The Indianapolis journal., 1903-06-01
DISASTER AT KANSAS CITY
Flood in the City by the Kaw Second Only to That
in the Kansas Capital.

waters or the kaw and missouri rivers
nearly four feet above the disastrous level
of 1881, and their swollen tide spread over
twelve square miles of the city and its
suburbs, Kansas City tonight is endur-
ing the worst food of it's history.
In the valley of the Kaw or Kansas river.
between this city and Kansas City, Kan,
report has it that number of lives have
been lost. One report says fourteen and
another fifty but in the midst of de-
moralization of traffic and the ordinary
means of communication it is impossible
to verify these reports.
Twelve bodies were counted as they float
ed by during the day. In nearly every
instance they were lying across pieces of
came swirling down could be seen the body
of a woman and her child.
The financial loss has been increasing all
day and bids fair to continue. The heaviest
loss is at Armourdale, where the losses to
the packing industry and others is placed
conservatively at s2,5OOoOO. Argentine. an
other suburb has suffered losses estimated
at ZOO. Other losses which cannot now
be estimated will increase the total very
materially.
Armourdale, with a population of 5000
people, is deserted and its site marked
only by the tops of buildings and num-
ber Of fires.
Seven fires, believed to be chiefly boxcars
burning could be seen from the bluffs to-
night. There is some danger that the flames
will spread to the partially submerged
buildings. adding greatly to the already
heavy loss The fire started by the in
The refugees from Armourdale for the
most part are huddled together In the i'm
mense auditorium of the convention hall.
although several hundred found havens
with friends in more fortunate parts Of
the city.
Two-thirds of Argentine Is under water.
Over 4.5o0 people in this suburb found
safety in the higher part Of the town.
All bridges over the Kaw river are down
and the only communication with Armour
dale is by boat.
NO WATER SUPPLY.
Kansas City tonight is without a water
supply, the flood having disabled the pump
ing station, and the utmost care is being
taken that no fires shall break out. Even
a small fire, it is feared, would start a
Hpa iy,
the city is running tonight. owing to the
disabling of the power plants by the flood.
The city is blockaded with trains unable
to get out Not a train has gone out or
the city, except east, to-day. and it is said
that there is little prospect of an improve
ment in the situation for several days.
The stage of the river at o'clock tonight
was 80 feet inches. The previous high
record was made in 1881 when the river
| rose to 2e feet inches. By tomorrow
morning according to the prediction OF
Superintendent O'Connor of the Weather
Bureau, the level will be 81 feet.
The Union station. by the rise of the flood
to-day, was rendered practically useless.
| At one end the water was three feet deep
| and at the other it foot higher. In
the baggage room baggage was fastened to
reach Of the water.
| Numerous rescues. some Of them made by
the narrowest Of margins occurred during
| the day.
| Two-thirds of Argentine railroad and
| manufacturing town on the south bank Of
| the Kansas river, six miles from Kansas
| City, is inundated by ten to twenty feet of
water and probably 100000 of damage has
| been done. Forty-five hundred Of the sixty
! five hundred inhabitants are homelesss and
| nearly three thousand are destitute. Five
bridges have been swept away. all the rail-
| road tracks and factories are under water
and business is suspended. Various rumors
| of loss Of life cannont be verified, but an
| unknown negro woman is believed to have
drowned. She was clnging to a log which
struck the accumulated wreckage at a
| bridge, and she was carried under.
The Sante Fe Railroads loss is very
| heavy. but can scarcely be estimated until
| the flood abates. The railroad has one
hundred miles of track in the Argentine
| yards and several miles Of freight cars
| standing submerged. Some cars have
| broken loose from their trucks and f1oated
down the river. The ccurrent has left the
old channel and has moved south, taking
all the DullQlngS IN It's pain. L ne santa e
| track is under water all the way to Holli-
| day, eight miles from Argentine, up the
| Kansas river valley.
| BRIDGES GO OUT.
The turn-bridge, three miles above Ar
| gentine went out at 1890 this morning
| Its wreckage lodged against the county
/ bridge at Argentine. which succumbed at
| noon. The Belt Line steel railroad bridge,
| just below the county bridge, fell imme-
| diately afterward. Then in succession the
| Twenty-fourth-street bridge, owned jointly
| by the Metropolitan Street Railway Com
pany and the county. and the county bridge
| at Fifth street were carried away. The
railroad bridge was valued at 1900, and the
| other four at S25, 900 each making the bridge
| loss SIZE, 900. Five hundred frame dwelling
houses are under water. and with further
rise many will be swept away.
| The river is full of wreckage, and crowds
| of people line the banks to-day, watching
other debris that foated down. Twelve
bodies have been seen TO pass, and chick
ems. dogs and cats go by on wreckage The
| stream Is three miles wide
The large acid plant of the Southwest
| Chemical Company is flooded by twenty
| feet of water. The Santa Fe carshops.
| machine ships. roundhouse, station and
| elevator and the Argentine smelter stand
! in deep water The 1000 employees Of the
Santa Fe are idle. also 500 men from the
| acid works. and. indeed. all the wage-work-
| ers of Argentine.
The loss of the bridge and the suspension
| of street car travel and telephone service