The Topeka state journal., 1903-05-29
IN PANIC.
Abilene Business Houses Col
People Wild.
Smoky Is Four Niles Wide at
That Place.
THE DAMAGE is GREAT.
Country Around Skiddy Has
Been Devastated.
T1nnrooadou%od Rainfall Qoro,.4
THE DAMAGE is GREAT.
Unprecedented Rainfall Report
ed at Other Places.

Fifteen inches of water fell in Abilene
last night, business houses are coIaps-
ing and the entire town is panic stricl-
en-. The business block belonging to c.
H. .Pattison, of Topeka. the largest block
in the city. collapsed during the night
last night. It was ? three-story brick
with two store rooms on the ground
floor. One was occupied by Minnick &
Taylor, hardware, and the other by Mrs.
Clark. millinery and notions. 1t is not
known whether any one was in the
building at the time or not. The build
ing just seemed to collapse into the
ground.
The postof1ce block is in danger and
guards have been stationed to keep
people away from it
Next to the postofiee is J. B. Cases
big store 1t is the highest point in the
business part of town, yet the basement
is filed with water. aud there is $4,000
worth of merchandise in it.
During the night the big lumber yard
of Johntz. Rice & Nicolay took fire in
some way and burned.
The entire town is panic stricken. 1t
is impossible to get around on account
of the water. Women are prostra ted
ana the people are AFRAID OF W0dE VIII
happen next.
The Smoky river Is three or four miles
wide at Abilene, and it is reported that
every wagon and railroad bridge around
there is out.
This information came by telephone
at noon today to J. B. Case who is here
attending the bankers convention. Mr..
Case was awakened during the night
and told that the report had been re-
ceived that Abilene had been destroyed
From that time on he tried TO get COM
municatloD with somebody there. but
did not succeed until noon. when he
got telephone connection by way of
Hutchinson.
Mr. Case was talking with Senator
Burton, his son, Charles Case. and with
the operator at Abilene Efeee GemMin.
Find the highest point you can and
stay there" was Senator Burton's ad-
vice. The flood is something terrible.
beyond imagination and it is sweeping
down the river
Mr. Case is afraid his building will
collapse also. 1t is next to the post
office building, which has been roped off
and into which people are afraid to &c.
He says his residence stands on a ter
race five feet above the street, and yet
the water came up so high that it filed
his cellar.
The flood is undoubtedly the most ter
rible thing that ever occurred in central
Kansas, and the real extent of it can
city of Abilene is not yet known, and
what the flood did in the surrounding
country perhaps will not be known for
several days.
The rain seemed to have extended all
over central and northern Kansas. all of
which is drained by the Kaw- tele-
phone message from COncOrdla to w M.
Peck of the Cloud County bank, who is
waterbOund in Topeka, states that an
other heavy rain fell there last night,
and the Republican is two miles wide.
A considerable number of the bankers
who have been in Topeka are water
bound here Others left on a Rock
Island train yesterday and are tied up
at Mcfarland
A J. Whitmore. chief clerk in the Of
fee Of the secretary of state, wished to
reach the northern part of the state by
Saturday. The only train out of To-
peka was one on the Santa Fe that went
southwest. Hill p. Wilson, assistan 1t
secretary Of state. wanted to reach Law
renee. Both of them took the train for
EmpoTia, hoping to get into Kansas
City from there over the Santa Fe cut
off. From there Mr.. Whitmore thought
he might perhaps 60 out on the Bur
lington up through Nebraska and come
down from the north, and Mr. Wilson
Will try to get into Lawrence from the
east.
Governor Bailey is due to deliver a
Memorial dav address in Beloit tOmOr-
row. He will hardly make it. He was in
Isabette county last night and it is not
known whether he is waterbound or not.
1t is not known where he is
Justice Burch of the supreme court
is due to speak in Ottawa tomorrow, but
he doubts his ability to get there.
Judge J. S. West has a date to speak
at Wamego tomorrow He doesn't ex-
pect to keep it.
DETAILS FROM ABILENE.
Abilene Kan, May 29.-The flood wa
ters from Mud creek, swollen by a 12
hours rain. swept through this city
last night, did 100000 damage. Chap
man, solomon. nearby towns, Jared
equally as bad as Abilene in losses.
Abilene has no water lights, pOstoffice
service or newspapers. The damage
here is estimated at 100000 No lives
have been lost as far as known The
water in the principal streets of A BIZ
lene was 4 feet deep A three story
brick building containing the stores of
Mlnick & Taylor, LlOydS and Mrs.
Clarks. the Allen Commercial college
and several offices, collapsed TO a heap.
having been weakened by the high water,
and several other buildings are IN a
dangerous condition. The presses of the
three newspapers and the basement of
Cases department store are under wa
ter The Union Pacific. Santa Fe and
Rock Island tracks entering the city
have been washed away and two hum
dred houses are submerged, scores Of
families having fed to higher places
johnson & Nicolay's lumber yard
caught fire from lime and was destroy
ed Loss s12 600.
On the Smoky Hill bottoms ten thou
sand acres are under water and per-
sons are being rescued IN boats.
d. A. Valentine. clerk Of the supreme
court received a telephone message from
his brother at Clay Center today stating
that at least eight inches Of water fell
there last night and it is not known how
much more as the rain gauge ran over.
For two hours the water came down as in
cloud burst--in fact it seemed like a