The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-06-10
HITS KANSAS CITY.
Continued from Page One.)

spread over territory otherwise safe.
The Missouri Pacific bridge caused
much trouble in the previous floods
and the Union Pacific structure, which
had been swept away in 1908, was re-
placed at the same height as before.
All of Harlem, which is hamlet
in the bottoms of the Missouri, across
to six feet under water. The last
family there was driven away this
morning and row boats are the only
means of getting from place to
place. In Armourdale and Argentine
also boats are being used freely.
None of the exciting scenes of other
local floods is apparent this time, for
the reason that the people generally
were prepared. Then, also the cur
rent is not strong and but little drift
is brought from the west as on other
occasions. There is no real distress
and indications are that by the last of
this week even the lowest points will
have been drained and the last of the
refugees will have re-entered their
homes.
The stage of the rivers at o'clock
this morning follows: Missouri river
PIT feet, a rise of feet and five
inches in the past IL hours.
Kaw river, 81 feet, against 25.2 IL
hours ago.
COnnor's Forecast.
In statement to the Associated
Press this morning Patrick Common, in
charge of the local weather office said:
The flood waters of both the KaW
and Missouri rivers will have reached
their crests by this afternoon. There
Will be but few more inches rise in
the Kaw and then will follow a slow
| but steady receding of the waters. The
Missouri river will continue to rise at
points above here for the next "a hours,
but the fall of the Kaw here will re-
Heve the overflow of the Missouri. The
Missouri Will not begin to fall for sew
eral hours after the crest has been
reached, but there is an almost abso-
lutte certainly that it will rise no more
than a small fraction of a foot before
the highest stage is reached. The Mis-
souri, is rising as far up as Sioux City,
but above that point it is at a stand
still or is slowly falling. Rains are
reported in many parts of Nebraska,
Iowa and Kansas but these are all light
and of little consequence so far as the
Hood is concerned
Fight to Save Bridges.
Kansas City, June 10.-At $50 O'Clock
last evening the water reached the
stringers of the Missouri Pacific rail-
road bridge in the Kaw river at the
foot of Twelfth street, and began co
pour over the tracks. The hundreds
of men who were at work with long
pike poles releasing the floating debris
lldI Uecdfle locked unQer and at the
! ends of the bridge were not able tic
| compete with the onrush of drift that
| lodged against the bridge. Officials
realizing the danger of the situation,
| ran strings of cars loaded with coal
| on the bridge to weight it down.
This is the bridge which, in 1902.
was saved from being swept away by
| weighing it with a number of heavy
| locomotives.
| Just south of the Missouri Pacific is
the bridge of the Union Pacific rail-
| road, and, it being the higher of the
two structures. the water had room to
| pass, but not the debris which at times
| lodged against the sides. Men armed
with long poles dislodged the obstacles
| only to pass them down stream to the
| Missouri Pacific bridge. where they
| lodged with other accommodations and
| caused overflow.
Back water settled at a depth of
! from three to four feet in low places
| in the Missouri Pacific yards and over
! flowed into the hog pens of the Kansas
| City Stock Yards company in the neigh
| borhood of James street. A majority
| of the sidingS in both the Missouri Pa
cific and Union Pacific yards began to
| flood early last evening.
| Excavations made by the Loose Wiles
Candy and Cracker company at Eight n
| and Henning streets for an addition 20
it's main building had five feet of wa
ter in them last evening, due to the
bursting of a sewer which let in back
water from the Missouri river. Portions
of the asphalt paving on Eighth street
caved in on account of the sewer burst
ing.