Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1908-06-11
new FACTOR In FLOOD
Rise Of Missouri Upsets Calculations
at Kansas City.
WATER HIGHEST IN FIVE YEARS
Stock Yards Inundated an Market
Practically susl e.
FIVE RAILROADS ARE ~ UP
Three More Will Be Out Z nee
in Few Hours. "a
TWO BRIDGES IN D. : \
water IL Ten Feet Deep in Prii opal
street of ArmourdaIe-COnven
tion Hall Is Opened to
Refugees.
Stock Yards Inundated an Market
Practically susl z
FIVE RAILROADS ARE s
Three More Will Be Out :.
in Few Hours.
TWO BRIDGES IN

OIL the Wealner bureau ana TlNtE NApttNs
as to the duration and extent Of the flod
at the junction OF the Kaw and Missouri
rivers were upset today by the continued
rise Of the Missouri. due to heavy rains in
the Dakotas and Nebraska. At o'clock
this afternoon the Missouri river was ga
feet above low water, a rise of two-tenths
OF an inch since noon. There will be a
steady rise in the Missouri for the next
twenty-four hours, and the river will prob
ably go to 27lh or . feet tomorrow. 1t will
then remain stationary for twenty-four
hours. Then, under the inflence Of the re-
ceding Kaw, the river will fall slowly. At
8 p. m. the Kaw river at the stock yards
was rs above low water, a rise Of four
tenths OF an inch for the day This rise.
however, was due to the damming OF the
river tust below the stock yards by the
Missouri Pacific and Union Pacific bridges.
which have accumulated a vast amount of
driftwcod The Kaw. at It's mouth. is sta
tonary. and at Bonner Springs, kan.
fifteen miles west, Is falling.
Flood Highly Spectacular.
The flood today was highly spectacular.
viewed from the bluffs of Kansas City.
On the Clay county bank OF the Missouri,
the little village Of Harlem was entirely
surrounded by water. and the river was
flowing a mile wide behind the village over
corn fields. The Kaw has overflowed most
OF the railroad yards, the stock yards and
the residence and manufacturing district OF
Armourdaie. Ten feet OF water is running
through Kansas avenue, the main street of
Armourdale. The flood is the highest since
that OF 1908 but the water is more than
seven feet lower than in 1903.
II the two low bridges across the Kaw
those OF the Missouri Pacific and Union Pa.
rfFt
the water and driftwood lodged against
them, not much further damage will b,
done. But II these bridges should go out
they would probably carry others with then
and sever street car. telephone and railroad
communication between the two wings oi
the city. The land that is yet to be over
flowed has been abandoned by its occu.
pants and further loss from this source Is
not expected.
The flooding OF the stock yards and the
cutting OFF of railroad communication al
most suspended the cattle market today
The live stock exchange building can still
be entered, but the basement Is flooded.
Five Railroads Tied Up.
Five railroad lines out of Kansas City
are now tied up and three others will bt
out of service before midnight The line,
tied up are the Union Pacific, Santa F,
and Rock Island west and the Burlington
and Missouri Pacific north. The line.
which are threatened are the Burlington
Rock Island and Wabash to the east TIL,
Missouri Pacific and Burlington track
north along the Missouri are under water
Missouri Pacific trains TO Omaha are beinl
sent out from Kansas City Kan, via tn,
Kansas City Northwestern to Leavenworth
and the Burlington service between Kansas
City and st. Joseph has been abandoned
St. Joseph, Omaha and Denver trains ar,
going by way Of Cameron. The Wabash
Burlington and Rock Island for the east
north and northwest in case OF the ex
peeted rise will find an outlet by way o
other lines to st. Joseph. The Union sta
tion tracks are still a foot above water
Convention hall was opened today t,
shelter refugees. At least 1900 person
have been driven from their homes.
Breaks In bikes.
Until last midnight last night while III,
Kaw had caused much damage 10 the low
lying parts Of Kansas City. Kan, and ma,
flooded the streets OF Armourdale Il ha,
not molested the west bottoms on the Mis-
souri, side, nor touched Argentine. Kan.
adjoining two breaks in the Kaw dixie
egected in Armourdale to Argentine. an,
another near the Swartzschild & sulz
berger packing house. No great damag
was possible al those points. however. 10
the packing house employees had been busii
engaged for hours previous removing
everything portable to places Of safey an
the residents OF Argentine, or most o
them, had already moved out
A little later came the first break in tn
wholesale district, in which Is situate
dozens OF implement. grocery and genera
warehouses, when water began 70 come 4
near the Union Pacific bridge Resident
IN the west bottoms. mostly occupyin
huts. had until that time believed them
selves secure
Gangs were speedily gathered and soon
small army OF workers were making hur
ried attempts to set their belongings ou
OF dangers way. In the wholesale house
additiona; gangs worked hard all nigh
carrying goods TO upper stories or eartin
II away from the district. Daylight foun
hundreds still at work. with the wate
rising slowly and making further inroad
eastward toward the Union railway station
into which run twenty different railways
Railroads Have Trouble.
At O'Clock this morning the water ha
reached within half block OF the station
The Missouri Pacific. whose low brids
across tne kaN had caused the water
that stream TO back up and spread ou
into the bottoms, had abandoned the brids
and today began sending out It's train
from the Kansas side. while the Chieagt
Milwaukee a ST. Paul railway used II
outlying station uptown at Twenty-secon
and Grand avenue, not attempting I
, reach the Union station. The Great West
ern railway whose tracks skirt the MI,
souri river Just 70 the north Of tha stst,,,
experienced trouble and the prospects wer
that Il would have 70 abandon its brids
during the day. Its tracks were threat
ened and the water was within a foot q
the bridge.
All Santa Re. Union Pacific and Roc
1slAnd trains for the west were forced I
use the tracks OF the 81. Louis & sa
Francisco. the only outlet The other raj
roads reach the station from the a..