The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-05-25
ARE DRIVEN OUT,
Homes Of People in Walnut
Grove Flooded.
Half Dozen Families Are Com
pelled to Go.
CAME FROM THE CREEK
Water Broke Through Banks in
Many Places.
Trouble Also Experienced on
East Side.
Over Three Inches of Rain Fell
Here.
CAME FROM THE CREEK
Trouble Also Experienced on
East Side.
Over Three Inches of Rain Fell
Here.

At o'clock this morning the river
gauge showed the water in the Kaw to
register 15.1 feet, showing a raise of 6.3
feet since Wednesday morning at z
o'clock The danger point is p feet.
The river was still rising when the
gauge was read this morning. At juno
tion City the river was rising this
morning but very slowly and no alarm
need be felt.
The Kansas river reached its highest
point in Topeka at 10 a. m, when it
registered 1873 feet At noon it was 1876
and is still falling.
Walnut Grove and that section Of
South Topeka last night experienced
one of the worst floods in its history.
The whole section Of South Topeka ex-
tending from Topeka avenue to east of
the Santa F'e and Missouri Pacific
tracks and south of Seventeenth street
was under water from inches to four
feet.
The flood waters came entirely from
the overflow of Shunganunga which
broke through its banks at various
points at from . o'clock until o'clock.
AT Baughman's ice cream factory
southwest of the city and Just west of
the fair grounds where the creek turns
in its course the overflow was especially
marked The overflow drained directly
into the natural basin which exists in
Walnut Grove east of Topeka avenue
and south Of Seventeenth street. The
was was unable to drain off into the
creek again fast enough through the
draw which exists on Seventeenth and
Monroe because of the high railroad
embankment which piled up the water
in depths a certain points up to four
feet and some places even deeper.
The water was deepest on Van
Buren street and south of Eighteenth.
fret Of in,
tiOn were inundated for foot or
more and a number of families We're
removed from their homes e6rly this
morning.
The hose wagons from IRE depart
menJ headquarters and No ( station
and the patrol wagon from the police
station made hurried trips at
O'Clock this morning and removed
eleven families to places Of security.
The patrol wagon removed eight fam
lilies. all of whom lived on Van Buren
street near the creek. while the FIRE
department removed three other fam
lilies. A number of families who were
offered help refused to bulge.
The food at 10 o'clock this morn
ing had receded about one foot, and
the Topeka avenue bridge across the
Shunganunga was free from water
This was the only bridge which Afford
ed access to the country south of the
city this morning. The Van Buren
street bridge was swept away at {
close to the Kansas avenue bridge.
The Kansas avenue bridge is not un-
der water, but the north approach is
several feet under water for a distance
of about 300 feet. Both the Kansas
avenue bridge and the Topeka avenue
bridge however. early this morning
had their floors covered by several
inches of water.
Here and there where a one-story
cottage was lying particularly low the
6a flyr
to make it uninhabitable. East of the
Missouri Pacific railroad tracks the
water had crept up to within few
feet of the ewes of small cOttage
For the most part the front porchas
and the doorsteps marked the shigh
water point. Here and there in the
particularly low localities the first
story floors were covered with water.
and the families had moved into the
second story. Most Of the water was
drained down a natural watercOurse
which exists on Seventeenth street,
and here the current had the velocity
East of the Santa Fe tracks for
distance of three blocks the creek
had widened out to an extent of about
500 feet. The tracks of the Missouri
Pacific for a portion of the time were
submerged. Small boys and boats
were padding about in the water this
morning, and the whole population Of
Walnut Grove was out of doors.
At any period last night or early this
morning and the property loss Will
not amount to much. The Fifth ward
sewer, which is being constructed in
that part of town. was injured some
by cave-ins. but the full extent can
not be ascertained until the water re-
cedes.
At O'Clock this morning 20 blocks in
the eastern part of Topeka were under
a foot and one-half of water.
Though cellars were filed brim full,
and small outhouses in some places
overturned. flooded pOrcheS were the
nearest approach to driving people from
their homes Not single instance
could be found of any families having
moved out. although in a good many
places. careful watch was kept to see
if it would be necessary to carry the
furniture to the second story to save it
from being ruined.
The most serious damage will be to
the yards about the homes in the food
ed territory. All the garden truck is
washed out and ruined. People who
have spent good many laborious
hours this spring in an attempt to make
their lawns and flower beds look like
something. viii have the work to do
over again The water is fun of drift
and very dirty, and will naturally
leave a great deal Of slime and refuse
The dirt streets win also suffer bad
~. In places it could be seen early this
morning that the water was cutting
channels
The Shunganunga left its banks just
q few hundred feet south of the Eighth
street bridge, between Hancock and
Chestnut streets, and swept over the
triangular space between the creek on
the northwest, Eighth street on the
south. and Locust on the east. and is