Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-02
Some Relief is Afforded to Topeka suf-
ferers.
ACTUAL LOSSES ARE BECOMING KNOWN
Believed Now Number Of Deaths Will Be
Around Forty.
THIRTY-FoUR VICTIMS REPORTED LOST
Extreme Precautions Are Being Taken to
Prevent Epidemic
-HIRTY-FoUR VICTIMS REPORTED LOST
OIPHTHERlA APPEARS AND AssAILs MANY
Work of Aiding the Homeless IL Be-
coming systematiEed, but Pro-
visions are Rapidly Becom-
ing short.


TOPEKA, Kan, June lat o'clock to-
night the water in the Kansas river had
gone down fourteen inches and was falling
at the rate of half an inch an hour. From
Manhattan up the river comes the re-
port that the water there is slowly fall
ing. At Wamego the same condition pre-
walls, and 1t is now reasonably certain
that the waters here will uteadily re-
cede.
At this time there are thirty-four known
dead. The list of dead follows;
JORDAN, HENRY, colored
WARD, 5II I,r,C rC-, old soloier.
Fireman 9. H. Garrett.
HuTZ, FOREST, teacher.
HUTz. MRS FOREST, Sea Haven,
STORY, --. infant of George NJ.
JACKSON. MRS. widow. probably dead.
ADAMS, JOHN l..
MONTGOMERY, MRS IDA, probably
Unidentified dead:
UNKNOWN FAMILY OF SEVEN, seen
by Re- RssSps5 Sy11ys Smith N West Side house
drowned while crossing to Oakland.
FOUR, seen TO fall from trees by watch
| JACKSON, Mrs, widow who lived at
Thirteenth and Van Buren,, was caught In
her home without means Of leaving and Is
thought to have been drowned
was last seen hanging to the branches of
tree in the eastern portion Of North
| Topeka Saturday morning. 1t is thought
that he has been drowned
John L. Adams, who lived on Madison
street near the wooden mill, is thought to
have perished. With his family he had
taken refuge on the roof of his home Res
cuers took the family out early, but the
! boat was not large onodgh to accommodate
him. When the party returned for him
he had vanished.
others who are Missing.
Mrs. Ida Montgomery, who lived oacK
| of the Citizens bank on Kansas avenue
| is reported drowned. She was In her room
! Saturday morning. but the parties were
/ unable to rescue her. There is no one
there now
Andrew Pretzel a market gardener Nv
ing east of Oakland. is among the miss
ing and his friends think he was drowned
A man named Smith, who manned one
of .he rescue boats on the north side last
night, reported seeing seven dead bodies
floating in the water on the second moor
OF a house in North Topeka. He did not
know who had lived in the house
The Munsey family, which was caught on
the roof of their house Saturday night, re-
port that they saw two bodies hoat oy
this morning.
Carl Goff, jr., son of the chief of police
saw a woman and baby fall from house
| roof lust west of the Gabriel lumber yards
while that structure was burning The
current swept them directly into the hames
A reporter for the Associated Press saw
two men plunge from house just south
of the burning yards about the same time
Saturday afternoon. They were swept out
into the current and disappeared under the
muddy water.
Some Narrowing sights.
An unknown man was taking woman
and baby across the river TO Oakland In
skif. when It capsized. The woman and
the child were drowned. The man saved
his life by hanging TO the.boat
watchers on the east approach OF the
old sardou avenue bridge yesterday morn
ing. who were using field glasses, reported
seeing four persons fall from the trees on
the other side and drop into the water
An unknown girl was taken from house
nea- Kansas avenue and Gordon street late
Saturday night. She was chilled and
numbed from exposure, and died shortlv
after being taken into the Union Pacific
hotel
Milton Holt of the Continental Creamery
|
river and drowned Saturday morning.
Another woman, who was about to be
rescued. slipped from the roof before the
! boat could get to her and drowned.
The distress of the sufferers is being
relieved Those who are still In North
Topeka are being supplied with food, and
they are in practically no danger unless II
be from sickness.
Disease IL Threatening.
One of the most distressing features OF
the situation now is the possibility that
there will be a spread Of contagious dis
! eases. People of all classes are huddlec
| | toRether IN houses not large enough fol
/ them. and on all sides they are surrounded
bv water Doctors and medical relief can
not reach sufferers TO any great extent.
This afternoon a case OF diphtheria was
, ! reported from the wooden mill In NORTH
Topeka. where there are many children, II
, addition to the adults. 1t is easy 10 sec
what may result from this. There is also
a case or two of scarlet fever among th'
refugees on the north side. Hundreds Of
cases of measles are prevalent among the
;, children and on account Of the exposed
condition Of the patients the disease will
result fatally in many cases.
The possibility OF an epidemic is tn
, , most serious thing the city must conten'
: with. The physicians Of the city, unde
I the direction of the city health board, ar
: making heroic efforts TO check the threat
ened calamity Ir this work they are be
4 ing well aided by the health boards OF tn
state and county.
. An emergency board OF health has beel
appointed by the mayor TO cooperate witt
: the city physician. This afternoon tn
d new board met with the county commits
sioners and arranged that the county wa
20 bear one-half OF the expense that th
= doctors will have to incur In carrying for
. ward their work
Provisions Grow scarce.
Dr. Grubbs says that the sanitary con
n dition of North Topeka, when the waite
shall go down. will be such that the plac
will not be NJ to be Inhabited for som
7 months TO come. He says he thinks IN
d best plan would be 70 get tents from tn