Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1903-06-30
written for the Oxford pemocr...


Written for the Oxford Democrat.
The Great Flood at Kansas City, Mt
A brief description of the topograph
of the vicinity of this city will help th
reader understand better the extent an
damage of the flood.
Those who have good maps at han
can turn to them and see just how tn
rivers flow by this city. To those VIII
do not care to take the trouble, let then
stand with the left side to the north
and bend the left arm at right angles
This arm will represent the Missouri
River, with the upper arm being tn
north part of the stream, and the fore
arm the same river after making 1t
turn eastward.
Imagine another arm bent as tn
Missouri, only the upper part extending
due west and the hand reaching the benz
of the Missouri at the point of its elbow
This is the Kansas or Kaw river. 1t
length from the Missouri to its elbow
Joint is about four miles. Its entire
length is about four hundred miles.
Along this part of both rivers the lane
is divided into two distinct classes
known in common parlance as bottoms
and highlands, the dividing line being
steep high bluffs, between which the
rivers choose their course in very
crooked channel, coursing along the
foot of the bluff, first on one side of the
valley, then the other.
The valley of the Kaw makes break
in the line of the bluffs of the Missouri,
and forms valley about three to four
miles wide. A few rods east of its
present mouth is the state line, running
due south. This makes two civil munich
palities of one commercial city, one
Kansas City, in Missouri, the other in
Kansas, but so Joined in business inter-
ests that stranger would not be able to
discern the line that establishes two
civil governments. This Kaw river bot
tom is known as the west bottoms.
The Missouri river just here swings
close to the bluffs on its southern bound
airy. Farther along on its eastern course
it defects to the northern heights, and
leaves the bottoms on this side, which
are called the east bottoms. Within the
west bottoms, on either side of the Kaw,
and close up to the shore of the Missouri
River, are crowded the greater part of
the wholesale houses of the city, all of
its railroads, packing houses, factories,
and small portion of its residences.
The newer enterprises that could not
find room in the west bottoms, extended
into the east bottoms, SO as to be within
reach of the railroads. Market gardens
spread out over this part of the valley
beyond the city limits. The principal
residence portion of both cities is reach
ed by climbing the bluffs, and is not
affected by any flood that may be on in
either stream.
There is only one bridge across the
Missouri, and the bottom lands across it
on the north are used only for the tracks
of some of the railroads, and for farm
ing. They are about four miles wide.
Sixteen bridges spanned the Kaw within
the city limits, one of them being used
to bring the water pipes across. The
supply is drawn from the Missouri about
five miles above the city. Close to the
bank of this river were built the electric
light plant. the stock yards, packing
houses, and some factories that used
large quantities of water.
The Kaw drains large section OF
what former generation knew as the
"Great American Desert" and is gener-
ally seen as wide shallow stream, run
ming between high clay banks, and is
never expected to develop any serious
flood symptoms. But the Big Muddy, or
Missouri, is billed to show June rise
every year some time between the
months of March and July.
Reports from the weather stations in
Kansas and Nebraska, during the last
week of May, told of very heavy rains in
their vicinity, and the ground, already
soaked by water that had fallen on 1t the
previous week, absorbed none that was
now coming down so steadily. Tele-
graphic accounts told us of the freshets
in the tributaries of the Kaw River, at a
distance of two hundred miles west, but
this information excited no alarm here.
To read in the morning paper that some
village or small city with which we were
acquainted was covered by water, did not
Impress fear, only caused some comment
to be made about "droughty Kansas"
Even on Thursday, May 2Sth, when
the dispatches told us of the damage the
Kaw was causing in Topeka, Kansas,
sixty-five miles away, no sign was mere
shown of fear or anxiety lest 1t would
trouble us.
Both the Kaw and Missouri Rivers
were reported near the danger line
Thursday evening, and by Friday it was
known that the June rise on the latter
had come, and the former was rising
fast. Some large factories along the
river fronts expected water to seep
through into their cellars, as it usually
did when the rivers were high, and they
on this day over-hauled their pumps,
having them in readiness to remove this
water as soon as it came in. No prepare
ton for a flood, aside from this, was
made.
Saturday, May seth, the papers told of
many of the people, living in two OF the
suburbs, known as Argentine and Ar
mourdale-situated on either shore OF
the Kaw, and at its elbow joint, being
on the lowest of the bottom lands
having to leave their homes during the
night because the river had overlooked
their streets. The reports also told OF
both rivers up stream rising fast and
steadily. This caused the old settlers to
talk of the flood of 1881, and some said,
"Perhaps it might be as high now as
then, but some of the streets that were
then submerged had been raised and
paved, so it probably would not be deep
enough to use boat in them as on that
date"
1t being holiday many took advantage
of their leisure in the afternoon to 60 to
the shores of the Kaw to see the high
water. All the street cars that crossed
this stream brought thousands down to
see a very swift and dirty river running
bank full, and in some low places spread.
ing out over railroad tracks and around
some small houses, used as homes by
fishermen. The pumps in some cellars
were already working, and few fami'
lies, living too near the river, moving
out, were the only signs visible that
great calamity was impending. Most OF
the sightseers went home that night
thinking they had seen the freshet thai
had done so much damage at Topeka
Kan, and other cities along the KaW
valley. :.
Sunday morning, May 31st, was colo
and rainy, and to the larger part of the