Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1903-06-13
A TRA|L OF DESOLAT|ON.

race-like current running across the
bottoms.
Not since the Galveston flood has
such calamity been visited upon
any community in the United States.
The submerged area extended from
Brookfield, Kan, to the mouth of
the Kaw-25O miles. The river was
to Is miles wide and water covered
the earth to so feet deep.
The situation in Kansas City, Mo-,
became so desperate Sunday that
Mayor Reed ordered out the Third
regiment, Missouri national guard, to
take charge of the policing of the
town. Every saloon was closed for
week by order of the mayor, and
this was an excellent aid to preserv-
ing order. Idle and restless men
had no place to congregate and fire
their brains with stimulants.
For several days Convention hall
was camp for refugees and Kansas
City citizens contributed thousands
Of dollars in cash and carloads of
food, clothing and bedding. Relief
work was carried on on colossal
scale.
AS the flood waters of the Kaw be-
gan to recede, the damage to build
ings and property generally became
more apparent. Twelve thousand
people were flooded out of their
homes in Armourdale. Half as many
were driven from Argentine. Over
500 dwellings in the east bottoms of
Kansas City, Mo-, were swept away.
About IS brick buildings in the west
bottoms crumbled and fell. On West
Ninth street there are long gaps in
business blocks where houses are to-
tai wrecks and the bulls of those not
washed away were held by protect
! ing brick walls opposite.
Armourdale, Argentine and part OF
the Kaw bottoms on the Missouri
side will have to be laid out again,
as there is now no way of telling
where the streets used to be. 1t is
probable that hereafter houses will
be built only on the hills and the
river bottoms will be given over to
manufacturing plants and wholesale
houses, a class of buildings that has
stood the flood remarkably well.
Many of these buildings, however,
built as they are on sand, may col
lapse later. This would cause enor-
nous damage.
The inhabitants of the lowlands
seemed perfectly contented to return
to their homes as the water receded,
but railroad men and heads of big
industries say there must be radi-
cal change in the bottoms. Some ia
vor raising the level of the railroads
and business houses; others would
widen the Kansas river channel, and
some favor building bikes along the
Kansas river, with the aid of con-
gress. At any rate, the bridges will
be rebuilt higher. Congressman w.
S. Cowherd, of Kansas City, says:
"Whatever plan will be followed,
it is safe to say that Kansas City n
year or two from now will show
many changes from the city OF to-
day."
Following close after the recess
sion of the devastating waters in the
west bottoms comes the work of re-
habilitating the flooded business and
manufacturing institutions and the
untangling of the network of inter-
laced and interlocking sidetracks in
the switch yards at the commercial
gateway of the west. 1t is n scene
of desolation now, but week or two
of hard work with men and teams
and scrapers and above all water,
will make it right, at least to all out
ward appearances. The cleaning out
of the buildings is comparatively
easy. 1t is only a question of irri-
CATION and elbow grease, but the
preparation of the switch yards to
handle the great traffic that is con-
gested and waiting for handling, is
another matter.
The police have done wonders in
rescuing people and probably
brought $50 of them safe to the high
ground. One hundred and fifty OF
these were brought to the viaduct at
Twelfth street and the balance were
saved in the east and west bottoms
by boats. Twenty persons were
taken from the Marty school and 30
from O'Brien's lodging house, both
in the east bottoms. The rest OF
them were brought in singly and in
small numbers.
The saving of the Missouri Pacific
bridge across the Kaw river, the
only one of II fine bridges not car
ried away, will facilitate transporta-
ton and be worth millions of dollars
to the two cities. The rehabilitating
A j.