Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-06-12
MANY FARMS Devastated.
People Along the Missouri River
Lost Heavily-AIl Previous Flood
Records Broken.

--oSiISiS sun lily, NIO., u uHc Cine
Missouri river here stood at 81 feet,
which far surpasses the record of
1874. The city was in darkness sew
eral nights, as both electric and gas
lights were flooded. The river here
was six miles wide and covered every
foot of bottom land from bluff to
bluff. Four miles above jefferson
City the torrent was six miles wide
and the width varied only with the
distance between the hills on either
side OF the stream. Cedar City, OPP
posite Jefferson City, was flooded and
all residents moved out. The farm
ers in the river bottoms have lost
their crops and live stock, but were
safe and well cared for by the friends
on high ground.
A steamboat crossed the Missouri
river below the bridge at Jefferson
City and went over the Galloway
bottoms to Cedar City. The boat
rode over the tops of barbed wire
fences and over the Kansas City and
Chicago & Alton tracks into the vii
lage. The high water west of here
to Boonville covered the river division
of the Missouri Pacific with from one
to six feet Of water. 1t is feared that
when the water goes down the road
bed Will slip into the river and per-
haps some of the bridges go out.
The damage will be enormous if the
river division goes into the river,
as it was just built last year at big
expense.
The southern portion of Carroll
county was under water and 1000 of
her nQOr1n Onrono1ln6 TO
their homes and fly to the bluffs for
safety. The Missouri river, which
flows along the southern border OF
Carroll county, was ten miles wide
in places and for miles and miles
only little mound now and then was
visible. Wakenda, a small village Of
500 people, now has a population Of
about so. Every house in town was
surrounded by three feet of water
A serious flood situation confront
ed Brunswick. Grand river broke
through the levee at Funston's
slough with a roar that could be
heard for a mile and the water
poured into the bottom lands south
of brunswick and spread into body
Of water seven miles wide, extending
to the Saline county bluffs. The bot
toms are fertile farm lands and the
farmers families fed to higher
ground. Over 500 refugees were
sheltered in Brunswick.
Near McBaine and Hattsburg 10000
acres of wheat and corn were under
water, and the damage is estimated
at 100000 to 100000. Over 100 fam
lilies are homeless and many of them
in a destitute condition. The town
of McBaine was under water, only the
roofs of the houses being visible.
Some of them were entirely under
water and others have been washed
away. McBaine is two miles from
the river. The business houses of
Harrisburg and Huntsdale, towns of
800 or 400, were half full of water and
all business was abandoned. There is
a probability that the current of the
Missouri river will change for 20
miles, running one or two miles north
of the old channel The whole map
of the river at that point will be
changed and many problems will
confront the engineers who rebuild
the Missouri, Kansas & Texas. The
roadbed of this road has been ruined
and it will probably be months before
train service can be restored.
A visit to the flooded bottoms
around Boonville confirmed reports Of
heavy flood losses. The heaviest dam
bottoms for eight miles above the
Boonville bridge, due to the breaking
of the Cooper levee. The loss Of live
stock has been heavy, as the people,
depending on this levee, did not re-
move their stock from the bottoms.
After the levee broke it was too late.
For two days the river at Boonville
was full of houses, COWS, calves,
horses, hogs, sheep and poultry. The
fishermen living on the river discon-
tinued fishing and reaped harvest
catching derelict stock.
In Center of Floods Fury.
Manhattan Kan June S-Nfan-