The Indianapolis journal., 1903-06-01
OTHER DANGER POINTS
DES MONIES, A., ALSO THREATENED
WITH DISASTER.
Thousands Homeless and Immense
Damage DOne-Mississippi Is
Rising Rapidly.

the water, until they could escape only
by boats or RATS. The water is quiet ex-
cept where the new channel Is wearing. and
there will be no loss of life Further rise
area, which already reaches to the bluffs.
but will take away many houses now in
undated but still resting on their founda-
clothing. The refugees are sheltered in
the houses on high ground which are safe
UTTER DESOLATION.
The situation in the suburb of Armourdale
tonight is of utter desolation, with
every prospect that the financial loss,
already heavy, will be greater within the
next twenty-four hours. In the section are
situated all the large packing houses
Armour's. Swift's, Cudhay's and Swartzs-
child & Sulberger's. The loss to these
plants alone will be close to s2.ooo.000.
Agents of Swift & Co. estimate their
loss to be close to $l,000,0O.
The Armour Packing Company suffered
loss from water roughly estimated ar
half million dollars. The exact damage
cannot be calculated until the water lowers
SO that all the buildings may be inspected
and a general inventory taken, but the
plant will be idle for some time to come.
In addition to this there are great numbers
of freight cars standing on the tracks, u
all Of which the freight Is ruined. and
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 and take to the higher ground for
safety In few instances have any of them
saved anything OF their property, and In
most sbd SnS ttie of thslg CLOTHING Most
to remain at their homes until the last
minute and then flee for their lives, carry
ing with them 1r what they he could lift and mo no
section the waters of the Kaw have backed
up. and there is little current. fact that
may tend TO lessen the damage, inasmuch
as the water cannot sweep properly out In
the main river as Is the case in Argen-
tine and in the wholesale district of the
city.
The two Armourdale bridges are still
standing, but may not last through another
day. Against these bridges great masses
of wreckage are wedged. The water poured
wholesale district there VIII be no active
business for some time after the abatement
6f here and In of
water has flooded the first floor and In
many cases reaches TO the ceilings of the
of of "a building W at the the foot Of Y Fifth street
fell with a crash 1t Is impossible TO tell
what building il was.
SPONTANEOUS FIRES.
AT o'clock seven fires were burning In
as many places in the railroad yards, all OF
them having originated from stacking lime
stored in freight cars.
At o'clock the most serious blaze Of the
day broke out in some lime cars standing
opposite the west end of the Union station
and directly behind the roundhouse owned
jointly by all the roads entering the station
The flames ran rapidly from car to car and
within three hours thirty of them had been
destroyed. Among them were several oil
tanks. which for time threatened great
damage to everything In their vicinity. The
wind carried the great sheets OF flame to-
ward the south and the current here met
patches OF blazing oil I'm the opposite di-
rection. Fortunately. there open
space directly north OF this fire. which af-
forded egress for the burning oil, and IL
was carried so swiftly out to the river that
the danger was somewhat lessened. but
there was great peril for a time TO a num-
While this blaze was at its height frantic
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 on the Twelfth-street
viaduct TO lend what aid they could. There
were no boats, darkness was rapidly clos
ing down. and unless the author of the
cries saved himself an unknown man went
down to death with hundreds of people
close at hand and utterly unable 10 lend a
hand TO aid him. There were rumors that
the total number Of deaths In the whole
sale district of the city during the latter
part of the day will reach as high as ffty.
but there Is no direct evidence OF this and no
possible way of determining the matter un-
til the waters subside.
Directly south OF the NldQuct stOO0 the
warehouse of the Missouri Lime and Ce-
nlent Company. a building 80 feet long and
fifty feet wide. Close TO IL stood number
OF cars loaded with lime. and at o'clock
they were all ablaze. With them went the
warehouse and all IL contained. About a
dozen freight cars not loaded with lime
were consumed also. The damage in this
fire could not be less than 100000
The other fires were scattered over a dis
trict five miles long by three miles wide.
and I'm every instance are supposed TO be-
lime cars. III was impossible to approach
within a mile of them. but none was large.
Day Of Gloom and Disaster.
KANSAS CITY. Mo-. May 3l.-At 1880 to-
day a force of police began ordering out OF
the main waiting room of the Union Station
the hundreds of persons awaiting outgoing
trains AT that time the water had reached
the trains. Passengers the outbound
Santa Fe Limited. who had been waiting
hours 10 move, and others on other trains.
were ordered out also. Many went 10 the
second floor. which. under any condition,
will be safe. but the crowds were so great
that majority of the people could not find
room there and were forced TO go up town.
BY i o'clock half foot OF water covered
the waiting-room floor. and the ticket Of
fee. telegraph Office. baggage and express