Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-06-01

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from this suburb have been compelled
to abandon their homes and take to the
higher ground for safety.
| At 9 o'clock, seven fires were burn
Ii ing in as many places in the railroad
yards.
At & o'clock. the most serious blaze
of the day broke out in some cars
standing opposite the west end of the
union depot. The flames ran rapidly
from car to car and within three hours
| 80 of them had been destroyed. Among
them were several oil tanks, which
threatened great damage to everything
in their vicinity. The wind carried the
great sheets of flame toward the south
and the current here carried patches of
blazing oil down stream.
! Directly south of the Viaduct stood
large warehouse. Close to it stood
number of cars loaded with lime and
at 5 o'clock they We're all ablaze and
with them went the warehouse and all
| it contained. The damage in this fire
could not be less than 100000.
Kansas City. Mo-. May 31.-The
greatest flood in the history of Kansas
lily, INdii., anu tHC DotlolHo VI iNetii
sas City, Mo-, prevails here, today, and
millions of dollars loss will result.
A great body of water coming from
the west swelled the Kansas river at
Kansas City, Kan, this morning, caus-
ing most alarming rise. Waters
| rushed with terrific force over the out
lying railroad tracks and the crowded
wholesale districts of the west bottoms,
and finally into the Union depot. At
10 o'clock. a mile of wholesale houses,
elevators and freight depots were en-
tirely surrounded, Easements that. yes
terday, were partially submerged were
| soon brim full and water began to
reach the first floors. Within Is min
| utes the tracks entering the western
| end of the Union depot were entirely
submerged and at II o'clock, the water
| had risen at such a rapid rate that the
| thousands of delayed passengers were
obliged to leave for the high grounds
up Union avenue. on which numerous
hotels and stores are located, and
which is now a running stream. The
water rose so fast in the vicinity of the
| depot that many persons were forced
| to move to second floors. Trains that
| have been waiting in the depot for
| hours for an opportunity to start west
| and south. stand a foot deep in water
| No trains have left Kansas City for the
west or south since last night and
none will leave, today.
The losses in the wholesale district
will aggregate we'll into the millions,
and the losses to the various packing
| houses nearer the river will be ire
nnendous. The street directly in front
of the big Armour packing plant is I'M
der five feet of water. Armour & Co.
have a force of 200 men working at the
pumps trying to keep the rising water
| out of the buildings. All the hundreds
| of smaller concerns near the ordinary
| banks of the Missouri river which de-
pend upon the river for power, are un-
der water. ~ a.tJN
The entire stock yards, situated on
| the state line, are submerged. The
| basement of the Live Stock Exchange.
| containing a hundred railroad and
other offices, as well as the big barns
of the mule and horse markets in that
| district are several feet under water.
Sheep valued at $1,000 as well as many
J head of cattle and horses have been
drowned and the loss at this point will
| be very heavy. All night the forces of
| the stock yard men were at work rescu-
| ing live stock. Hundreds of head were
brought up into town.
| All trolley lines in both cities have
been shut down, the power at River
view being under water. All telephone
communication with the flooded dis
trict is shut off. making it difficult to
a FOL pctpa TO tho n mage
At 1890, the water in Union avenue
was three feet deep. and people were
being taken out of the buildings in
| wagons.
The Kansas City police spent all
night rescuing persons and at noon no
deaths had been reported. The police
have but five boats in service. AT
Schwarzschild's plant rs persons, en-
ployes and people in the vicinity who
had been driven from their homes, are
imprisoned. They have been held there
since early last evening.
| Both Kansas Cities are cooperating
in the matter of relief and, today, the
great auditorium of Convention hall Oh
the Missouri side. capable of seating
%, 900 persons, was turned into relief
camp.
Shortly after noon, the Sd Regiment
Missouri National Guard. 800 strong
was ordered out. both as precautions
ary measure and to stop looting.
Kansas City. Mo, May 31.-At o'clocl
this evening. eight distinct fires are burn
ling in the Hooded district between thre
blocks west of the Union depot and Toad
Ia-T .oup the latter a settlement near Ar
mourdale. 1t is impossible to reach an
| of the fires as communication is cut off
The fires were viewed through field glas
from the top of a high building on TIL
bluff. All the fires appear to be isolate
except one at Eleventh and Bluff streets
(which started in lime warehouse an
spread to a fruit warehouse. Close to TIL
fruit warehouse. which is still burning,
a shed containing 40 barrels of Oil. A
lToad-a-Loup three blocks of small build
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