The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-06-09
Little Trouble to Repair the
River Bank.
The New Water Way as Seen By
a Reporter.
On THE UNION PACIFIC.
Follows the Line and Then
Passes Under.
Dykes May Easily Be Construct
ed Across Channel.

Digging, hlling and bridging its track
through two miles of sandy waste OF
west North Topeka the Union Pacific
railway is repairing the damage that
the flood spread along its right OF way
Its location along the bank of the Kaw
laid that railroad liable to more injury
than was suffered by either Of the other
lines entering Topeka Beyond the west
limits of Topeka the water cut out sew
eral great holes above which the ties and
rails swung without support. Three or
four Of these can be bridged or crib
bed" with ties with comparative ease.
The hole, where the current which still
trickles around the north boundaries OF
North Topeka, enters is forty feet across
and twenty feet in depth
This hole is a short distance east Of
the Updegraf farm, just back of the
ola Norris place where a Divine Healing
mission is now established over all the
land adjoining and for a half mile north
/ across the bottom land farms the flood
wiped out every Vestige of growing
crops. Water is still running under the
Union Pacific tracks. There is but a
narrow strip Of land between the tracks
ana the river at this point bat the new
channel runs parallel with both and be-
tween them, for q half mile from the
place 1t leaves the river to its crossing
r
Altogether this new channel is not
less than three miles long from the
! place it leaves the main river current 10
! where 1t renters. east of town. With
4 the united efforts of the railroads and
the city in dyking, and filling it the
work of turning the water back into the
main river channel will be an easy task.
| But the low pathway will always re-
main menace to the town in the event
! OF another inundation. The macadam
roadway along North Tyler street, so
4 familiar to people driving to Shorey on
account of the beautiful row of maple
trees which shades it, was an active
/ agency III checking this destructive cur
rent The solid rock of the macadam
held, almost intact and the swift cur
rent was obliged to spread out and be-
come shallow in passing over it.
Had the channel been unobstructed X
might have in some measure saved the
! houses sC4th of st. Johns street and
north Of Gordon. Through Gordon street
another deep. swift current flowed dur
ing the worst OF the flood A similar
Grant street. Had an open course been
4 given to the water around the north
side of town it is likely that the center
would have in a large measure been
/ spared.
1t is proof that the north current
4 possessed terrific force that the Rock
4 Island is Obliged to enter North Topeka
/ from ShOrey over a bridge of piiing for
!
/ but there are thousands of dollars to be
spent uDon it yet in North Topeka
alone. over a series of deep holes De-
! tween the Davis elevator and ShOrey, =
distance of but three or four blocks.
cribs of ties have been erected.
Probably the erosion Of the flood IL
shown most apparently in the squara
bounded on the west by the Rock Is
i land right of way. on the south by Cor
/ don street, on the east by Harrison
and on the north by the rise of ground
Which marks the city limits
Holes in which a house could be hid
/ den have been washed out in tn.
4 streets Where house stood the water
has used its cellar for a place in which
+ to work, tearing out a gap where wateA
! of unknown depth still stands. At the
crossing of St. John and Tyler streets
/ the passage Of the street is absolutel9.
cut off by an immense hole One can
pick his way through the northwest
part of town by footpaths around tn.
edges of deep waterways but no team
mas yet attempted to make the passage
into town.
on the west side of the maple row on
Tyler street for a short distance the
water has cut out trench under what
was once footpath. 1t leaves the net
/ work of tree roots plainly exposed for
/ the depth of two feet or more. Persons
familiar with the topography of the To-
cality find it difficult to locate streets
! or directions because of the absence of
houses that the flood carried away. For
three blocks Grant street still wears the
aspect of very dilapidated Venetian
/ thOroughfare.
The deep grade which was originally
cut through it has been emphasized
scooped out and filed with water which
so far has found no outlet. Jackson
and Van Buren streets. south OF Grant,
still contain considerable water Jack
son street for blocks is a lake. In front
of Mayor Bergundthal's house a hugh
piece of drift has been reared against
a tree. while mud and wreckage nearly
cut off access. In front of one house
( a little further south, where the blue
grass still shows some evidence of life.
two signs boards patheticaliy warn
strangers to Keep of the Grass"
Much use has been found for the pools
Of water that fill crossing ways along
Grant street. Men and women, with mud
dy garments. stand In them washing the
sediment from clothing rescued from their
homes. One woman wore brownie over
ans in a most attractive and becou7inz
manner and assumed a defiant mien wher
the occasional sghtseer Included her
parently all the mud that washed from
The streets has been deposited upon the
floors. front yards and sidewalks Of the
A property around them. In DRIFTS and eu1-
4 hankments it fills the yards. its depth be-
ing shown by an occasional pathway dug
through it to some door
peculiar phenomenon Is to be observed
upon the asphalt pavement Of North Jack
son street In places where the water
was forced up from underneath the pave
ment the asphalt surfacing has been raised
I IN huge bubbles upon which it is not ad-
/ WAYS safe to tread In places where water
! still covers the street these ''blisters'' pro-
sides Of partially submerged globes
On the dry land at the corner of Gordon
/ navy Of boats. scows and row boats which
were stranded by the receding water af-
ter having done valuable service in The
rescue work