Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-05
BUSINESS is BORN ANEW
Kansas City Restoring Conditions
that Will Make Possible
Resumption of Commerce.

KANSAS CITY, June A-The waterworks
are pumping black water from the Kansas
river not At to drink, and the danger from
fire is over. The fire underwriters met
today and issued statement expressing
satisfaction with conditions. Electric
street car lines are in operation. The tele-
phone and telegraph connections will be
established between the two Kansas Cities
tomorrow, lines being stretched across the
ruins Of the James street bridge.
Gangs of railroad repairers follow close
upon the heels or the retreating flood and
the tracks are being cleared Of mud where
covered and brought TO grade where washed
out At dark tonight the water was be-
ginning to leave the floor of the Union
depot Men in rubber boots worked in the
depot all afternoon putting the building in
order.
At the stock yards 5000 hogs and 300
cattle were drowned. A force of men has
undertaken to remove the carcasses where
lodged in drifts. The current through the
stock yards district flows ten miles an
hour This makes II difficult to get about.
the water being still deep. but the stream
carries away the refuse promptly. In the
wholesale and packing house districts of
the west bottoms the scene is even more
depressing than yesterday. The water is
not so swift, but additional buildings have
fallen and the lowering Of the flood has
exposed heaps of ruin.
Later Reports More Reassuring.
In some places men with poles are loosen
ing the heaps of wreckage to let II drift
away. This is the easiest way of clearing
the streets Fires probably will be built
to destroy the rubbish that is left when
buildings in the west bottoms and many
OF the brick structures are tottering.
Reports that the Burlington bridge ap-
proaches are washed away are untrue. The
bridge and the trestle are uninJured and
an Associated Press reporter walked to
the station in Harlem today, the embank-
ment being washed out only in one place
100 yards wide and here the rails and ties
hung together and bridged the gap. Har-
lem village protected by the Burlington
embankment is in stll water. In the
masses OF drlftwood on the Clay county
side OF this bridge not one body has been
found by the men who are hauling the
stun ashore nor have they seen any bodies
At this place many bodies were said to
be collected and their nonexistence makes
It likely that the total list of dead will
not go much above eight, the number now
authenticated. Most OF the missing person,
have been heard from.
The Missouri river is running strong
through the Clay county bottoms, and river
men still believe the channel will stay
there. In front OF the west bottoms the
Kansas river is taking its old course, and
there is no fear that the channel will
change.
The railroad situation is a little better
tonight. The Missouri Pacific, the Mis-
souri,, Kansas & Texas and the Santa Fe
are running trains. but no schedule is con-
sidered. The Wabash, Burlington and
! Santa Fe lines have practically abandoned
their last routes east. This was by way
OF the Missouri Pacific TO sedalia and
thence to their respective lines. The Santa
Fe Is not encouraging trafic east but Is
caring for its through California business
| by way of the Sedala connection on the
! Missouri Pacific. In common with the
Great Western, Rock Island. and Grand
J Island, the Burlington is operating nortl
by way of the Quincy, Omaha & Kansas
| City from Randolph. steamboat makes
| regular trips TO Randolph. carrying pas
sengers for these lines. The Quincy &
Omaha lines carries the trains TO connec-
| tions with the Rock Island Burlington and
Great Western rails. The Burlington
reaches its own tracks at Cameron east %
st. Joseph. The Burlington has no service
out OF Kansas City TO Chicago or ST. Louis.
The Alton had one train in from Chicago
today. The $40 Chicago train will attempt
TO go tonight via Sedaha on the Missouri
Pacific. The Rock Island will resume the
| operation OF trains to the west tonight The
Missouri Pacific expects TO resume the op-
Grafton OF its north line 10 Leavenworth
fcontinuad on seeond Pa1sl