The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1903-06-12
Topeka sORELY STRICKEN.
Nearly 100 of Whom Have been
FOund-Great Loss of Property.


low that the devastating power of
.he North Topeka flood is becoming
<nown. While thee calamity here in
oss of property IS not comparable
With that in Kansas City and environs
the loss of human life and the class
Of people dead and homeless makes
fully as crushing blow to the
| community. The 6known dead is 80,
and as the waters recede the bodies
IF more corpses are daily being un-
covered. 0 North Topeka is a total
| wreck. There is town there-the
plaything of the elements, which
seem to have worried It. until they
were Tired and then left IL stranded.
The damage is done and the subsid-
ing of the wMters made little diff
ference-simp95 the lifting of the veil
which hid the awful wreck of the
under-current. The business part of
the town is sorry cooking place, the
damage of the waters being almost
complete. The fronts of most of the
! stores have large openings brokefe
through. The contents of most of
the stores are rushed. The currents
came rushing through with such
force that they upset the ccainters
| and boxes and &vhatever came in
| their way and dragged the goods
stored high on the shelves into the
water. ON nearly every bsildiMg
which was not washed away the con-
tents were pilea on the side further
most down stream and over all there
was ca slime of fine sand mixed with
little mud. This deposit varies from
few inches to two or tAree feet
and is over everything.
o North Topeka was built in a. basin
and was connected with the main
part of the city With the MileH arch
bridge. SomeOf the finest residences
of the city weye ja North Topeka
and there is not one left standing1
Asphalt paving ss rolled up against
ldrees like carpets: O q o
Kansas has suffered as result of
the floods more than any other state.
Nc, exact figures of the loss sus-
tanned can, of course, be given, but
those who have an intimate knowl-
edge Of the sections submerged and
the extent and force of the floods
have been making estimates, ana the
conclusions which they have reached
may be considered fairly @ reliable.
The damage done, in the principal
cities and towns is estimated as fol-
lows: North Topeka, 100000; Law
renee, 100000; Salina, $2OO,Os0; Man.
haitian, $15O,OOO; vVSmego, $4,000;
St. Marys, $4,000; Blue Rapids, $780,
600; Clay Center, $4,000; Enterprise,
$4,000; Concordia, 5000; Junction
City, 100000; Solomon, $4,000; Abb
lene, $250,0OO; Ellsworth, $2O, 1000;
Lindsborg, 100000; Hutchinson,
100000; Minneapolis, 0 100000: En-
poria, $65,00O; Florence, $4,000; GLin-
celn Center, $4,000; Atchison, $780,
600; Burlington, 100000; Hill City,
$4,000; Beloit, $4,000. No account
has been taken of the smaller towns
although nearly 200 of these were
affected by the floods. The very
! lowest estimate that can be made
CT the loss done to crops is $5,OOO,OOO.
Owing to the lateness of the season
and the condition of the soil, it is
very doubtful if any profit cwill be
drawn during the remainder of the
year from the farms which were in
undated. AS consequence there will
De a great deal of individual want
ap5 suffering among farmers upon
whosn the blow fell heaviest.
Otto Kuehae, president of pickle
and vinegar factorSia North Topeka,
left $500 in silver in an overcoat
pocket in Ibis home when the waFee
drove him out. Two days later a
stranger walking the streets of To-
peka was arrested with the overcoat,
but 40 money was found.
So great was the pillaging and LOOT
ing for a time that Cos. Bailey Ras
urged to declare martial law in
North Topeka and invest the town
Srith soldiers
Sixty men arme9with &inchesters
dpatrolled che flooded districts in
boats aAd prevented many cases of
looting.
b. F. Criswell, state agent of the
North British & Mercantile Fire In
sorance company, arrived in TGFeka
Thursday, haV3ng made the trip from
Manhattan to Topeka in a small rove
boat. which, left cManhattaA the day
before. He was the first man from
the northwest to Ge@ch the city, as
trains had not been running on the
Rock Island or Union Pacific for ten
days. Few people ever had more
perilous trip by water than Mr.. Girls
well. 90
The exten9 of destruction to prop
efty along the lowlands near Man
haitian is just being revealed. Many
farms valued at from $4,000 to $10.-
600 each are nearly ruined. Besides
being cut and burrowed with many
bitches several feet of sand and
gravel cover hundreds of acres of
the lest land. A large number of