The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-06-03
Cottonwood Valley Is Under
Water Today.
Four Inches of Rain Fall at
EmpOria.
FARMERS DRIVEN OUT.
Leave Their Homes Along NeO-
shO and Cottonwood.
Portions of Newton Are Under
Water.
THE KAW is QUIET.
River Shows Foot of Rise in "A
Hours.
Coming Up Slowly at Junction
City.
Twelve Feet Above Low Water
in Topeka.
Weather Observer Jennings Ex-
poets Four Foot Rise Here.
Weather Observer Jennings Ex-
poets Four Foot Rise Here.

At u o'clock the river in Topeka
stood at 1902 feet-the same as this
morning.
Il think that the Kansas river at
Topeka may be expected to rise four
feet" announced Section Director
Jennings of the weather bureau at II
o'clock this morning, after he had re-
ceived reports from the Kansas
weather stations giving the rainfall
recorded at those stations.
THE rainfall in the Republican riv-
er territory up to a point beyond Con-
cordia was over an inch and over the
watershed of the Republican west Of
that a half inch" said Director Jen-
nings. "The rainfall along the Solo
mon river to a point west of Lincoln
was over an inch. Along the Kansas
river from Kansas City to Ellsworth
the rainfall was over an inch The
rainfall in the watershed of the Blue
river was a half an inch.
"The rainfalls in the Neosho and
Cottonwood river territory was much
greater and in fact twice as much as
in. the Kansas river territory and the
territory of it's tributaries. The ind1-
cations are that the rain in the coun-
try about Abilene and Salina was over
Dect a rise of about four feet in the
Kansas river at Topeka
The gauge on the Rock Island
bridge registered II feet and two
tenths of water in the Kansas river at
o'clock this morning. The rise from
Thursday morning at O'Clock to this
morning at o'clock was one foot and
one-tenth.
gauge registered II feet and two
tenths, the same as at Z o'clock The
river al that time was stationary.
As the government flood warning
service along the Kansas, Republican,
Blue and Solomon rivers has not been
esta blished, and will not be until July
1, the weather bureau officials are
maintaining the best service they can
under the conditions. The reports re-
ceived by Director Jennings are not
sufficient for him to make positive
forecast of rise in the river, but he
believes that a rise of not more than
four feet might be expected.
The Kansas river is slowly rising.
The gauge indicated rise of one foot
in the 4 hours ending at this morn
ing. At that hour it was 2 feet and
2 Inches above low water.
There is no indication of q big rise,
as the heaviest rains were not on
streams tributary to the Kaw.
Kansas was again visited by tre-
mendous rain storms on Thursday.
The storms were especially severe
sho, Marais des Cygnes, Cottonwood,
Little Arkansas and tributaries are
out of their banks and doing a great
deal of damage.
menced about noon on Thursday con-
tinued until about II o'clock Thurs
day night, the total precipitation be-
ing 1.12 inches, of which rs hun
dredths fell before I o'clock in the
evening. The heaviest storm was be
tween and Z o'clock, when the rain
fell in torrents.
The rise of the Kansas river has
been very gradual and no trouble is
expected from that source as result
OF the Thursday rains. At Z o'clock
Thursday the river stood at 11.2, and
this morning at the same hour it
stood at 12.2, a rise of just one foot in
"a hours. The river is now about sta
tionary, and Will probably not go
much higher. It is still far below
danger mark. MANY North Topeka
people are badly scared and some
have moved out.
Word received this morning from
Emporia is that the Neosho is now
falling at that point, but the Cotton
wood is rising. 1t is believed that the
worst of the flood has been reached.
unless the rain continues to fall. The
Cottonwood is reported to be within
4 inches of last years high water
mark at Emporia. The rainfall at
Emporia was inches on Thursday
About 100 farmers have been driven
out OF the NaIey with their families
The damage to crops in the valley is
not so great as last year. because the
crops had not been planted The
santa Fe tracks are washed out for
long distances along the Cottonwood
valley, and no trains are run west Of
EmpOria- The trains on the Missouri
Kansas & Texas west of Emporia have
all been annulled.
At Junction City reports received
this morning are that the Smoky Hill
is Z feet above low water and is rising
slowly; the Republican is feet and
rising slowly; the Kaw is feet and
is rising slowly. No rain is falling
in that vicinity at present. nor has
any fallen since Thursday night The
Kaw at Junction City is 12 feet below
high water mark of last year. The
rivers have overfiowed the bottom
lands in some places and a good many