The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-06-02
SITUATION SERIOUS
AT KANSAS CITY.
Very Life of the City Threatened by
the Waters.

lne waters.
Kansas City, Mo-, June with gas
and electric lights extinguished, the
waterworks shut down, and the city
practically at the mercy of the first
fire that shall break out; with railroad
transportation feeble and uncertain,
Kansas 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 are dark and
| lowering-the rain is falling heavily
more stormy weather is sweeping up
from the west and the Unsuitable
river is stoutly holding its own. 1t is
| practically stationary tonight, but
what flood it has it keeps, and there is
no certain promise of when it will re-
| cede. The stage tonight is 34.9.
Chief Connor of the Weather Bureau
| says that while the outlook is for con-
! tinued rains it would necessitate a
very heavy fall if the present high
water is to continue.
The first authentic information from
Kansas City, Kan, was received to-
night. In that district 10000 people
| are homeless. Many have been drown
| ed, but the number cannot be esti-
mated. The property loss has been
heavy. The situation there is a paral-
lei to the situation here-apparently
no better, and no worse. There is no
great probability that there will be
further loss of life, if the river does
not rise very suddenly.
All through the wholesale district
and in the east and west bottoms, there
are people still in houses-many of them
anxious to be taken away-a goodly
number of them content to remain
where they are. with all the chances
| of the flood.
The police have done wonders to-
day in rescuing people, and have prob
ably brought $50 of them safe to the
high ground since sunrise. One humid
red and fifty of these were brought 10
the viaduct at Twelfth street and the
others were saved in the east and west
bottoms bv 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, in the east and the west bot
toms number of obstinate
people are still clinging to their
| run boats beneath their win
dows and offered to save them, they
refuse to leave and will take their
chances for another night, at least.
There is no possible way of getting
at the names of the dead, and no
chance of forming any estimate that
can be confidently termed accurate. 1t
is likely however, that the number of
fatalities in Kansas City, Mo, will ap-
proximate fifty. The financial damage
is about as great now as it likely to
become, unless the water rises much
higher.
Several boats arrived here from Kan
sas City, Kan, this evening, and their
occupants were able to give the first
definite information regarding condi-
tions in that city, which has been
available within thirty hours.
The situation there is almost identi-
cal with that upon this side of the
river. Riverview and Wyandotte
which, with Armourdale, form Kansas
| City, Kan, are thronged with refu-
gees, all the churches are filled with
people who have been driven from their
homes, and crowds of them are in the
public buildings, where they are be-
| ing cared for by the city. 1t is esti-
mated that 10000 people who formerly
lived in Armourdale and on the west
bottoms, have been driven from their
| homes
A number of people have been drown
| ed, but an accurate estimate of their
number is not possible. However, 1t
will not exceed fifty. The financial
| damage will be heavy, all the factories
| and wholesale establishments on the
low ground being inundated.
Word was brought to police head
quarters to-day that a number of men
were looting houses in the east bot
| toms. They had improvised RATS from
boards and by propelling them with
! poles were making their way into the
| houses through the second story win
III -,-I
| ceived by Chief of Police Hayes he or
dered a detachment of officers to the
| place. with strict orders that if the
story was found to be true. the thieves
should be shot down at once.
Dispatches from scores of towns in
| Kansas report the floods abating and
! though rain is still falling in some
| places, the outlook is for better wealth
| er. The loss of life is less than at
| first reported, but the destruction of
| property has probably not been over
| estimated.