
ture of the elevated roads by ropes which
mad peen thrown to them. Thirty people
We're taken out of the Baltimore Hotel at
Ninth and Mulberry street. most of them
being carried away in boats.
At III O'Clock to-day E. E. Matchette, gen.
eral manager of the Schwartzschild & Sulz-
berger packing plant. telephoned that one
hundred men were imprisoned by the water
In the packing house and asked the police
TO try to'rescue them. Three boats were
hauled to Twenty-fourth street near the
launched with two men in each.
The boats left the Missouri side at II
o'clock. At 8 o'clock they had not reached
the packing house. AT that hour there were
one hundred men on its roof and they
raised the packing house flag at half mast
and let it float. 1t was reported late to-
night that all the men had been taken off.
Among those who are said to have seen
people drowned was Sergeant Coughlin, who
Is stationed on the Twelfth-street viaduct.
From his station he saw some distance
away a woman and three children ahoat
on the roof of a small cottage. Suddenly
the wreckage gave a lurch and he saw the
occupants OF the roof no more. A boat
containing five men capsized later near the
same place, but whether the occupants
persisted or not the sergeant could not dis
Germ.
The work of rescue and relief was taken
in charge this morning by the Commercial
Club. At that time IL was the intention to
aid the people Of Kansas City, Kan. Plans
for this had been started, however, when
word came that all bridges leading to the
Kansas town were down. simultaneously
came startling reports Of the floods at
Armourdale and Argentine and the plans
originally laid to aid the city across the
kaw were quickly adopted to fit the urgent
situation close at hand. A special meeting
of the City Council has been called for