The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-06-15

The government rive gauge recorded
24.S feet Of water at that time and at
8 O'Clock this morning the gauge re-
corded 22.4 feet. making the fall from
the high point reached Saturday noon
of "a feet at 8 O'Clock today
The rise was steady. there being no
flood waves or high crests and the fall
has likewise been slow but steady since
the crest of the rise passed Topeka
Saturday noon. For four hours after
the crest of the rise reached this city
Saturday the waters remained almost
stationary. Slowly and stubbornly they
then began to recede and the process
has continued since.
Weather Observer Jennings said
Sunday morning that the fact that the
river had not risen higher than it did
Saturday night was because it had
broken through the banks at the Up
degraff farm and spread out over the
bottoms at that point and elsewhere,
ing the flood down below a higher
mark.
Soldier creek left its banks Saturday
and flowed down the old channel past
Menoken through the Townsend farm
to the Kansas river. This somewhat
relieved the situation in North Topeka.
as it made an outlet for the flood
water and kept it from flowing into
the town.
This mornings river gauge reading
indicates that the Kaw is yet out of
it's banks at this point and flooding to
the depth of g of foot and at the
present rate it is falling will not be en-
tirely within it's banks until late this
afternoon, perhaps five o'clock. At the
present time the fall is about an inch
an hour. considerably greater than it
has averaged since the highest point
was reached Saturday. During the A
hours from Saturday noon until Mon
| day morning at 8 O'Clock the fall has
been go inches or but little more than
half an inch each hour.
Reports received this morning from
| the streams west of the city which
empty into the Kaw or it's tributaries
| indicate that all danger of a rise fol
] the time being is past.
! The sudden rise which occurred a,
Topeka Saturday is attributed to the
! west of the city, the waters being car.
| ried into the Kaw by numerous small
| creeks. The rains which fell farther
| west of the city along the Smoky Hill
Republican, Big Blue solomon and Sa
/ line rivers had nothing to do with thi.
| rise and their flood waters are nov
/ passing Topeka.
| Reports from the watershed distric
i which is drained by these streams in
dictates that all of them are falling
i slowly which necessarily means tha
/ the fall in the Kaw at this point will
be much greater "a hours from nov
than it is at the present time. The re
/ ports received by the Weather bureau
and railroads indicate the most favor
able conditions west of Topeka
1 People Going Back.
| Kansas avenue over in North Tope
ka was more quiet this morning thai
iany time in the past ten days. Their
Iwere less people on the streets. fewe
Ivehicles and little business activity
Still, all the grocery stores had re
sumed business. and the meat mark
cts. The flood of Saturday did n
damage at all south of Gordon stree
texcept in the residence districts, o.
Laurent street. Ths people came bacl
!. to their homes today, that is all VIII
could get back. There was not tn
rush and enthusiasm that marked tn
resumption last Wednesday. The re
turn Of the second flood was too sud
den; the river is standing at too higl
a stage for that.
| On Kansas avenue the water ha'
receded past FairchiId street at
O'Clock this afternoon and was falling
! steadily. At noon Saturday the waite
was running several inches dee
through the fire station.
There were few Respondent peopl
in North Topeka today. Mos
Of them will move back as soon a
to fight it out with the flood. The.
feel sure that steps will be taken a
once to begin the construction o
} levees of a height and strength to keel
such a flood as the one OF last weel
clear out Of the town.
Nov is the time to keep up cour
age, if there ever was a time" said {
merchant today. I'VE ought to b.
thankful that the flood of Saturda.
did not do the damage it threatened
am doing business today and hav
my goods moved back even though
the river is bank high and one hare
rain will run it over again.
While all the meat shops, grocerie
and restaurants were doing busines
as usual today, the dry goods and fur
niture stores were more cautious abou
rearranging their stocks Of goods.
At noon Saturday the people of Mort
, Topeka were expecting a worse foo
, than that of Tuesday. AS far south a
Railroad street the merchants ha
boarded up their front windows Will
most of them were thankful that tn
flood had not reached them the las
time. AS soon as the river goes dow
a few feet they will move back and re
sumo business. The back water in tn
east part of town has run out this tim
more rapidly than it did last Wednes
day. The residence district north {
Gordon street was covered with waite
from a depth of six inches to two fee
this morning, but there was no currer
to speak of. Hacks and wagons weI
busy today carrying people back
q their homes. The flood did not ente
nearly so many houses Saturday as