Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-01

above Argentine, went out at $50 this
morning. Its wreckage lodged against the
county bridge at Argentine, which sue
cumbed at noon. The Belt Line steel rail-
road bridge, just below the county bridge,
fell Immediately afterward. Then in sue
cession the Twenty-fourth street bridge.
owned Jointly by the Metropolitan Street
Railway company and the county, and the
county bridge at Fifth street were carried
away. The railroad bridge was valued at
$4,000 and the other four at $4,000 each,
making the bridge loss $4,000.
Five hundred frame dwelling houses are
under water and with a further rise many
will be swept away. The river is full
OF wreckage and crowds of people lined the
tanks today watching the procession of
houses. cars, trees and other debris that
loated down. No bodies have been seen to
pass, but chickens, 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 car shops,
machine houses. round house. station and
elevator and the Argentine smelter stand
In deep water. The 1000 employees of the
Santa Fe are idle, also 800 men from the
acid works. and indeed all the wage work
NI6 VI AABtlANllAts IN lOGE " ~ 80
the suspension Of telegraph and telephone
service, have almost totally Isolated Ar.
gentine. The roads are almost impossible
for heavy vehicles.
Fortunate Find of Provisions,
There would have been a famine today
but for the discovery of two refrigerator
car loads of meat in the railroad yards ana
the generosity of a contractor who sent a
wagon load of bread from Kansas City for
free distribution. The meat was con-
fscated and the bread and meat is beine
served at the city hall to all applicants.
Many Of the destitute are negroes who
have not even saved their clothing. The
people In the hooded district had ample
warning, but chung to their houses, hopins
for the fall of the water, until they could
escape only by boat or raft. The water Is
quiet except where the new channel Is
wearing and there will be no loss of life
Further rise of the water will not increase
the flooded area, which already reaches
to the bluffs, but will take away many
houses now inundated but still resting on
their foundations. There is urgent neeo
of food and clothing. The refugees are
sheltered in houses which are high and
safe.
situation at A~rmOurdaIe.
The situation in the suburb of Armour
dale tonight is one of utter desolation, with
every prospect thai the financial loss, al
ready heavy, will be greater within the
next twepty-fonr hours, In his section
are situated all the large packing houses,
Armour's, switt's, Cudahy's and Schwartz
child & Sulzberger's. The loss to the plants
alone will be 81, 900, 900. swift & Co. esti-
mate their loss 10 be close to $1,000, 900. The
Armour Packing company suffered a loss
from the water roughly estimated at $780,
900. The exact damage cannot be calcu-
lated iuntll the water lowers so that all
the buildings may be inspected and a gen
eral inventory taken. but the great plant
will be idle for some time to come. In
addition to this there are great unbe
of reigh cars standing on the tracks, in
all of which the freight is ruined. and the
loss in this direction cannot be computed
for weeks after the waters subside.
All the houses in the district are under
water. most of them being only one-story
high and fully 5000 people from this
suburb have been compelled to abandon
their homes for higher ground. In few
have any of them saved any
thing of their property, and in most cases
little of their clothjnAs Most OF them hal
htupi HdAiAiHs u yR'SASatON w fSh
at their houses until Athe last minut and
then fed for their lives, carrying with
them what their hands could lift and no
more. All through the streets of this sec
ton the waters OF the Kaw have backed
up, and there is little current. a fact that
tend to lessen the damage. inasmuch
as the water cannot sweep property out
into the main river, as is the case In Ar
gentine, and in the wholesale district of
Kansas City.
Bridges in Danger.
The two ArmourdaIA bridges are still
standing, but may not last through an
other day. Against these bridges great
masses of w~reckage, was wedged. The
water poured FIVE feet deep over their
floors.
In the wholesale district there will be
no active business for some time after
the abatement of the flood. There are
scores of wholesale houses here and in
every one of them the water has flooded
the first floor and in many cases reaches
to the ceilings of the first floor. Late this
afternoon the walls of a building at the
foot of Fifth street fell with a crash. 1t
is impossible to tell what building 1t was.
At 9 o'clock seven fires were burning In as
many places In the railroad yards, all Of
them having originated from stacking lime.
At 4 o'clock the most serious phaze of the
day broke out in some lime cars standing
opposite the west end of the Union station
and directly behind the r~oundhouse, owned
jointly by all the roads entering the sta
ton. The flames ran quickly from car to
car, and within three hours thirty of
them had been destroyed, Among them
we're several oil tanks which for a time
great damage to everything In
their vicinity. The wind carried the great
sheets of flame toward the south and the
currents bore patches of blazing oil In the
opposite direction.
Fortunately there was an open space d.
rectly north OF the fire which AFFORDED
egress for the burning oil and It was car
ried so swiftly out to the river that the
danger was somewhat lessened but there
was great peril for a time TO a number OF
close to the Union depot.
Cries for Help.
While this blaze was at it's height fran
tic cries Of help. help" came from the
vicinity OF the fire. but the man who ut
tered them could not be found. although
numbers OF men ran out IN the Twelfth
street viaduct to lend what aid they could.
There were no boats, darkness was rapidly
closing dow and unless the author OF the
cries saved himself an unknown ran went
to death with hundreds Of people close
hand and utterly unable to lend a hand
to him.
- 49, l. 4aN,N z,,.N.-