The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-06-04

The river is falling very rapidly this
afternoon at 2.30. Tt had gone down
six inches since II O'Clock this morning
The fan at that time i'm the Il hours
preceding had been 70 inches. The fan
now is nearly six feet below nigh water
mark
The water company has received word
from the plant that the pumps viii be
started this afternoon.
Nine out Of ten business houses and
residences jim North Topeka are stand-
ing soiidly. Not a single two story bus
iness house on Kansas avenue has col
lapsed from action of the water Very
few two story residences show amy signs
OF weakness, and the better class of one
story cottages seem to be safe ana
sound
Except for the vast deposits Of filthy,
Shiny 0Oze and sand North Topeka
would be habitable within a very few
days after the water goes away
Enough sand has probably been de
posted by the river in the streets and
alleys running north and south to fill
up the guiches which have been washed
out 10 the streets and alleys running
east and west. The work of cleaning up
North Topeka viii thus be rendered }ess.
difficult
Barns. small dwelling houses. and
sheds are almost q total loss, except
when they can be found and used for
old lumber III the construction of new
buildings. Many of such buildings viii
no doubt be found to have been COM
pletely washed away.
The heaviest loss to North Topeka
people Will be in household goods, mer-
chandise and store fixtures, cattle and
horses.
A rough computation of the loss might
be made as follows:
Loss on barns and repairs to
other buildings .--..-.-..--..s 100000
Loss on household goOds.....-. 100000
Loss on merchandise .....--..- 7o0.oov
Total loss Observation-Disclosures. 800. 900
The loss on cattle and horses viii
probably DE covered by $4,000, as many
OF the people saved their stock before
the water became too high.
On the whole. conditions ON the North
side ave deplorable. but not nearly as
bad as it was feared. Some have said
that ii would have been better for the
people financially, if the town had
burned up because then some insur-
ance would have been collected But
the net loss from a fire would have
doubtless been larger than the net loss
from the flood.
CONDITION OF BUSINESS HOUSES.
A reporter for the state Journal made
ON Wednesday afternoon an inVestiga-
tion of the effect of the flood on Kansas
avenue business houses.
South of the Union Pacitc tracks. the
smaller business establishments are in
a typical condition of wreck and dis
aster. but the buildings are apparently
iu good condition
When Thomas lumber yard was
burning ii was possible to see from this
side Of the river great masses Of burn
ing lumber go shooting across Kansas
avenue. driven by terrific current;
Where these frightful iire-hoats landed
IS now plain to be seen. Union Pacific
park from Pages mill to Kansas ave
nue. is literally lammed with lumber.
Millions of feet of valuable lumber IS
naesed i'm series OF jams against the
trees of the park The lumber is most
of if burned and scorchcd. and a great
deal of it still is floating in stacks just
as i left the lumber yard From
the Union Pacific depot the vast stacks
of lumber tangled and tossed to
height of ten feet extend clear across
Norris street, and across several vacant
lots on the corner TO the meat market,
which afforded solid stone vail
against which the flames blazed i'm vain.
PULLED DOWN THOMAS BUILD
ING.
There was nothing left of the Thomas
Lumber com1anys office on the west
side of the avenue, except the four
walls Chief Wilmarth and "a squad Of
nremen went to North Topeka Wednes-
day afternoon and razed these walls, as
they were in danger Of falling at any
time.
The two big brick covered steel vaults
OF the lumber office remain. one on top
OF the other like an immense chimney.
Back of tie lumber office are the re-
mains of the lumber yard, still smoul-
deriug where they extend above water
There IS a huge stack of tar paper. used
for building which pours out volumes
of smoke all the time. like the crater
of "a smoulderiug volcano. In anothe>
part of the yard, used by the Central
sash and Door factory. there are great
quantities Of glass windows door
frames sashes and screens piled in a
great confusion of tangled lumber and
broken -lass
Further west there remains a floor
OF some portion of a building. paved
with melted glass. The glass seems
TO have covered the watersoaked boards
10 depth of several inches
There at the west end of the yard IS
p huge stack Of cement which was once
I'm bags, and which became wet and
"setr in iust the form the paner sacks
held it, The sacks ave disapoearec.
hut the big blocks ~ cement remain
They win make good filling for the