Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-25

buildings floating down with the flood.
And this continued for five days. Four and
five-story brick blocks by the dozen col
lapsed in the flood. The packing houses
were almost ruined. Losses of half a mil
lion could be figured in single establish
ment. Ferry boats. steam launches. skiffs
and barges were pressed into service. Cat
tie and hogs by the thousand from the
stock yards were taken into second story
rooms. Others persisted. School children
were taken from school houses in boats
after long waits. passenger train stood
two days on bridge where approaches
companies of federal troops patrolled the
streets to prevent looting; people made
raids on grocery stores in fear of famine;
panic struck the city for the time being.
hension of those who had lived so long in
supposed security. Telegraphic communi-
cation between the two Kansas Citys was
by way of Fort Worth, Denver, Omaha and
Chicago. For time the city was without
water, light (either gas or electric) or street
car service. This did not continue long and
the reorganization was rapid, as the relief
was prompt. Military rules prevailed. be-
ing necessary to control the unruly ele-
ment."
Losses Of Farmers.
The loss to the city will exceed 10000 600
The loss Of life may be SCOTT may be more.
None can tell for weeks. The desolation of
the homes when the waters receded cannot
be described. It meant 10000 people with
scarcely place to rest, scarcely dwelling
to call home. It was a terrible exposition
Of the power of those waters from the high
prairies that came down SO steadily in RAIN
The little towns like my own, that with
three trunk lines of railway went ten days
without train service, week without a
daily paper from out Of the city, with not
even telegraph service for as long-somc-
vino hot bod nof h1 Lett, <In 4 ,xycs
Of the Indians-thought they had a hard
time, but they did not realize anything of
the terrible experience that came to Kan
sas City and Topeka.
Over stretch of the richest country in
the west, where wheat stood waist high and
corn was peeping through the ground.
where alfalfa beds were in bloom and oats
was beginning to wave, 200 miles long and
clear Not less than $1O.OOO,OO0 will be the
farmers loss. The towns will lose another
81 100000; Topeka, s., 100000; the railroads.
100000. And all because 1t rained up
basin.
In the Northeast.
To the northeast was another extension
Of heavy rain. In Iowa along the Des
Moines the rains also fell. The Platte, in
eastern Nebraska, was miles wide, the
streets Of Ottumwa and Keokuk were in
similar plight to those of the Kaw valley
towns. Hannibal, Mo-, had the highest
water in its history, and finally the mighty
Mississippi absorbed the flood and the
waters were visited on st. Louis and cities
farther toward the gulf In the valley Of
the Kaw a farmer stood on an island in
the center of which stood his house. All
the remainder Of the farm was under water
to a depth of seven feet. He charged %
cents to take two passengers over to dry
land. Discouraged" was asked mot
much" was the response, with ready west
ern grit. II bought this farm two years
ago, and I wouldn't sell it today for a
thousand dollars more than 1t cost me. I'll
raise the best crops in 1904 that this state
ever saw. This is the best mulching I
could ask"
food. The farms will recover quickly. On
many Of the submerged acres a crop of
corn win yet be planted and harvested.
The wheat is not all gone Not more than
one-twentieth of the Kansas crop Is direct
ly affected-probably not that. There has
been much stock drowned, many farms
made desolate; the blow is fearful one.
Only the flood of 1874 compares with it.
But the west is stout-hearted, buoyant; 1t
will heal the scars and recover
The normal rainfall over the Kaw valley
is forty-eight inches. One-fourth of that,
the amount that should have come down in
three months, fell in two days. It filled
cellars at Salina, Abilene, Junction City,
Manhattan, Emporfa, Council Grove. It
filled the first floors at Topeka. Its ter.
riflo torrent swept away buildings at Kan
1t spread out over the lower Missouri levees
and inundated the farms farther down.
And all because 1t rained too fast on the
outstretched palml