Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1903-06-01
DeS0IatiOn
and Distress
People Are Being Transported on Wire Cable
Where Until a Few Days Ago, a
Fine Bridge Stood.
KANSAS CITY, KAN
~ SAS, is CUT OFF

Kansas City. June The desoia!
aspect Of the flood situation here show
ed no improvement this morning ex
cept that the fires, which it was fearet
last night would spread, were put ou
by the rain and the flood itself. S,
far as rail communication was con
-cerned, the city was almost an island
The only communication, and tina
very uncertain, was by a road run
ming southeast. Business all over tht
city was suspended. Manufacturing
plants on high ground were compelled
to shut down, owing to the almost to-
tai shutting off Of the water supply
No street cars were cunning nor were
any railroad trains going to or from
the city north, west or south. Great
anxiety is felt for the safety of the
people Of Kansas City. Kas. There
has been no communication with that
city since yesterday and exhaustive
efforts to get word from there this
morning failed Of any result. Five
reporters who crossed the Kaw yester-
day before the flood had become so
serious, have not been heard from
since. Telegraph and telephone wires
north south and west were down and
there We're only few wires in shape
to do business east. The river gauge
this morning showed IS feet, having
risen from 3O.7 during the night. This
is nearly nine feet higher than that
of 1881. There was eight feet in the
Union depot. A great whirlng lake.
dotted with floating cottages, trees,
telegraph poles and other wreckage.
covers the lowlands as far as the eye
came rushing down the Missouri river,
some of it possibly from Topeka. The
committees in charge the work of re-
lief and rescue were busy early and a
special meeting Of the city council was
held during the forenoon. Thousands
of refugees at the convention hall
made their breakfast from the rations
issued by the relief committee. The
number of lives lost in this vicinity
cannot be learned for some time and
probably never will be known definite
ly. However, there seems to be ample
verification of reports which account
for the loss of more than a dozen lives
in the bottoms.
LOSS AT TOPEKA.
Topeka, Kas., June lat o'clock
this morning the Kaw river Is almost
at a stand with a slight tendency to-
ward falling There Is no rising water
from above. The rain has fallen
without cessation for the last 72 hours
but at no time has it been in the ma
ture of a cloudburst. Boats have
crossed from the south side to the
north with an abundance of provis-
ions. A number of people have been
pulled across from the stricken district
over a wire cable where the Melin
bridge stood. 1t is now believed that
the number of lives lost in the flood
here will not exceed 20, No lives were
lost in the fires and only eight build
ings were destroyed by fire. Early re-
ports were unavoidably exaggerated.
The burning of lumber piles gave the
that the whole of the north
part Of the city was going and no one
was found who placed his estimate OF
loss of life under the hundreds. With
the smoke cleared away, the Kaw fall
Ing and communication by boat less
difficult, additional light on the subject
Vas received this morning and the
reduction in the estimated loss of life
followed. About 200 people are still at
North Topeka, $50 of them being In the
upper story Of the woolen mill. They
are we'll fed but extremely uncomfort-
able. The following is the list of
known dead:
Henry Jordan, colored Mr.. Ward.
aged man; Arthur stitt, 5-year old son
Of Mr.. Garrett; child Of Mr.. Storey;
Miss Louise Zehaven; Mrs. Jackson, a
widow; Henry Luddington; John L.
Adams; Mrs. Ida Montgomery; Earl
and Amelia Rutt, both children; An
lrew Pretzel.
The property loss from best estimates
now possible, will amount to approxi- |
100000. The whole of North
Topeka is still under water seven feet
deep. While the 200 people penned up |
In the second stories Of houses have
plenty of food, they are in great need
Of good drinking water which Is being
supplied as rapidly as possible In bar
re,s and cans, The great fear at pre-
sent is that some buildings In North
Topeka may collapse because OF their
being undermined by the
water.
Additional dead are: Forest Kutz.
President Roosevelt telegraphed to-
day from Cheyenne to Governor Ball
ey, offering assistance Of the federal
II needed as follows:
"Cheyenne, wyo, June Hon. J.
w. Bailey, Topeka, Kas.-Am inexpres-
sibly shocked at the reports Of the
calamity that has befallen
Topeka. II there is anything the feder-
al authorities can do, Of course let me !,
know. Theodore Roosevelt"
The message reached the governor at ..
n O'Clock this morning.