Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-01

Gre could not be less than 10000. The
other fires were scattered over a district
Ave miles long by three miles wide and In
every instance are supposed TO be lime cars.
Il was impossible TO approach within a
mile Of them, but none was large.
Loss of Life.
Notwithstanding the reports Of great loss
Of life very few of the stories could be
-substantiated late tonight, and it will be
several days at least before there is any
accurate information in this regard.
William Heisler, Is years of age, is kno yn
to have been drowned near his home in the
east bottoms this afternoon. In company
with his wife he started to leave his home
and both of them were borne down. Mrs.
Heisler managed to grasp a bit Of floating
idewalk and chung to it until help arrived.
Her husband was unable to light against
the current and was drowned.
Edward Blanchard, city plumbing in
spector. is authority for the statement that
three women are caught in the freight
house of the Union Pacific railway. He
declares that he saw them late in the after.
noon waving their hands and beckonine for
help. 1T was impossible for anybody 10
reach them, however, ana they are stil
imprisoned.
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 removing
people from buildings which were partially
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 int
service and refugees were removed to the
approaches of the L Road stations from
which point they could climb TO places ~
safety. About the middle Of the afternoon
the stream which surged through every
street OF the west bottoms was so high thai
people were driven to the upper floors Of
buildings and it was necessary to adopt
otner methods to rescue them. In MANY
cases along West Ninth street people were
pulled up to the structure Of the elevated
road by ropes which had been thrown 70
tnem; thirty people were taken out OF the
Baltimore hotel at Ninth and Mulberry
streets, most Of them being carried away
in boats. ~
hundred in Packing House.
At II o'clock today E. E. Machette. gen.
eral manager OF the Schwarzschild G. Sulz.
Derser packing plant, telephoned that 100
men were imprisoned by the water in the
CNS oAAo the police 10 IrU
and rescue them. Three boats were hauled
to Twenty-fourth street, near Turkey creel,
pumping station, and were launched with
two men in each boat. The boats left the
Missouri side at IL o'clock. At 8 O'Clock
they had not reached the packing house,
because at that hour there were 100 men
upon its roof and they raised the packing
house flag at halfmast and let it loaf II
was reported late tonight that all the men
had been taken of.
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 chill.
dren afoat on the roof of a small cottage.
Suddenly the wreckage gave q lurch and
he saw the occupants of the roof no more.
A boat containing five men capsizeds later
near the same place. but whether the oc.
cupants persisted or not the sergeant could
not discern.
The work of rescue and relief was taken
in charge this morning by the Commercial
club and at the time 1t 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. Stimuli.
NAh6 AtPOANo - ~
floods at Armourdale and Argentine and
the plans originally laid to aid the city
across the Kaw river were quickly adopted
TO fit the urgent situation close at hand.
A special meeting of the city council has
been called for tomorrow morning.
A great body of water coming from the
west swelled the Kansas river Mt Kansas
City, Kan, this morning, causing Il most
alarming rise. Waters rushed with terrific
force over the outlying tracks and the
crowded wholesale districts Of the west bot
toms, and finally into the Union depot. At
10 o'clock a mile OF big wholesale houses,
and freight depots were entirely
surrounded, Easements that yesterday were
partly submerged We're soon hrimful and
water began to reach the first floors. Within
fifteen minutes the tracks entering the
western end of the Union depot were ell
tirely submerged, and at il o'clock the
water had risen at such a rapid rate that
the thousands of delayed passengers were
making preparations to leave for The high
ground up town.
Union VENUE. on which the Blossom
house and numerous smaller hotels, res.
taurants and stores are located, is Il run
ming stream. The water rose so fast in the
Vicinity OF the depot that many persons
were forced to remove 10 second floors and
preparations were made hurriedly to re-
move the passengers up town. Trains that
have been waiting in the depot for hours
for an opportunity to start west and south
a foot deep in water. No trains have
left Kansas City for the west or south
since last night and none will leave todav
and perhaps not for several days. Trains
from the east also are late, many an
having met the food nov being
caused by the rise in the Missouri rive
of here.
Losses Into the Millions,
The losses in the wholesale districts viii
aggregate well into the millions. and the
losses to the various packing houses nearer
the river will be tremendous. The street
directly In front of the big Armour pack
ing plant is under hve feet of water. Ar
mour d Company have a force of 200 men
at pumps trying to keep the rising
waters out of the buildings. At the s,oer-
ONCE II was stated this morn
Ing that the plant will continue 10 onerata
a tull force unless the water goes much
All OF the hundreds of smaller
near the ordinary banks ~ tba
Missouri river which depend upon the ,lver
Tor power, are under water, and thew viii
be forced TO suspend till the river recea.s
throwing thousands of men out M an
ployment. ~"
n entire stock yards, situated on tha
state line are submerged, many of the mems
being hve feet deep in water. The base
ment of the TJua Gto,tr