The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-02
SITUATION AT NORTH TOPEKA.
Water Is Subsidins, but sickness IL
Feared-Twenty-Fiv Deaths.

1t is now admitted that the number of
dead is not known. Reports have been ex-
| aggerated. In the excitement all sorts Of
rumors have come in. Men have seen per-
sons fall into the water and take it for
| granted that those persons were drowned.
| Often the persons concerned are seen later.
They tell of thrilling experience, but are
not always taken from the lists of dead
| Some are still missing. 1t may be days be-
| fore trustworthy list is made. 1t is now
| thought that not more than twenty or TWEEN
| ty-five are dead.
Identified Dead
HENRY JORDAN (colored).
- WARD, old soldier.
- GARRETT, fve-year-old son of
| Fireman G. H. Garrett
FOREST KUTZ, teacher.
MRS. FOREST KUTZ.
| LOUISE SEAHAVEN.
| - STORY infant of George NJ. Story.
JOHN L. ADAMS.
Unidentified Dead
| Family Of seven, seen by Rescuer Smith
| in West Side house. Unknown woman and
children, drowned while crossing to Oak
| land.
Missing
! summary of the missing and the prob
| ably dead follows:
| A Mrs. Jackson, widow. and Mrs. Ida
Montgomery are reported missing.
Four. seen to fall from trees by watchers
at Sardou bridge east approach.
Mrs. Jackson. a widow. who lived at
| Thirtieth and Van Buren,, was caught in her
home without means of leaving and is
thought TO have been drowned.
| Henry Ludington, who lives in Oakland,
was last seen hanging to the branches Of a
| tree in the eastern portion of North Tope-
ka Saturday morning. 1t is thought that
he has been drowned. as he is no longer in
| the tree where he was seen.
| John L. Adams, who lived on Madison
| street near the wooden mill, is thought TO
| have persisted. With his family he had
| taken refuge on the roof of his home Res
cuers took the family out early but the
boat was not large enough to accommodate
| him. When the party returned for him he
| had vanished.
/ Andrew Pretzel. market gardener living
east of Oakland, is among the missing and
| his friends think he has drowned.
The Munsey family. who were caught on
| port that they saw two bodies float by this
morning.
saw a woman and baby fall from a house
roof lust west of the Gabriel lumber yards
while that structure was burning. The
| current swept them directly into the flames
A reporter for the Associated Press saw
| two men plunge from a house just south
| of the burning yards about the same time
| Saturday afternoon. They were swept out
into the current and disappeared under the
muddy water
Watchers on the east approach of the old
| Sardou-avenue bridge yesterday morning
saw four persons fall from the trees into
| the water.
An unknown girl was taken from house
| near Kansas avenue and Gordon street
| late Saturday night She was chilled and
| numbed from exposure. and died shortly
| after being taken into the Union Pacific
| Hotel.
| Company, saw woman swept down the
| river and drowned Saturday morning.
Another woman, who was about to be
| rescued. slipped from the roof before the
boat could get to her. Some of these re-
| ports are thought to be duplicates.
DISTRESS EASING.
The distress of the sufferers is easing
| Those who are still in North Topeka are
receiving food. and they are in no danger
| unless 1t be from sickness There is
| possibility that there will be a spread of
| contagious diseases. People of all classes
| are huddled together in houses not large
| enough for them. and on all sides they are
| surrounded by water. Doctors and medical
| relief cannot reach sufferers to any great
| extent This afternoon a case of diph-
| liberia was reported from the wooden mill
| in North Topeka, where there are a large
| number of children. There is also a case
or two of scarlet fever among the refu-
| gees on the North Side. Hundreds of cases
/ of measles are prevalent among the chill
| dren. who are exposed to cold and damp
ness.
The possibility of an epidemic is the most
serious thing the city must contend with
| The physicians of the city. under the direc-
ton of the city Board of Health are max
ing heroic efforts to check the threatened
| calamity In this work they are well aided
by the health boards~of the State and
| county.
An emergency board of health has been
| appointed by the mayor to cooperate with
| the city physician in quelling the disease
which will result from the flood. The
board organized. electing DIR. L. Y. Grubbs
| president. This afternoon the new board
met with the County Commissioners and
arranged that the county was to bear one
half of the expenses that the doctors will
have to incur in carrying forward their
work.
Dr. Grubbs says that the sanitary con-
dition of North Topeka when the water
shall go down will be in such a condition
habited for some months to come. He saws
he thinks the best plan would be to get
tents from the state s and and establish tent
PROVISIONS SCARCE.
Provisions of all sorts are becoming
L
entered the city for several days and as
large quantities of groceries were DESTROYED
in North Topeka. there will not be enough
for the people to eat If this situation lasts
| much longer 1t is charged that certain
of the merchants have found comb,na-
tion for the purpose of controlling the
| prices on provisions.
A prominent miller said this morning:
1--WE do not intend and have never intended
RI raise the price OF -four no matter what
the erocers are thinking of doing We do
not wish to make any money out of A
calamity
IL is reported that a local commission
firm bought up all the potatoes in town
last Saturday and advanced the price so
cents bushel.
| IL will be at least a week before freight
| perhaps longer. An effort will be made to
| secure A stock of provisions from the small
| er towns TO the south.
liz was learned tonight that Rock Island
! relief train had reached North Topeka last
| night i'm the vicinity of the Reform School
The train brought sixty boats and TWO steam
| launches. Boatmen from Lake Contrary
| are In charge and they are doing splendid
work in taking flood victims TO places of
| safety.
A long train OF Rock Island passenger
| coaches were also brought and in these
| the people arc taking shelter. They will
be taken to places further up the track.