The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1903-06-05
WORST FLOOD IN HISTORY. lien THOUSAND HOMELESS.
Residents Of the Entire North Side
of Topeka Compelled to Flee
at Night.
FARMERS WERE RESCUED IN BOATS.

At Abilene and Council Grove Build
inGs Fell and People Were Driven
to Treetops for Safety-RaiAroad
Traffic Over Large Part OF State
at StandstiII.
Topeka, Kan, May 31.-The high
North Topeka, and hundreds of
houses are deserted. People are NOV
ing from that part of town as fast
as possible and great distress pre-
vails. At this time time nearly 5000
people are homeless. 1t will be nee
essary for every inhabitant of the
north side to leave his home and this
will leave more than 10000 people
without homes. The people south of
the river are trying hard to take
care of the food refugees. The court
house, statehouse and other buildings
have been opened for their reception
and a fund started for their relief.
Fully 10000 acres of land in Shawnee
county are under water and heavy
rains are causing the river to rise
at the rate of about 1h inches an
hour. The street railway bridge
across the river here is expected to
go out. A part of it is now under
water, and only the iron rails are
keeping it intact.
At\Abilene the devastation of the
flood in the Smoky Hill valley is enor-
nous and will reach into hundreds of
thousands of dollars damage. The
12-hour rain together with the break
ing of the Santa Fe reservoir on Mud
creek at Manchester caused an mum
dalton of Abilene that has been the
most destructive in its history. For
six hours flood of water flowed like
river through the city, filing 200
cellars. One hundred families fed to
places of refuge. Sherwood Murphy,
a farmer was drowned while trying
to cross the Smoky Hill to his home.
Two others who tried to rescue him
are in tree on the submerged bot
tom, their boat having been capsized.
The Kansas river is five miles wide
1T St. Marys, and the town is half
submerged. The Kansas river bridge
thC1C POI "aohSA Ouo INV
the river is rapidly rising.
Late yesterday afternoon, the Kan
sas river bridges at Maple Hill, Ross
vile, Silver Lake, Bellvue and ST.
George were washed out. The new
steel bridge at Willard is damaged
beyond repair and at Topeka the
street railway bridge is useless. Sew
eral hundred cattle have been
| drowned.
A startling story comes indirectly
| from Manhattan that a cloudburst
in that vicinity has started four
foot volume of water down the Kan
sas river. Rivermen discredit the
story, although they will help watch
for the threatened rise.
The Rock Island has news of bad
cloudburst near Harrington which has
| put all the streams out of their
banks.
At Council Grove the worst food
ever known occurred Thursday night
| and resulted in terrible fatalities.
Ed Clements was drowned while at
tempting to save his daughter. Ralph
Phillips in attempting to save lit
tie girl by the name of Woods was
drowned, also the Woods girl. A
baby was found dead in the Missouri
Pacific stock yards. While the food
was at its highest the NJ. r. Smith
lumber yard took fire by the lime
Stacking and set fire to the Farmers
and Droyers' bank and also complete
ly burned the Indicator store and f.
A. Robbins drug store. The water
got in all the business houses and
the big Main street bridge went
down. Miles of Missouri Pacific and
Katy tracks were washed out, Over
100 residences are under water, also
some 20 foated away. Thousands
upon thousands of dollars worth of
stock was drowned.
Practically the whole town of Sa-
lima is submerged. No trains have
left or entered Salina for "a hours
and telegraph and telephone lines
are down. Hundreds of persons were
rescued Thursday night and yester-
day by men in boats. One business
building collapsed yesterday and
every brick and stone building in
town has been condemned. The only
means of transportation in nine
tenths of the city is by means OF
boats.
Driven Out by the Kaw.
Kansas City, Kan, May 31.-The
Kaw river in Argentine and Kansas
City, Kan, has reached alarming
proportions and is still rising at the
rate of one inch an hour. 1t is es
timated that nearly 1000 people have
been left without homes, and all the
packing houses are suffering from
flooded cellars. The entire south
east portion of Armourdale is solo
sea, and the furniture of those