The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-06-02
FACES FIGHT ToR Lr1z-
Kansas City at the Mercy of Ar
 Blaze.

.a
 Kansas City. Mo. June 1.--wih xas m electric lights extinguished. the wntsfs works shut down and the city practicelIx at the mercy of the first nre that eh&u break ut, with railroad transportntlon feeble and uncertain, Kansas City max. if the waters do not recede within tho next two or three days, be compelled ta fight for her very life.
 Tonight the skies are dark and lewer~ ing. rain Is falling. storm weather i4 sweeping up from the west and the fn- satiable river is stoutly holding it's own. is stationary tonight. but what the foo1 has 1t keeps and there is no certain prom fse f when 1t will recede. The sta&o td~ night is 34.s against s5 feet this u1ornin1- Chief Connor of the Weather Bureau sa$n that while the outlook was for contfnpe1 rains it would necessitate heavy fall H the present high water is to continue
 The first reliable information froru Kansas City, Kas.. was received today A number have been drowned and tho property loss has been heavy. The situs~ ton there is no better and no woree.
 There is no great probability that fl1ere will be further loss of life. All through the wholesale district and fn the eat and west bottoms. there are people stilx| in houses. The police have done woxdera today in rescuing people. and have proh- ably brought 250 persons to the hi&h ground since sunrise. Twenty persons were taken from the Martin school and 90 from O'Brien's lodging house in tho east bottoms. Tonight in the east and west bottoms a number of obstinate per- sons. are still clinging to their homess though the police have run boats be- meath their windows and offered to saxe them. They refuse to leave and will take their chances for another night.
 It is impossible to form any estimate of the number of dead in Kansas City. There have been manifold stories of how to sink: of bodies seen floating by on wreckage; of men who, have tried ta drive wagons laden with their household goods against certain deeth in the swift current and go down in the food. Mosk of these stories tack proof, huwoveE. There is no way of securing the names a< the dead and no chance of forming 4zt# estimate that can confidently be termed accurate. It is likely. however. that tho number of fatalities in Kansas City. Moe will approximate fifty.
 Down in the wholesale district peoplN at dusk tonight were waving whit cloth ing to attract attention. The condition of some of them is pitiable. They have been held prisoners for two days, threat ened with death by drowning, at one time by fire. and for the most part with out food and for twenty-four hours without drinking water. Every effort sa being made and they will all be saved te- morrow unless the water rises more and this seems improbable. The fnancisi damage Is about as great now as couI6 likely become unless the water rises much higher than at present. There has been no suffering in the city beyond that st1a- taiEed by the people driven from home. There has been excellent work done bv the relief committees and those in cons troi of this work are confident that the city will be able to care for its own.
 Tonight the city is in absolute darlx~ ness. save in buildings which have thefr own electric light plants.
 The principal property loss at Armour dale is arising. and will continue, from inability to operate. The three packing plants of Swift, Cudahy and of Schwartx- child & Sulzberger are firmly built ana will not give way to the force of the current. q