The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-06-08
RaiIroad Losses at Kansas City,
 Mo, Vey Great
ATTEMPTED RESCUE FAILS
Black Walnut Island Near St. Louis Cut Off by Swift Current and 200 People Imprisoned.
 Boats PoWerless.

Kansas City, Mo-, June 7.-All day Sun day gangs of men were at work cleaning up the west bottoms. the union depot, the railway yards, the wholesale houses, the stock yards and the various packing houses and there will be quite a general resumption in all lines of business to- morrow morning.
 The Armour packing plant will be one of the first in that line to begin active operations. The other packing plants will start up in a measure tomorrow and all will be in full blast before the week ends. Both the Missouri and Kansas rivers fell fully three feet during the past 24 hours. the Missouri at 6 o'clock this afternoon marking 26.1 which made 1t possible for a dozen more railroads to make full use of the union depot The railroad situation is greatly improved
 tteavy Damage to Railroads.
 The extent of the damage to the rail- roads operating In and out of Kansas City caused by the flood can scarcely be estimated
 AOhoANAtA involved in loss to freight in cars and buildings nearly all lines out of Kansas City suffered severe losses in washed out tracks and destroyed bridges. The loss in freight flooded, burned or lost down the river may amount to two million dol lars. As an illustration dozen freight cars belonging to one company and stand ing on tracks In the west bottoms, were washed down the river. The Burlington lost eighteen cars by fire in Harlem and nearly three times that number were burned In the west bottoms.
 Besides the hundreds of cars whose con- tents were ruined by flood or fire, the freight houses of the St. Louis and San Francisco, the Chicago and Alton, the Burlington the Santa Fe, the Rock Island, the Missouri Pacific, the Wabash, the Kansas City Southern, the St. Louis and St. Joseph and Grand Island, the Chicago Great Western, the Union Pacific and one or two others were flooded with consequent loss of thousands of dollars to each line from this cause alone. The Burlington estimates its loss at It's freight house alone at $4,OOO.O0O. Each of the other roads lost as much.
 At St. Louis.
 St. Louis, June 7.--Lil1e a mill race the swollen Mississippi is surging past St. Louis with stage of B6.9 at o'clock to- night, making rise of one and one-half feet since the same hour last night. The government forecast Is that the rise will continue rapid until midnight and then for the next two days the stage will creep up slowly probably reach thirty-eight feet, and begin to recede.
 No word was received today from the 200 people imprisoned on a low island at Black Walnut, northwest from St. Louis about twenty-five miles, and In peril of their lives from the rising waters of the Missouri river
 Word was received last night that at that time rescue must be effected imme- diately or they would probably be swept away by morning The river has spread out around the island until it is veritahle sea with a swirt current, and although every effort has been made to reach them, nothing was accomplished today and there is no means of communication.
 Cut Of on lslan1
 Between Black Walnut and St. Louis, the Belle Fontaine bridge stretches across the Missouri and the high stage of the river precludes any large steamer passing underneath. No steamer is available at St. Charles to go down the river to the capJVe people, The spread Eagle, mOOred at Alton, H., above St. Louis, was hur- riedly manned and started for the i'm . perilled colony late last night but was forced to turn back at the Belle Fontaine bridge.
 A private yacht here at St. Louis was manned by a company of policemen today and started for Black Walnut, as the craft sat low enough In the water to pass all bridges. But another factor had to be reckoned with and that was the swift cur rent All steam was turned on and the yachts crew churned the muddy waters but she made no headway against the current and after vainly stemming the flood for several hours without making 100 yards, the yacht returned to shore and the venture was abandoned. None of the large river steamers in St. Louis harbor capable of forcing their way with their powerful engines against the mill race cur rent can pass under Ends bridge, and Merchants bridge, and if they could, the Belle Fontaine bridge, which is lower, would prevent them reaching Black Wal nut.
 Black Walnut is located in a broad and fertile valley of the Missouri and the land surrounding it Is said to be the richest wheat land in the state. Aside from loss of life. If such catastrophe shall occur, the property loss will be very heavy, as the entire village and valley is under water and homes have been washed away, farms depleted and stock drowned