The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-07-07
BRIDGE is SAFE.
North MeIan Approach Not in
Danger Today.
Precautions Taken to Prevent
1t Being Damaged.
PEOPLE ARE KEPT OUT
Only Those Who Have Business
Allowed to Cross.
Houses on North Side Pretty
Well Deserted.

Considerable anxiety is being felt in
North Topeka for fear that the north
approach of the Melan arch bridge will
be swept out and will cut off the North
side from help if matters should get
worse. City Engineer McCabe, how
ever, declares that the structure is safe.
He made a careful examination of the
approach during the night and this
morning has a force of men at work
weighing the supports with bags of
sand.
While the approach is made of wood
it is securely fastened, and the only
danger of its being washed out lies in
the possibility of the river rising to its
floor and lifting it clear off the sup
ports. But by the time the river gets
that high North Topeka would be too
badly inundated for people to remain.
Yet to take every precaution, the po-
lice are making it point to save the
approach from any unnecessary loading
or vibration in the heavy tranSporta-
ton which has been going and coming
ceaselessly over the bridge since early
stationed at five different points on the
bridge and they are permitting only
such people to go to North Topeka as
have interests there.
Another precautiOn was taken in the
placing of life-lines from the cement
posts on the Melan arch bridge, over
the approach to trees on the north
bank. Should the approach go out
in this way people transported to safe
ty- The scheme was very effective last
year in the big flood.
The houses in North Topeka are
pretty we'll deserted. All night people
were moving out. and this morning.
in the north and west sections espe-
cially, all the houses appeared desert
ed. Here and there drays were NOV
ing out belated people, but in the ma
jority of houses the goods had either
been moved to the upper stories or
taken out altogether and the inmates
also were gone.
In most of the business houses along
Kansas avenue the merchants were
busy this morning placing all perish
able goods up on counters and high
shelves out of reach of the water if it
should get up into the stores. Nobody
was pretending to do business. There
were a good many people on Kansas
avenue between the bridge and Cor
don street, but they were either simply
Sight-SeerS or working to save prop
erty. Off of Kansas avenue the travel
was mainly in wagons or boats. 1t was
possible to walk west on the Union
Pacific track to the Rock Island
without getting in the water. Some
water was running over the Union
Island, but the bulk of it was west.
The rails on the sidetracks were under
water, but on the main track the tops
of the rails were available for people
on foot. stream a hundred feet
wide poured across the Union Pacific
track in a swift current. as it made
a fall of about Is inches. West of
that the Union Pacific track was out
of water for some distance.
The small houses just east of the
Kuehne pickle works were flooded this
morning. In the northwest part of
North Topeka the low-lying houses
also were reported flooded.
A rope has been stretched from the
main part of the Melan bridge across
to solid ground on the North side for
use in case the north approach should
go out or the temporary span put in
after last years flood should be
washed away. This temporary span
is being carefully watched. Last
year when the north approach of the
bridge went out it was necessary to
run a cable across. This is provided
for this year in advance.