The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-06-02
A UNION PACIFIC BRIDGE COL.
LA7sEs WITH Lead OF Hu.
MAN FREIGHT.
THE FLOOD AT KANSAS CITY
MISSOURI AND KAW RIVERS RE.
sPoNsl1LE FOR WORST EVER
KNOWN THERE.

Kansas City. June IA messag
from Kansas City, Kan, by way @
Leavenworth at 2 o'clock this morn
ing. says that twenty-seven men wer
on the Union Pacific bridge, whicl
spanned the Kansas river, when i
ent down. and all of the men wer,
drowned. 1t Is said that many person
ny the men drown.
Kansas City, Mo-. June with tn,
waters OF the Kaw and Missouri
rivers nearly four feet above the dis
astrous level of 1881 and their swol
len tide spread over three square
miles of the city and its suburbs
Kansas City is in the worst flood o.
Its history. In the valley of Kaw o.
Kansas river. between this city and
Kansas City, Kan, a report says
number of lives have been lost. One
report says IA and another so, but in
the midst Of decentralization Of traffic
and the ordinary means of commune
cation. it Is impossible to verify these
reports.
Twelve bodies were counted as they
floated past during the day. In nearly
every instance they were lying across
pieces of w%reckage. On the roof of
q cabin that came swirling down
could be seen the body of a woman
and her child.
The financial loss has been increas-
Ing all day and bids fair to continue.
Loss to Packing Industry.
The heaviest loss is at Armourdale.
where the losses to the packing in
dustry and others is placed conserva-
lively at $ $500, 900.
Argentine, another suburb, has suf-
fered losses estimated at $500, 900.
Other losses which cannot now be
estimated, will increase the total very
materially.
Armourdale, with a population Of
10000 people, is deserted, and its site
marked by the tops Of buildings and
q number of fires. Seven fires, be-
1ieved to be chiefly box cars burning,
could be seen from the bluffs at night.
There is some danger that the flames
will spread to the partially sub
merged buildings, adding greatly to
the already heavy loss. The fire
started by the intrusion of the water
into a lime house. Two-thirds of Ar.
gentine is under water. More than
$500 people in this suburb found
safety in the higher part of the town.
All bridges I'VE the Kaw river are
down and the only communication
with Armourdale is by boat.
Kansas City is without a water sup
ply. the flood having disabled the
JUMPING station and the utmost care
Is being taken that no fires break out.
Even a small fire, it is feared would
start a conflagration. Only one
street car line in the city is running.
List Of the Dead.
The Times this morning publishes
the following list of dead:
James Deerman, Armourdale.
William Herbert, expressman, Ar
mourdale, drowned with two others.
Five persons. three men and two
women. drowned by capsizing Of a
boat heal Union Pacific bridge.
Three persons, a man and two wo-
men. in capsized boat, disappeared
north of the Missouri Pacific shops.
Unknown man, eel to fall from an
abandoned Belt Line locomotive into
the flood.
William Heisler, truck driver,
drowned in the east bottoms.
Two men reported drowned at Elec-
trio Park.
Philip Ware, negro, aged ten,
drowned.
Unknown man, body drifted under
81" bridges.
No bodies have been recovered.
The Peoria and Milwaukee teams of
the Western Baseball league are flood.
bound somewhere between Wamego |
and Manhattan. Kan. 1t is impossible |
to communicate with them by wire.
but the report that the players had
been drowned is utterly d~iscredited.