The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1903-06-04
THE EURyl0E
FIRE AND FLOOD,
North Topeka, Kansas is Nearly
Wiped Out Of Existence.
MANY PEOPLE BURN TO DEATH

MANY PEOPLE BURN TO DEATH
waterCover Hundreds Who Sunk in it,
| Depth. No Correct Estimate Of the
Death Loss Can DO Made.
Rescuers at Work.
=
! Topeka; Kan, May 81. North To-
peka, where 10000 people were Quar-
tered a few hours ago, is now q mass
Eof rnins. covered with. q raging food.
A fire started yesterday afternoon by
a live wire and quickly spread. At 3
o'clock two blocks of buildings between
side of Kansas avenue, were burning.
AS the buildings were surrounded by
water there was no way of fighting
the flames. - ~ 3iis'3s
The situation grew more deplorable
every moment. The current Of the
food grew stronger and the flames I'M
creased. Four hundred houses soon
burned and the whole of North To-
peka was threatened: As near as can
be learned between $50 and 20Opersons
are dead. Most Of thsse we're burned
LTD death. s,9ft ~ = s3sAS
/ Reporters who arrived just after
midnight from the river say that the
water is yet rising. An unconfrmed
report from Wamego1and Manhattan,
west Of Topeka says another rise is
coming down the Republican and Blue
rivers .s3..,s5ts
Fire Chief Wilmarth says that the
fire on the east side of Kansas avenue
in North Tokeka is rapidly taking the
remaining buildings.
The fire went toward the wind and
this served to check its progress, hut
much burning wreckage floating about
made the destruction of the remain
ing houses certain.
People on roofs Of houses were
heard calling frantically for help.
It is said that two boats loaded with
people were swamped and that dozen
or more persons were drowned.
Thorey, another suburb of Topeka,
located northwest of the city, near the
reform school was inundated.
The jackson school house. sheltered
100 people. They entered the building
before the water became SO high, and
then could not escape.
Topeka, Kan, June There is
ground for hope that the worst has
passed. The five-miles-wide Kansas
river is settling back into it's rightful
channel
Not a square foot Of land can be
seen in any direction. There is but
small chance Of any of the residences
being left standing at the end of the
food.
Sherry, Oakland and the region
about the reform school are all under
rushing waters.
Leading men have made careful
examination of the flood and all its
conditions, and as result of their in
vestigation they give $50 as the prob
able number of lives lost. A more
conservative estimate places the num-
Der Of dead at 175. The higher figure
is as apt to be correct as the lower.
1t is merely a matter of guessing.
Members of rescuing parties tell of
seeing people drop from houses, only
to be swept away by the flood, and
others tell Of men who, terrified at the
approach of fire, dropped into the
water, where they sank and did not
reAppear.
This estimated number of dead does
not include. the large number classed
as missing, who cannot otherwise be
accounted for. Neither does it include
those who are supposed to have lost
their lives in the fire. In the latter
class there is absolutely no means Of
arriving at even an approximate num-
Der of victims.
The water is SO high and the current
so strong that all that can be done
now is to rescue those in the buildings
surrounded by water 1t will be at
least three days before the correct
number of dead will be known.
The ardor of the work of the heroic
rcscners was not abated in the least
by the conditions that faced them.
For long dreary hours, knee deep in
water and sometimes in water up to
their necks they worked with might
and main. They can point. to 800 or
more rescued ones who otherwise
might have been swept away in the
current.
Large contributions have already
been received for the benefit OF the
sufferers. The amount given ty To-
peka citizens alone will aggregate
100000. To this is to be added. an
immense quantity of clothing, provis-
ions and general supplies. Outside
towns have generously Offered aid.
Notably among them is Galveston, Eek.
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