Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1903-06-04
lh NORTH TOPEKA TEN THOU.
SAND ARE DRIVEN FROM
THEIR HOMES.
FLOOD BREAKS ALL RECORDS
Loss TO PROPERTY WILL ga
ENoRMous-TRousANos or
CATTLE LOST.

Aopokas han., May 81. - The nigh
water has surrounded the whole Of
North Topeka and hundreds OF houses
arc deserted. People are rowing out
OF that portion Of town as fast as pos.
sible and great distress prevails. AZ
this time nearly 5000 have moved. Il
will be necessary for nearly every fn-
habitant of North Topeka to leave hls
home inside OF few hours, and this
win leave 10000 homeless.
The people on the south side of tina
river are trying hard to take care or
the refugees. The state house, court
house and other buildings have been
opened for their benefit. The rescue
work is proceeding under difficulty and
may have to be abandoned to-day.
Railroad traffic In this city is prac-
tically 1T standstill. The flood situ-
alton is the worst In the history OF the
state. The Kansas river is Ave miles
wide at st. Mary's and the
Town Is RaIf-submersed.
Reports from Wamatego and other
river towns say great volume OK
water "a coming this way and may
reacn mere to-day.
The river has gone out of bounds ut
Abilene and filled 100 cellars. The
tracks of the Rock Island and Santa
Fe are washed away, two lumber
yards burned and several buildings
collapsed.
At WaInetego many people have
been compelled to leave their homes in
boats. In many cases the water is up
TO the second story window. Many
thousand head of cattle have been
drowned. The surrounding country Ia
under water.
At Marquette the Smoky river Ia
higher than ever before. Lindsburg Is
surrounded by water. At Concor6ia
many persons have been driven from
! their homes by the Republican river.
Over FIVE inches of water fell there
yesterday.
At Newton the streets were flooded
by cloudburst last night. A tornado
passed through the country, doing
small damage, demolishing the high
school and Baptist church.
Four Lives Lost In Flood.
Council Grove, Kan, May 31.-The
less by floods In Morris county is esti-
/ mated at s1,000,000.
Four persons were drowned here
last night. All business houses are
flooded More than 100 houses are UNI
der water and twenty have fioated
/ away.
Nebraska Under Water.
Lincoln, Nsb., May 81. - Thirty-sfx
hours of heavy and almost continuous
rain has aggravated the food situation
here. Salt creek and Antelope creek
are out Of their banks and the LOVELY.
Ing district In the western part of the
city is sea, many houses being sub.
! merged and partly submerged. The
! water is rising and a gre 1t many have
been forced to abandon their homes.
Beatrice, Neb, May 31.--Never be.
fore has this section OF the state ex-
perienced such food as 1t is now hav-
ing At Hoag. near here. the Blue
river is thres miles wi, e. II is still
rising and tie rain Is alling In tor.
rents. The Burlington track is under
ten inches Of water on the bridge The
electric plant II under water and 10
closed down. Twenty-four residence
blocks ON the West side and fifteen ON
the South side are under from one to
FIVE feet Of water. The property loss
vii. be enormous. Peopl5 living In the
submerged sections In many instances
i have lost everything.
VIII Break All Records.
Kansas City. May 31.-The Kansas
and Missouri rivers are rising here sc
an alarming rate and the indications
are that all previous r. h water REQ
ords at this point will bs broken dur.
ing the next forty-eight hours. Much
damage already has been done to
property in the lowlands and much ap-
prehension Is felt for the safety OF
| property In the west bottom district of
this city. The Kansas river is rising
at the rate of an inch an hour and the
heavy rains have added to the gravity
OF the local situation. Supt. Common
OF the Kansas City weather bureau
predicts that the rise of the Missouri
river during the next'few days will be
unprecedented He says that the vol
j ume OF water from the Kansas rivor
END other s. cams for .lich the Nils.
souri, river is the outlet, added to thu
usual June rise, will carry the Mis-
souri, to a higher stage than It reached
III 1881 and 1892, when It broke all
previous records AT the little town OF
Harlem, across from this city. the res
idents In the flooded district were
rescued from house to house in boats
after losing most Of their personal ef-
fects.
4 Many Lives Lest In Oklahoma.
Guth-ie, Okla, May 31.--Reports 81
destructive storms throughout the tor
ritcry continue 20 arrive. AT HArri-
--->------~-- ~---~~