Arizona republican., 1903-05-30
TOPEKA BAPTIZED
And All the Surrounding
 Country Under Water
Flooded Conditions Aggravated by Recurring Rains Which in Some
 Regions Are Called Cloudbursts.

traffic in this city is practically at a standstill on account of the floods. The
 Rock Island and the Union Pacific are not running any trains. while the Santa
 Fe runs only to Emporia and the Mis- souri Pacific to Fort Scott The flood situation is the worst ever known in the state.
 Perhaps 25O houses are in the flooded district in Topeka Including several
 mills and elevators and the Wolff
 packing house.
 The condition in Little Russia" the
 Russian settlement in North Topeka, Is serious. The entire settlement is un-
 der water, and a current has started through the district. Fear is expressed that the channel of the river may change. Several houses already are
 twisted on their foundations, and they
 probably will collapse. Every family has had its household goods damaged and some have lost.everyt thing.
 The Kansas river Is five miles wide
 at St. Mary's and the town is half sub-
 merged. The Kansas river bridge there is partially washed out, and the river | is rapidly rising. During the afternoon
 the Kansas river bridges at Maple Hill.
 Rossville, Silverlake, Bellevue and St. George were washed out. The new
 steel bridge at Willard is damaged be- yond repair and at Topeka the street
 railway bridge is useless. Several
 hundred cattle have been drowned. A startling story comes indirectly
 from Manhattan that cloud burst in that vicinity has started a four-foot volume of water down the Kaw river.
 River men discredit the story, al- | though they will keep watch for the
 threatened rise.
 The Rock Island has news of a big cloudburst near Harrington which has 1 put all the streams out of their banks. [ Fifteen inches of water fell in Abilene
 last night and more this afternoon. Business houses are collapsing and the
 entire town is panic stricken. It is inn 1 possible to get around on account of
 the water. Women are prostrated and | the people are in dread of what will happen next.
 { The Smoky river is three or four
 miles wide at Abilere, and every wag-
 on road bridge around there is out. Last nights rain extended all over cen tral and northern Kansas, all of which
 is drained by the Kansas river. Rain fell during this morning at many of the flooded portions and at 1 o'clock
 another heavy rain, almost a cloud
 burst, fell. This will make the situa- tion much worse.
 ! Tommorrow the flood will be at its
 height and the situation will be ex
 tremely critical for North Topeka, Abilene. Wamego and other towns
 along the Kansas river.
 | The fire and police depar artments in Topeka have organized to rescue peo-
 pie from the flood on the north side of the river. The condition there is ap palling.
 i At 9:SO tonight the water had sur
 rounded the whole Of North Topeka. Over two thousand people are homeless. ! The river is fast rising and it is esi-
 mated that by tomrrow morning fully ! 10000 will ba homeless. The Union Pa
 cific depot is flooded.
 F'r six hours today the flood flowed i like a river through Abilene, filling 200 ! cellars and driving 100 families to plac- { es of refuge. The Rock Island, Union
 Pacific and Santa Fe tracks are washed away, two lumber yards were burned
 from the contact of lime and water.
 Nearly all the business houses are ! flooded. Scores of people were rescued
 in boats today after having spent a whole night in trees. Merchants are all
 moving their stock to higher places, but it is generally believed that the
 worst is over,
 Salina is isolated and cannot at this | time be reached by wire. The Western Union office has colloapsed. | Sherwood Murphy. a farmer, was drowned in the Smoky Hill river at Alb 1 ilene tonight.
 At Lawrence the Kansas river has
 continued to rise rapidly all day, and
 in the last three hours has come up nearly three feet. The water stands thirteen feet deep on the dam and has caused the water works, the cleo tric light plant and brick factory to close down.
 At Marysville, the water is the high est ever known, and is getting higher. One hundred people at Wamego are homeless and had to be moved out of their homes in boats. In many places the water is up to the second story win dows. Word was received there to- night that rise of two feet was com
 ing down the Republican river and
 rise of three feet down the Blue river.
 The river at Wamego is rising two inches an hour. Over 800 head of cat tie have been drowned and washed down the river.
 From Marion comes the report that the Rock Island depot is flooded and had to be abandoned late tonight. Many
 square miles of country near Emporia
 are under water.
 At Americus the river is four feet higher than it has ever been. The NJ.
 K. x T. railroad has not moved a train south of Emporia all day. Council tGrove reports that a large part of that country is flooded. At Marquette the Smoky Hill river is higher than ever was known before. Lindsborg is sur | rounded by water.
 At Concordia. many have been driven from their homes by the Republican
 river. Over five inches of water fell
 there today. At Newton the streets
 were flooded tonight by a cloudhurst.
 A tornado passed through that coun- ty, doing small damage.
 A tornado struck Strong City to- night, demolishing the high school