New-York tribune., 1903-06-01
KANSAS CJTY'S DEATHS.



buildings in its path. The Santa Fe track is
under water ali the way to Halliday, eight miles
from Argentine up the Kansas River Valley.
The Turner Bridge, three miles above Argen-
tine went out at 10:30 O'Clock this morning. It's
wreckage lodged against the county bridge at
Argentine which succumbed at noon. The Belt
Line steel railroad bridge, just below the county
bridge fell immediately afterward Ihen' IN
succession, the Twenty y-third-st. bridge ana the
county bridge at Fifth-st. were carried away
The railroad bridge valued at Siatoo ana
the other four at $25,O00 each, making the
bridge loss $4,000. Five hundred frame dwell
ing houses are under water. and with 1urlher
rise many will be swept away.
The river is full of wreckage. and crowds Oh
people lined the banks to-day watching the pro-
cession of houses, cars trees and other material
that foated down. The stream is three miles
wide.
ARGENTINE'S GREAT DISASTER
The large acid plant of the Southwest CheHn-
cal Company is flooded by twenty feet of water
The Santa Fe car shops machine shops. round
house station and elevator and the Argentine
shelter stand in deep water. The thousand en-
ployes of the Santa Fe are idle, also hVe nun
dred men from the acid works and, indeed ali
the wage workers of Argentine
The loss of the bridges and the suspension OF
streetcar travel and telephone service have al
most isolated Argentine, the wagon road TO
Kansas City being nearly Impossible for heaVH
vehicles There would have been famine there
to-day but for the discovery of two refrigerator
carloads of meat in the railroad yards and the
generosity of a contractor who sent d wagon
load of bread from Kansas City for free dis
trbution The meat was confiscated, and with
the bread IS being served at the city hall to all
applicants Many of the destitute negroes
who have not saved sufficient clothing
Further rise of the water will not increase the
flood area which already reaches to the bluns
but it will take away many houses now inun-
dated but still resting on their foundations
There is urgent need of food and clothing
PACKING PLANTS SUFFER.
The situation in the suburb of Armourdale to-
night is Of utter desolation, with every
prospect that the financial loss already heavy,
will be greater in the next twenty-four hours.
In the section situated all the large pack
ing houses &rmours, Swft's. Cudahy's and
Schwarzschild & Sulzberger's. The loss to these
plants alone will be close TO S2,0O0,000. as the
agents of Swift & Co estimate their loss alone
to be about S1.O0O.c90.
SIXTEEN THOUSAND LEAVE HOMES
The Armour Packing Company suffered loss
from water roughly estimated at S500O00 The
exact damage cannot be calculated now, but the
great plant will be idle for some time to come.
In addition to this there are great numbers of
freight cars upon the tracks. in all of which the
freight is ruined, and the loss In this direction
cannot be computed for weeks. All the resi-
dences in the district under water, most of
them being one story affairs, and fully sixteen
thousand people from this suburb have been
compelled to abandon their homes and take to
the higher ground for safety. In very few in
stances have any of them saved anything of
their property. and in most cases very little
clothing. All through the streets of this section
the waters of the Kaw have backed up and there
is little current, fact that may tend to lessen
the damage.
The two Armourdale bridges still stand
ing but may not last another day unless the
water recedes. One is wagon bridge and the
other a streetcar bridge. Against these bridges
great masses Of wreckage are wedged.
In the wholesale district there will be no active
business for some time after the abatement of
the flood. Late this afternoon the walls of
building at the foot of Fifth-st. fell with a
crash. 1t Is impossible to tell what building 1t
was
DANGER FROM BURNING OIL CARS.
AT s O'Clock the most serious blaze of the day
broke out IN some cars standing opposite the
west end of the Union Station. The flames ran
rapidly from car to car, and within three hours
thirty of them had been destroyed. Among
them were several oil tanks. which threatened
great damage TO everything III their vicinity.
The wind carried the great sheets of fame tow
ard the south. and the current here carried
patches of blazing oil down stream. Fortunate
ly, there open space directly north OF
this fire which afforded egress for the burning
oil. and it carried swiftly out to the river.
While this blaze was at its height, frantic
cries for help came from the vicinity of the fire.
but the man who shouted them could not be To-
Gated. Unless the author of the cries saved him
self an unknown man went down to death with
hundreds Of people close at hand unable to aid
him. There were rumors that the total number
of deaths in the wholesale district of the city
in the latter part Of the day will reach as high
as fifty, but there is direct evidence of this,
and no possible way of determining the facts to-
night
Directly south of the viaduct stood large
warehouse. Close to it stood number of cars
loaded with lime, and at o'clock they were all
ablaze, and with them went the warehouse and
all II contained. The damage in this fire could
not be less than 100000
The other fires were scattered district
five miles long by three miles wide. and in every
instance are supposed to be lime cars. 1t was
impossible to approach within a mile of them.
but none were large.
WATERS pkpTD RISE