Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-06-01

KANSAS CITY, Mo-, June 1.-THE
siesolate aspect of the food situation
here showed no improvement this
morning except that the fires which
it was feared last night would spread
We're put out by the rain and the flood
itself.
So far as railroad communication
was concerned the city was almost an
island The only communication, and
that very uncertain, was by road
running southeast. Business all over
the city was suspended. Manufactur-
ing plants on high ground were COM
PEELED to shut down, owing to the al
most total shutting off of the water
supply. No street cars were running
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, Kansas.
There has been no communication
with that city since yesterday, and ex-
hanstive efforts to get word from
there this morning have failed of any
result Five reporters who crossed
the Kaw yesterday before the flood
had become SO serious have not been
heard from since. Telegraph and tel
ephone wires north. south and west
we're down, and there were only few
wires in shape to do business east
The river guage this morning showed
thirty-five feet, having risen 30.7 dur
ing the night. This is nearly nine feet
higher than the previous high record
made in 1881. There was eight feet
of water in the union depot. A great
swirling lake, dotted with floating cot
ta9es, trees. telegraph poles and otiasl
.Hreckage covers Che lowlands as fal
as the eye can reach Similar object:
came rushing down the Missouri riv
er, some of it possibly from Topeka
The committees in charge of the worl
of renef and rescue were busy earl.
and a special meeting of the city coun
cie was held during the forenoon
Thousands of refugees at the conven
tion hall made their breakfasts from
the rations issued by the relief com
mittee. The number of lives lost il
this vicinity cannot be learned fol
some time, and probably will never bt
known definitely. However, there
seems to be ample verifieation of re
ports which account for the loss o
more than a dozen lives in the bot
toms
Never in the history Of the ives
has there been a more complete pros
1Tation of railway traffic than exist!
at the present in the west, south ant
north Kansas. The approaches to tn,
bridge of the Chicago, Milwaukee
ST. Paul at Sheffield, ten miles west D
Kansas City went down this morning
although the bridge proper is intac
and is high enough to stand any pos
sible stage of water. The fall Of tn,
approaches to the bridge leaves thu
Santa Fe bridge at Sibley, twent.
miles from here, the only structure O
the kind still standing. The Wabasl
for the time is out of business. Tn,
Union Pacific has abandoned all ef
f0rts to run trains west The Burling
ton ran train out for Chicago at 9:3
This morning. Another train over thi
road came n from Chicago durnl
the night, and it is expected to sen,
lssIt another tonight No trains wen
west. The Missouri, Kansas & Texa
is operating the usual number o
trains. Rock Island officials reporte
no traffic in that direction. The CHI
cago, 4 Great Western has had n
trains for two days and sees no pros
poets Of any. The Cicago & Alto
ran trans out of independence. Mo
last night with Kansas City passer
gers.
At 1f:00 o'clock the weather burea
issued the following; There will prol
ably be slight change in river cor
ditions at Kansas City during tn
next twenty-four hours. Sight fuctui
tions mean but little in the way {
relief so long as weather condition
remain unsettled. A storm area
central in the Middle Mississippi va
ley from which the west has nj
emerged and threatened developmer
OF another storm area in the soutl
West carries no assurance of imm,
diate relief. Light moderate rain
thave fallen In the Kaw and middl