Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-07
TOWNS ARE DESERTED
Kansas Again Visited by
Disastrous Floods.
STREETS ARE RIVERS
CITIZENS OF WICHITA AND TO-
t,>PEKA ABANDON HOMES.
Trains on Railroads Abandoned East
and West Of State Capital-Exodus
to High Ground.


Armourdale. the packing-house town In the
suburbs on the Kansas side. is under water
from the overflow Of the Kaw river. The
water Is still rising at rapid rate and
conditions approaching the great flood Of
1903 are feared. The stage Of the river IS
higher than at any time since then. The
lowiands of Argentine and Rosedale. other
suburbs. also are flooded. and hundreds OF
laboring people have left their homes.
West Of Kansas City along the Kaw that
stream is bankfull and is doing great dam
age at North Topeka, Lawrence and at
other points, and It's tributaries are rising.
There has been almost incessant rain in
this part Of the southwest for five days.
and for a month past heavy rains have
fallen intermittently.
This great volume of water Is coming this
way doing great damage in its course, and
it is feared that many of the scenes OF De.
vastation of last year may be repeated, at
least In a milder way.
Steady Downpour Of Rain.
All last night a steady downpour of rain
fell here and in many parts of Kansas
and today 1t continued.
The first break in the Kaw came at Ar
mourdale at midnight, when water began
running through large dixie built across
Families in the lowlands began to move.
and when later breaks appeared at three
other places there was a general move
ment toward higher ground Morning
found the water still on the rise, and grad
ually spreading over the town until one
half OF the place was under from one to
five feet of water. Today the water has
reached the livestock exchange and drove
the occupants from the basement floor.
Forecaster OConnor, however, while pre-
dieting that the Kaw would continue ris-
ing for another twenty-four hours, SAID
that there hardly would be repetition of
last years disa flood. He Is con-
fident that the Missouri river will be able
to carry off the excess water without
any great damage.
Railway traffic west of here is badly de-
moralized.
Three Drowned at Wichita.
WICHITA. Kan. July THE house of
Cass Woods. park policeman in Riverside
Park was washed away and Mrs. Woods
and her two children drowned.
Removal of Household Goods.
KANSAS CITY. July Hundreds Of
wagons were engaged busily all day re-
rsoving household goods from the suburbs
of Kansas City. Kan, along the kaw river.
while in the west bottoms near the Mis-
scuri-Kansas line thousands of dollars
VIC nth of goods were either removed from
the district pldCeu upon upper iiooA ..
Over 5000 people fed from Armourdale and
many were forced to leave their belongings.
Water in the packing houses caused an al
most total suspension in those plants.
Worse Flood In Wichita's History.
WICHITA, Kans, July 7.-Wichita Is
flooded today worse than ever before in
its history. The dykes at several places
along the Little river gave way before the
rush of water which poured down Waco
avenue, one of the principal residence
streets, in a raging torrent. becoming waist
deep. On Main street the Baltimore Hotel
was flooded and the water Is flowing swift
Iy within two blocks of Douglas avenue,
the main business street.
People living within seven blocks Of the
Little river have been forced to vacate their
homes
North Topeka Streets Rivers.
TOPEKA, Kans., July TAT the Kaw
river gauge today the water Is above the
twenty-two-foot mark and rising slowly.
In North Topeka the water is running
through the principal streets knee deep.
and the town is deserted All last night
constant stream of humanity poured across
the big Metan bridge to higher ground on
people stacked their household goods in the
upper stories of their homes and fed. The
pc orer classes. driving their livestock be-
fore Them carried what goods they could
upon their shoulders.
In Topeka proper the water Is three
blocks up town from the river channel.
Trains on the Union Pacific, Sante Fee and
Rock Island are abandoned east and west
out Of Topeka.