The daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Beltrami Co., Minn.) 1903-1904, 1903-06-02
WORST IN HISTORY
kAw AND MISSOURI RIVERS ARE
AWAY ABOVE HIGHEST PRE-.
vlous MARK.
- r
KANSAS CITY is SUBMERGED
FLOOD SPREADS OVER THREE
SQUARE MILES OF CITY
AND SUBURBS.
loss To, life AND PROPERTY
CASUALTIES MAY REACH FIFTY
DAMAGE WILL RUN INTO
Z MILLIONS.

Kansas City. June 2. With the
waters of the Kaw and Missouri riy-
ers nearly four feet above the dlsas,
trous level of 1881 and their swollen
tide spread over three square miles OF
the city and its suburbs, Kansas City
is in the worst flood OF its history In
the valley of the Kaw, or Kansas river,
between this city and Kansas City,
Kan, a report says a nun Der OF lives
have been lost. One report says four
teen and another fifty. b. in the midst
OF decentralization Of traffic ard ordl-
nary means Of Communication. 1t is
impossible to verify these reports.
Twelve bodies were counted as
they f1oated past during the day. in
nearly every instance they were ly-
ing across pieces of wreckage. The
financial loss has been increasing all
day and bids fair to continue. 1t will
run into the millions.
Loss Will Reach MilIinns.
The heaviest loss Is at Armourdale.
where the losses 10 the packin9, indus
try and others is placed conservative
ly at s2,5o0,o00. Argentine. another
suburb. has suffered losses estimated
at $500,O00. Other losses which can.
not now be estimated, will increase
the total very materially.
Armourdale, with a population Of
16 1000 people is deserted, and its site
marked only by the tops of buildings
and number of fires. Seven fires.
believed to be chiefly box cars burn
ing, could be seen from the bluffs last
night There is some danger that the
flames will spread to the partially
submerged buildings. adding greatly
to the already heavy loss. The fire
started by the intrusion OF the water
into lime house. All bridges over
the Kaw river are down and the only
communication with Armourdale is by
boat.
Trains Are All Tied up.
Kansas City is without a water
supply, the flood having disabled the
pumping statiou and the utmost care
is being taken that no fires break out
Even "a small fire it is feared would
start contiagration. Only one street
car line in the cityNis running. Tie
city is blockaded with trains unable to
get out Not train has gone out ex-
cept to the east, and it is said there is
little prospect of an Improvement in
the situation for several days.
Hundreds of rescues, some of them
made by the narroWest of margins, oc-
Cured.
Two-thirds of Argentine, railway
and manufacturing town on the south
bank of the Kansas river six miles
from here is inundated by 12 to 20
feet of water and probably $700,D00
damage has been done.
Homeless and Destitute.
Probably 5000 of the $500 inhab-
itants are homeless and 5000 are des-
titute. Three bridges have been swept
away, all the railway tracks and fac
tories are under water and business is
suspended.
The current,of the river has left the
old channel and has moved south, talk
ing all the buildings in it's path. The
Santa Fe track is under water all the
way to Holiday, eight miles from Ar
gentine UP the Kansas river valley.
The Turner bridge three miles above
Argentine, went out at 1880 O'Clock
yesterday morning Its wreckage
lodged against the county bridge at
Argentine. which succumbed at noon.
The Belt Line steel railroad bridge.
Just below the county bridge, fell i'm
mediatelye afterward. Then in sue
cession the Twenty-fourth street
bridge and the county bridge at Fifth
street
Were Carried Away.
The railroad bridge was valued at
$4,000 and the fother four at $4,000
each, making the bridge loss s175,00
Five hundred frame dwellings, are I'M
der water, and with further rise
many will be swept away.
The river is full of wreckage and
crowds ofspeople lined the banks yes
terday. watching the procession of
houses. cars, trees and other debris
that f1oated down
The loss Of the bridges and the sus
pension of street car travel and tele-
phone service have almost isolated
Argentine There would have been a
famine yesterday but for the discovery
of two refrigerator car loads of meat
in the railroad yards and the gen