The Red Cloud chief., 1904-07-15
10000 HOMELESS
The kaw and Other Kansas Riv.
ers Overflow Banks.
NEARLY UP TO 1903 MARK
Only Five Lives Loot, with Over Ter
rh"ssand Driven from Home By
the High water.

Armourdale, the packing house
suburb Of Kansas City. Kas.. is prac-
tically deserted. most OF Its 5000 citi-
sens having been driven from their
homes by the overflow OF the Kaw
river for the second time in thirteen
months. The river is stationary at q
stage Of 25.S0 feet, or nine feet below
the highest mark reached In the great
food Of June, 1903.
The Kaw overlooked It's banks near
the Missouri Pacific bridge and the
water spread over the western bot
toms or Wholesale district of Kansas
City. Mo. The water was two feet
deep at st. Louis avenue and Hickory
streets, three blocks from the union
station. 1t is not believed the water
will reach the union station.
West and southwest Of Kansas City,
Mo-. In Kansas and Oklahoma, serious
conditions exist, although North To-
peka. where many we're drowned in
last years food and from which hun
dreds have fed, is gradually resuming
Its normal condition.
At Wichita. Emporia and Winfield,
tho Cottonwood, the Neosho and the
Arkansas rivers caused the most dis
astrous food In the history Of those
places.
All Kansas streams are high and
thousands Of acres Of rich farming
land has already been inundated. caus-
ing losses to crops that will run into
the hundreds Of thousands Of dollars.
Farmers at a dozen different points
were forced to Zee from their homes.
driving their stock before them and
taking their horses and what house,
hold goods could be gotten together
quickly to higher ground.
Mayor Gilbert, of Kansas City, Kas.,
used all the means at his command to
care for the hundreds Of homeless
people who were driven from the food
stricken district. He sent the follow
ing to Secretary Of War Taft: "Ten
thousand people have been driven from
their homes In Kansas City, Kas., by
food. earnestly request that you
direct commander at Fort Leaven-
worth to issue such rations Is we may
need. Please answer"
A far % known, v lives have
been lost. One 1t Wichita. Kas.. and
six at Clifton. Okla. The wife and two
children of Chase Woods. q policeman
ut Wichita, reported drowned, were
rescued. ~~shvs.~ .s-' 10 str
Railroad service east and west Of
Kansas City IL demoralized, numer-
Gus washouts being reported and trains
on the Rock Island, Santa Fe and
Union and Missouri Pacihcs stalled.
The present flood. which has been
the third this spring in the southwest,
came after almost continuous rain at
different points throughout Kansas
during ave days. In the past twenty
four hours from LEO inches Of water
fell At Kansas City to 4 inches in west
ern Kansas.
The people began to vacate their
homes in the middle Of the night and
the exodus was kept up all day.
Tons of meats and carcasses were
removed from the packing houses,
while cattle. sheep and hoss by the
hundreds were driven to safe places.
At Argentine fifty families were
driven from their homes, but the dam
age was light.
Just across the Kaw north OF Ar
mourdale, the water crept within q
few inches of the basement of the live
stock exchange, driving the occupants
of the railway offices to the upper
floors.