Omaha daily bee., 1903-06-03


night It was not uncommon to hear men
and women making inquiries for friends
and relatives. It is hard to make the dis
traught ones realize that Il is not at all
unlikely that II the missing ones are not
on the Kansas side, they are on the other
and much better or there. Much good is
being done by the cool heads. who in
sistently discredit sensational stories OF
loss OF life, thus calming those who fear
themselves bereft.
The Swift company chartered the steamlr
Columbia today and has a large force at
the Fowler plant taking meat to the Kan
sas side.
Men were also sent to the Seventh street
viaduct and from there taken to Swift's
Armourdale plant Hundreds of able-bodied
men volunteered to work, and much of the
vast stores of meat in the packing houses
will be saved. ,...
steamer from other side.
steamer arrived from Kansas city,
Kan, tonight and was crowded with d piople.
many of whom live here and had been
besieged on the Kansas side since Satur-
day. ...
Something like order was brought out
Of chaos, in the matter of distributing
such food as was at hand With the sup
ply running short, 1t became apparent that
the distribution must be systematic ard
central station for that purpose was
opened at sos Minnesota avenue. From
there the food is sent in proper proportions
to the various schools, churches and other
camps. of refugees. A temporary hos
pital, with medical attendants, has been
established. Farmers sold garden truck in
the streets during the day and 900 sides of
beef were received from Swifts packing
house. This is the total number of beeves
saved at that plant.
Merchants OF Kansas City, Kan, have
bought up large quantities of supplies
which will be shipped into the suburbs as
fast as possible over the only line of road
open-the electric road from Leavenworth
Kan. Street cars in the suburbs began to
run after fashion this morning with
power furnished by the dynamos at Leay--
enworth. The lack of gas is severely felt
and oil is scarce.
Fly Distress Flags.
Flags of distress from partly inundated
buildings in Armourdale could be seen
from Kansas City, Kan, during the day.
and a number of rescues were effected
The day brought to light no facts on
which to base even an approximation of
the number Of deaths in the food. Pos
sibly ten bodies have been seen floating
since Sunday, but estimates made from this
are valueless, as some of the bodies may
have floated down the Kaw from Topeka,
the same bodies drifting in the ever
changing eddies of the hood, may have
been counted several times and It is not
at all certain that observers have not in
some cases mistaken partially submerged
wreckage for bodies. That Is the argu-
ment used by conservative citizens in talk
ing to people excited by wild reports.
There Is feeling among the leading
business men that Kansas City should show
the country at large that it is not disabled
by the flood, but that normal conditions
will prevail as soon as the elvers shall
recede.
Mayor James A. Reed of Kansas City,
Mo-, said this evening:
'Of course, the personal suffering is
great and there probably will be some in
dividual sufferers. but the great money loss
comes upon associations that will not be
crippled by the blow and this loss will not
affect the general prosperity of the city.
In thirty days II will be bard ta realize,
that there has been such a flood"
/ ]. F. Richardson, president of the Com
meTcial club, said: q e, ~" g- + ..t
4 when the river recedes so that the city
can be supplied with water for CONNER
cial, domestic and fire purposes, all actiYi-
ties will proceed as usual"
A committee appointed by the CONNER
cial club of Kansas City, Mo-, early today
to ascertain the conditions of the present
food supply made its report this evening.
This report was so imperative that Mayor
Reed after consultation with the relief
committee, wired the following reply to
offers of aid:
Food supply Sufficient.
am directed by the committee of the
Commercial club to say that the committee
this morning Anticipated that there might
communication being seriously impaired
and the cause OF inability to reach the
1t now seems that we will be able to
secure enough food supplies. Our packing
houses are now beginning to get meat by
boats and otherwise from their plants. Our
! business men and citizens generally have
| subscribed very literally and we conf
situation, The people Of Kansas City viii
| always gratefully remember the many
| tenders of assistance from various parts
| of the country, all OF which have been
Csignedj JAMES A. REED, Mayor.
This was endorsed by ]. F. Richardson,
president and E. M. Clendening, secretary
/ of the Commercial club.
Conditions on the railroads running out
| OF kansas City were not as ROOO To-Day as
yesterday. The one available outlet to the
| east-the Santa Fe bridge at Sibley, Mo-
was pronounced unsafe last night and no
| trains went out. and no effort was made
to establish service in that direction this
morning. While the bridge itself is in
good condition, the approaches to 1t are
deemed unsafe. The Santa Fe started a
train for California at IL o'clock. 1t ran
over the tracks of the Missouri Pacific ia
Osowattomie, thence to go up to Ottawa
where It will strike the tracks of the
Santa Fe and go on to California, If posi-
BILE. The Missouri Pacific west is doing
very well. all things considered, but out
side of this line, and the Frisco and the
Missouri Kansas & Texas to the south and
east. there is practically nothing doing
Unoficial weather gauges in the Union
depot showed a fall OF about six inches
during the night and the official report Ii
stationary, the water being thirty-fve fee
at a, m,
The danger OF a famine has passed and
the railroads are confident that they viii
be able to bring In ample supplies from this
time on. The stock of meats in the pack
ing houses, most of which can be taken ou
} in boats, proves to be greater than at mrs
supposed, and there is no doubt that ther,
: is sufficient meat to sustain the city fol
week, even If nothing is brought in from
outside. There is a greater scarcity of fooC
in Kansas City. Kan, but with the opening