The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-06-07
NORTH Topeka
ALMOST Ruin
Spectacle in Flooded District
Is SiCkening
CAN'T ESTIMATE DAMAGE
Two Buildings About to COL
lapse are Condemned
CAN'T ESTIMATE DAMAGE

Topeka and ruin don't much miss being
Synonymous terms Where ruin utter
and complete, cannot be found, the con-
ditions approach it so nearly that there
isn't much use in quibbling over the
term that should be applied 10 nit the
case. 1t is true that there are many
buildings which came out Of the ordeal
In good shape. but there are many others
which are very small potatoes and Few
In a hill when ii comes TO comparing
them with the worth they represented be
fore the coming of the delUge And as
for the contents OF the houses there IS
only one thing to say: All seem to agree
that il viii be miserably small Ter
cent Of household goods or merchants
stocks that will be saved from the gen
eral wreck All suffered alike in this re
spect. The houses that withstood sue
cessfully the shock of the twisting cur
rents were treated impartally TO the de-
filing deposit Of sediment which the roily
waters carried and left in every nook
and Granny that they could reach. In
mansion or hovel; in handsomely ap-
the swirIing waters found their way and
left the1 mark in the snaps of mud and
sand which covers every point in the
city except whore the force of the cur
rents was of such swiftness that nothing
could rest before it unless securely hitch
ed in some way or another.
The spectacle in North Topeka stores
is enough to turn the soul of a woman
bargain hunter sick with despair. There
are, or, rather there were, some exceed
ingly well appointed stores on the North
Sid; big ones that would have been a
credit TO any city of this size. But it is
sorry front they are putting up now. In
them ore can see dainty dress goods
handsome party dresses, delicate fabrics.
dainty lingerie, and all those things in
which the feminine mind takes such de
hight. all soaked and ruined; a sodden
mass Of utterly warthless stuff in most
cases and all covered with the slippery,
sinking slime; the final touch of ruin.
Water alone might have wrought the
ruin in equally deplorable shape; but this
coating of black everywhere adds the
final dismal touch.
Wise men who think they know all
about it are parading up and down Kan
sas avenue, passing judgment on this
building and that one; telling what
short time will elapse before this one
will fan over itself in utter ruin, and
how that one standing next to it will
endure for years untold. But they are
talking through their hats, for the most
part. these wise men of the street They
haven't investigated the conditions which
prevail. beyond d superficial glance and,
besides. they don't know what they are
talking about. anyhow.
Fire Marshal Wilmarth is pretty
wise guy at this kind of work, as every
one knows yet the marshal makes no
bones Of stating that he can't tell right
now a great deal about the situation.
THE thing to do right now he told
q reporter yesterday. lis to relieve the
loads of the walls carrying Then we
can get at this matter
That was the work that was under
way yesterday All up and down the |
avenue, on both sides of the street work |
men were busiIy engaged in carrying the
contents of the stores out and piling
them up in the middle of the street |
When this is done, Wimarth will be /
a bic to make his Investigations in thor |
ough fashion; but until this is done. not
much will be knewn definitely con, erning /
the condition of the buildings.
Some of them viii have TO he con |
demned. Mr.. Wimarth says. but how |
many he doesn't know. He is rather in /
ciinod to think. though. that this verdict
los f,av h
of them Some Of them that seem TO 1
be settling can be fixed, he says, without |
tearing the walls down
The building occupied by Ed Timon at
6lO-6I2 Kansas avenue was condemned /
BY Chief Wilmarth yesterday afternoon. /
He stated that the south wall was badly l
snlit and was totally unsafe for Occur |
nancy. and the orders are that every |
one shall keep away from it. The build /
ing is known as ,ne omnibus type and 1t 1
was. on account OF this manner Of con /
struction that it is about To collapse.
The Shella bsrger establishment. the
FIRST tyyo-story building south OF the fire |
station. was also condemned. The fire /
station itself is in a pretty good condi- /
ton and ii is believed can be repaired as |
COCO IS ever Win llltle lftuAit-
Hereafter Chief WiImarth viii have his 4
headquarters at the fire station head /
quarters on the North Side The station /
on this side viii be in charge Of Assistant |
Chief Babcock. The looking out for the 4
safety of the buildings on the North Side /
Will probably keep Chief Wilmarth busy /
for some weeks.
Not much can be told by looking at the /
fronts The fronts Of the buildings At
Ice and loo4 look all right; but the inside
walls have tumbed down. aud il doesn'
look as though the wreck could be much /
more complete. The wall between 10tS
and los Is cracked and out or line. and
It looks as though it might so. There
IS q two-story building II e26 Kansas
avenue. the upper story Of which is
Jared out Of position and looks as though
II were getting ready TO strike out for
itself The building at soa Kansas avenue
IS three stories in height. and 70 a lay
man it looks as solid as it ever was.
The known dead:
EDWARD GRAFSTROM. mechanical
engineer Of the Santa Re.
J w HoUSER. employee at Wolf
packing house.
WARD. an old soldier. Oakland.
GARRETT. 5-year-old son of Fire
pan G. II. Garrett