Arizona republican., 1903-06-01

arrived from adjoining towns and hurry messages had been sent to other towns for more.
 PLACE OF DESOLATION.
 North Topeka is a scene of the ut land can be seen in any direction. There is but a small chance of any of the residences being left standing at the end of the flood period.
 Sherry, Oakland and the region about the reform school north of North To- pe<a are all under the rushing water, but the situation is favorable in these places compared with what North To- peka is undergoing.
 Nearly all the fires have been put out by the heavy rain which fell all night. IL was soon recognized that today row boats would be of no use in battling with the currents. Steam launches must be secured at once and to this end rush messages were sent 10 the superintendent of the Rock Island at St. Joseph and to Mayor BergunthaI and the secretary of the Commercial club. as follows: Topeka wants from three to six steam launches and twelve or eighteen clinker built rowbOats with men to handle sent here by special train at once to rescue people in North Topeka"
 The agent was ordered to load the train at once, secure a clear track and proceed to Topeka. The train was to feel its way as far as possible on the submerged tracks and then the boats would be launcher. Topeka citizens guaranteed all the expenses of the un- dertaking. Chief of Police Golf and his family are among those not yet ac- counted for. They may be among those on the tops of he buildings. but this is hardly probable, as their house was in the direct path of last nights fire. Isaac Standon succeeded in reaching the E street Baptist church with 500 pounds of provisions. He was two hours in making the trip of not much more than g mile. Here half a dozen persons are in an abandoned street car just north of the bridge and have been there for thirty hours.
 EIGHTEEN SAVED.
 Eighteen people were rescued late this afternoon from q house at 120S North Monroe street From this place the current is swift. and after great labor the place was reached. A man who has just returned from the scene of the f1Cod says he could see as many as ten persons hanging firm trees near the Sardou avenue bridge at the foot of Morse street
 F.. D. Lang and Charles Weldon. San ta Fe employees, started out in a boat early today to rescue a Russian whom they saw on top Of a house not far from the bank of the river. They got the Russian in the boat. which imme- diately capsized. The three found rest ing places in trees, where they re- mained.
 The water gauge went up and down all afternoon until at 3 o'clock a fall set in. At o'clock the water had left the first floor of the Rock Island gen. eral offices, but was yet six feet deep just outside the building. It was then that a gang of telegraph linemen sue ceeded in getting a heavy wire cable stretched across the top of the pontoon bridge. A large sand dipper was at tached to this and used to take large quantities of provisions to those who were not yet rescued.
 THREE DAYS OF TERROR.
 The first flood victim to be rescued by means of the cable was the Rev. A. N. Pearson, pastor of the North To- peka English church. Mir. Pearson said. We spent three days on the toup of our house. We were fairly warmly dressed but had only two loaves of bread for our family of four during that time. All day Saturday and today we had nothing to eat. Our situation was desperate and extremely uncom- fortable, but we al no time lost faith in the ultimate ability of our friends to nd children were rescued. Today my turn came. and l cannot begin to tell how thankful 1 am"
 w. N. Keppard and wife. aged peo- pie. were rescued at 4 o'clock, while they were so numb that they could not feel and had to be knocked down into the water before the men could reach them. They were standing close to- gether in the attic of q house, and so severe had been their experience that their minds gave way under the strain. They cannot recover.
 A PITIFUL INCIDENT.
 A Mrs. Anderson and her One-year- old babe had been seen three days in a tree in plain sight of people who were powerless to rescue them. The mother clasped her child close in her arms ana managed 10 brace neTSell against a limb in q reasonably secure position. For three days she kept up the battle for life. At o'clock her res cue was very near but sne lost con sciousness. Both mother and child fell into the water and were drowned being immediately drawn under by the cur rent.
 Harvey Parsons, local newspaper man, had a thrilling experience. He took a boat Friday night and made his way to a house in the hope Of making some recues. A woman and her baby, whose names are unkown, were in the house and Parsons took them into his boat. They had proceeded only a short distance when the boat capsized. Par sons contrived to get himself and the others up into q tree and there they re- mained until o'clock this afternoon when they were rescued They were brought to a place of safety but will probably not survive.
 Two small steam boats were put into service at 4:S0, one from Ottawa. and the other from St. Joseph. By this