The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1903-06-13
North Topeka and Kansas Cities the Greatest
s-Famine and Pestilence Threatened
ing Description of Rescue Work a North Topeka.

ors were persistent, and many people
were saved.
Women and children were always
given the preference. and there we're
many pitiful Incidents of aged or
WORKOUT men. who had been clinging
to trees or hanging on to roofs for
many hours. meeting with stern re.
fusal from rescuers.
The condition of most of the sur.
vivors was terrible. The strongest
were reduced to utter weakness. The
will power. the love of the father or
the mother for the offspring in nota-
BILE cases alone accounts for the sur.
vival of so many.
No food for two days. and in some
cases for three hedged in between
the branches of trees or in small
rooms or lofts in factories, houses and
barns, no sound save that of the roar
ing flood. no hopeful view, but only
the flashing of fire brands and look
into the murky, swirling waterfall
these circumstances intensified
thousand times-combined to whiten
hair in a night and to drive to dis
traction the coolest heads.
The ardor of the workers was not
abated by cold drizzling rain. Citi-
zens of every calling. the rich and
the poor. donned oil skins and worked
for hours in water up to their arm
pits.
An epitome of those few hours in
Topeka is found in the stories of the
victims and their rescuers. The lat
ter tell of the unutterable woe of the
refugees, of the heartrendering cries
for help, and, at times, of the plunge
up hope of relief when It was just at
hand
The former, the people saved, are
telling of the unexampled bravery Of
their rescuers. Testimony of remark
able deeds and of terrible incidents
are not wanting
In some isolated instances men
showed the white feather. In nearly
every case. however, by their actions
they showed the material of which
true American manhood Is made.
Women and children were given the
precedence in the work of rescue.
T.. l.. Cowdry and his brother are
food. When asked for story of his
experience the former said: "Oh.
It was terrible; cant describe it. 1t
seems as if | have lived in a horrible
nightmare for the last two days.
Early on Thursday se saw that
the water would be high, but with the
usual persistence of people who dis.
like to leave their own homes, put of
| departure as long as possible 1t
| came near being our undoing Friday
the whole of North Topeka, it seemed
| overflowed within an hour The water
came creeping up faster than the peo
pie could get out. We were forced tC
leave in such hurry that we could
not even take blanket.
Il am satisfied that our house was
destroyed. as II was in the direct path
of the fire. All | have in the worl6
is the clothing that am now wearing
Hundreds of others are in as bad 8
condition as we are
There are innumerable instances o.
distress. Hundreds who were rich are
row poor and the poor people are IL
distress. Many lost absolutely every
thing. The savings of years were
swept away by water. Now they have
only the titles to the water-covereC
land, which can never again be oc
cupied with any degree of safety Of
certainty of title.
w. n. Keppard and wife, two aged
people were saved They were Sc
numb that they could not feel, and haC
to be knocked down into the water be
fore the men could reach them. They
were standing close together in the
attic of a house, and so severe hat
been their experience that theil
minds gave way under the strain
They cannot recover.
Notwithstanding their precarious
condition many of the sufferers helC
religious services in the buildings
where they were imprisoned 1t was
a touching sight, the rescuers say, t
see people of all walks of life bowed
down in PRAYER together