The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1903-06-05
The FURY Of
FIRE AND FIN
North Topeka, Kansas :, y.
Wiped Out Of Exist 1s Ne
MANY PEOPLE Bupu ro

MANY PEOPLE BURN Toni
wave. "a. Cover Hundreds Who s,,.,
oen.h. No Correct Estlm sunk i
Death Loss Can no s.e of ID
i~sescuers at wort "aae'
Topeka, Kan, Nav. .,
1 peka' whs.e 10000 people v Worth
tered a few hours ago, is n Were q
OF ruins, covered with a - now .
A fire started yesterd,r raging Cd
a a live wire and quickly s rp,s'a'o9
Morris and Gordon streets pgs oetw
side of Kansas ayenne On thew
AS the buildings were ~sre burnt
water there was no war eanded
the flames. way OF fight
The situation grew more don,
every moment. The current tpl n
flood grew stronger and the u, Of
creased. Four hundred bo,,s
burned and the whole of Sor,h So
peka was threatened. As ne, u'sh
be learned between $50 and eoos asc
are dead. Most of these uou pers0
to death. we're burn
Reporters who arrived lust u.
midnight from the river saw th aN
water is yet rising. An nnoona
report from Wamego and Mauhntnnn1
west of Topeka says anotbaa nasa
coming down the Republican ,na rise m
rivers. anu bd
Fire Chief Wilmarth saws that /,
fire on the east side of Kansas WAY W
in North Tokeka is rapidly tat;na ~
remaining buildings. 'n
The fire went toward the wind
this served to check its progress l buy
much burning wreckage aoatinn,, 0 vu
made the destruction of the rem,;a
ing houses certain.
People on roofs of houses ve,,
heard calling frantically for helm
1t is said that two boats loaded with
people weres wampcd and that a dozpn]
or more persons were drowned,
Thorey, another suburb of Toro,,
located northwest of the CITY, nparth.
reform school was inundated.
The jackson school house shelteraa
100 people. They entered the bu;,dinr
before the water became so high. and
then could not escape.
Topeka, Kan, June There ii
ground for hope that the worst has
passed. The fve-miles-wide Kansas,
river is settling back into its riehttul
channel.
Not a square foot of land can be
see in any direction. There is but
small chance of any Of the residences
being left standing at the end of the
flood.
Sherry, Oakland and the region
about the reform school are all under
rushing waters.
Leading men have made a careful
examination of the flood and all is
conditions, and as a result of their in.
vestigation they give $50 as the prob.
able number of lives lost. A more
conservative estimate places the mum.
Der of dead at IT'S. The higher figure
is as apt to be correct as the lower.
1t is merely a matter of guessing.
of r~escuing parties tell Of
people drop from houses, only
to be swept away by the flood, and
others tell of men who, terrified at the
approach of fire, dropped into the
water, where they sank and did not
reappear.
This estimated number of dead does
not include the large number classed
as missing, who cannot otherwise be
for. Neither does it include
those who r supposed to have lost
their lives in the fire. In the latter
there is absolutely no means OF
arriving at even an approximate nun
Der of victims.
The water is SO high and the current
strong that all that car be done
now is to rescue those in the buildings
by water. 1t will be a.
least three days before the correct
number of dead will be known.
The ardor of the work of the heroc
rescuers was not abated in the least
oy the conditions that faced them
For long dreary hours, knee deep II
water and sometimes in water up u
heir necks they worked with mlsh'
md main. They can point to 500 Oh
more rescued ones who otheEwls
night have been swept away in 'he
current.
Large contributions have ALREADY
received for the benefit OF sn'
'%ufferers. The amount given ey ~
'eka citizens alone will aggreea''
100000. To this is to be acdea a'
immense quantity Of clothing, }'roe'S
ons and general supplies. ortsl',
owns have generously Offered a'o