The Savannah morning news., 1903-06-01
AS RIVER RECEDES
HOPE GROWS THAT WORST HAS
PASSED At TOPEKA.
FROM IT'S TO 200 ARE DEAJ.
LOSS TO PROPERTY ESTIMATED
AT S4,OOO,OOO.

Memorable by the Terribe Condl-
tions observation-disclosures Work of
Rescuers Was COntifued-Sum-
mary OF the COnditiOnI-StOrtes OF
the seIf-sacrifcing Labors of
Those who InperiI Their Lives to
save Food Sufferer.
topeka. Kan, Nay 91.-Thele is
ground for hope thh the worst has
PASSED. Tonight CITY Engineer Nc
Gable issued a buletin, giving out the
cheering intelligence that the waters
of the Kansas river had subsidized
twelve inches.
With 1.5 or 200 lives lost and mil
liens Of dollars of property destroyed,
with hundreds of pistol shots as sig
nails Of distress, blended with the
agonizing cries of unwilling lnhabi-
tants of tree tops and roofs of houses,
and the waters creeping upward and
then slowly subsiding, and alternately
changing hope to despair, the Capital
City has passed the most memorable
Sabbath of it's existence.
Through all this discomforting con-
dition of affairs was added the pres
enc of cold, dismal rain.
The arduous work of the heroic res
cuers was not abated in the least by
the conditions which confronted them.
For long dreavy hours, knee deep in
water, and sometimes in water up to
their necks, they worked with might
and main. Tonight they can point to
300 or more rescued persons, who
otherwise might have been swept
away in the current
what the Conditions Are.
Briefly stated, the present conditions
of the flood is this:
One hundred and fifty to two hun
bred people drowned; 5000 people
without homes; $4,000, 900 loss of prop
erty.
Identified dead. 6; floating bodies
seen, 20; people missing, 200; houses
burned as a result of the fire in lum-
Der from Stacking lime, probably 200;
banks collapsed, 2; wholesale grocery
stores flooded, 2; big business blocks
almost ready to crumble, so; whole
sale commission houses deserted, 6;
Rock Island trains containing 100 pas
sengers held here by high water; city
waterworks plant useless.
The known drowned
Karl Rupp Orville Rupp, two Rupp
girls; G. H. CARROTS and 5-year-old
son.
Leading men have made careful eX-
animation of the flood and all is con-
ditions, and as a result of their investi-
CATION, they give $50 as the probable
number of lives lost. A more conserva-
tive estimate places the number of
dead at 175. The higher number is as
apt to be correct as the lower. The
number of dead is merely matter of
guess.
Preferred Water to Fire.
Twenty members of rescuing parties
tell how they saw people drop from
houses 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 includes the large number of class
ed as missing, who cannot otherwise
be accounted for. Neither does it in
clude the number 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 approx
mate number of victims The water
is so high and the current so strong
that all that can be done now is to :es-
cue those in the buildings surrounded
by water.
steam Launches Used.
1t will be at least three days before
the correct number of dead will be
known. The work of rescuing the vic
tins of the flood is being pushed with
vigor Better results have character
lied the efforts of the organized forces
since 4 o'clock this afternoon than dur
ing all the preceding twenty-four
hours. Two little steam launches are
now putting up and down the river,
picking up survivors.
A wire cable has bten stretched
across the Kansas avenue bridge. To
this will be attached a sand dip and
refugees will be brought across in this.
If the food does not rise Iurther and
those not yet reached can Keep their
places a few hours longer, there need
not necessarily be a much larger loss
of life.
Large contributions have already
been received for the benefit of the suf-
fererS.
The amount given by Topeka citizens
alone will aggregate 100000. To this
is to be added an immense quantity of
clothing, provisions and generallsup-
plies. Outside towns have generously
offered aid, notably among them Ring
Galveston, Tex.
Tonight the portion of Topeka aot
affected by the flood is crowded with
refugees.
There is great anxiety tonight \
TO what tomorrow will bring forth. II
the river does not receive any more
food water west of here the improve
ment in the situation here will be
marked If the water rises at Manhat-
tan and Wamego, tomorrow VIII see
a repetition OF the worst of the flood
scenes, and distress here will be greatly
intensified
Boats for Rescuing Parties.
AZ 1 O'Clock the number OF drowned
was known 10 be az least $50, and a
large number were yet missing. Sew
eral we're reported burned 20 death,
but this could not be snbstantiated
From all over Eastern Kansas boats
are being rushed here for the rescue Of
the sufferers Shortly after daylight
nine boats arrived from Ottawa on 9
special train. and they were put into
active service az once,
aaon after reD0rfs Of drOWniuN be.