New-York tribune., 1903-06-02
10000 HOMELESS.
DEAD CANNOT BE TOLD.
Hundreds IN Kansas City Prisoners
of Flood Without Food.


and the city practically at the mercy of the first
| fire that breaks out: with railroad transporta-
ton feeble and uncertain. this city may, If the
| waters do not recede within the next two or
! three days be compelled TO fight for her very
| life. Tonight the skies dark and lowering
| the rain ic falling heavily and more stormy
| weather is sweeping up from the West The
river is practically stationary tonight. but what
| the flood has it keeps, and there is no certain
| promise of when it will recede. The stage to-
night is "a 8 feet. Chief Connor. of the Weather
Bureau, says that, while the outlook is for con-
tinued rains, it would necessitate a very heaNy
| fall to keep up the present high water.
| The first authentic information from Kansas
| City. KAN was received tonight. In that dis
| trict twenty thousand people are homeless
| Many have been drowned but the number can
! not be estimated. The property loss has peen
heavy. The situation there is parallel to the
situation here-apparantIy better and no
worse.
There is no great probability that there VIII
he further loss of life if the river does not rise
very suddenly. All through the wholesale dls-
tricts and in thu east and west bottoms there
are people still in houses-many of them anxious
to be taken away-but a good many con-
| tent 10 remain where they are, with all the
! chances Of the flood.
The police have done excellent rescue WORK
! They have probably brought 2Jo persons sa1e
| to the high ground since sunrise. One hundreo
and fifty of these were brought to the viaduct at
| Twefth-st. and the others were saved IN the
| east and the west bottoms by boats twenty
| people were taken from the Martin School and
| thirty from O'Brien's lodging house in the east
| bottoms. The rest of them were brought IN
| singly. Tonight i'll the east and west bottoms
a number of obstinate people still cltnging
| to their homes. Although the police have run
boats beneath their windows and offered to save
them. they refuse to leave. and will take their
| chances for another night at least
CANNOT ESTIMATE DEAD.
| 1t is impossible to form any estimate of the
| number Of dead. There have been many stories
| of how boats laden with people have been seen
| to sink-there have been reports without end Of
| bodies seen floating by on wreCkage, of men
| who have tried to drive wagons laden with
their household effects against certain death in
| the swift current and gone down in The flood
The majority of these stories lack proof. how
| ever. 1t is likely that the number of dead in
| Kansas City Mo. will approximate fifty.
| In the wholesale district people at dusk to-
night were waving white cloths to attract atten-
tion. The condition of some of these people IS
| pitiable. They have been held prisoners for
| two days, threatened with death by drowning,
and at one time by fire. For the most part they
| were without food. and for twenty-four hours
| without drinking water. Every effort is being
made. and they will all be saved tomorrow. un-
| less the water rises more.
The financial loss is about as great now 1t
| is likely TO become. unless the water rises much
higher. The great danger is that the founda-
tions of buildings will be undermined But the
| buildings that have withstood the flood all day
have an excellent chance Of holding out for
some time.
There has been no suffering in the city be-
yond that sustained by the people driven from
their homes. Excellent work has been done by
the local relief committees and those in control
of this work are confident that the city will be
able to care for it's own without calling on other
cities of the State.
THE CITY IN DARKNESS.
| Tonight the city is in darkness. save in
| buildings which have their own electric light
plants Power for the three streetcar lines that
| have resumed operation is furnished by water
piped from a small stream in of the valleys.
The newspapers have heen compelled 10 discon-
tinue the use of their typesetting machines be-
cause of lack Of power, and are setting type by
| hand.
In the hotels. all of which are crowded to
their capacity. care is taken to prevent the
wasting of water. In front Of every washroom
| a guard is stationed. and is admitted.
| even TO wash his hands unless he identifies him
| self at the desk. The gas company made a
| fight all day to keep gas in the mains, but this
| afternoon was forced TO shut down. The best
the company can promise for tomorrow Is gas
for two hours night and morning to cook with
In the Missouri Rivers surplus waters. known
! as the east bottoms, many difficult rescues
were made to-day Police Lieutenant Harry A
| Adams assisted at first by five policemen, and
| b,y double number, working with
| boats throughout the day. made rescues under
| great difficulties. Probably seventy-five persons
were removed to places OF safety during the
| day in this section of the city. Nightfal found
the rescuers still at work.
POLICE SAVE TWO THOUSAND
last evening the east bottoms in the vicinity
| or Heir1s's brewery was ar attractive place from
which to view the pIunging river. quarter of
| mile in the direction of the river the land
was protected by the embankment Of the Mis-
| souri, Pacific Railroad, and nearly two thousand
stghtsears we're strung along the tracks Lieu
tenant Adams scented danger in the embank-
ment. and with what few policemen he had and
| q few volunteers ordered the crowd from the
tracks Arguments and commands having
nroyed futile n and his men literally pushed
the crowd from the tracks TO the higher ground
south of the brewery. II not more than half
an hour after the lieutenant had driven the
crowd off that the embankment crumbIed away.
and the east bottoms for miles were under water.
with people crying for help and firing pistols
from the roofs and upper windows of their
dwellings to attract attention,
The brewery, the police station itself stores.
saloons and scores of cottages were flooded and
there was not boat within miles Lieutenant
Adams promptly transferred headquarters TO a
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