The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-06-12
That Was the Way North To-
peka Merchant Put 1t.
Pointed to the Sign When Asked
How He Felt After Flood.
ALL ARE GOING BACK.
Scores of Merchants and Resi-
dents Are interviewed.
Tell Story of Hope and Cheer
Property Values Firm.

Any one who thinks that North To-
peka is down and out or will soon be
desert place has another guess COM
ing. Many people on the south side
nave expressed many, opinions since
the flood regarding the. present and
future conditions of the North side,
but the most reliable authority on this
question is the view taken by the flood
sufferers themselves. A State Journal
reporter spent the day over in North
Topeka inspecting the flood damage
and talking with the business men,
| residents. refugees, workingmen and
, the housewives upon whom the bur-
den of cleaning up the houses will fall.
The cheerfulness of these people in the
| face of the third disaster of the kind
in hve years is remarkable. Only one
man out of several hundred seen and
| talked to had a "grouch.'' Not one
respondent person was found and few
but that were full of energy and hope.
| The reaction always begins to set in
after the water has gone down and the
black mud and flooded cellars and
soaked floors and wall paper stare the
were finishing the work of rearrang-
ing their stocks of goods and the wo-
men sat upon their front porches and
loked at their muddy lawns and ruin
ed wall paper. but they laughed and
talked as brightly and cheerfully as
though flood was weekly necessity.
The large majority of North Topeka
people are moving back into their
homes. Inside OF ten days the indi-
cations are that nearly all of them will
| have moved back. There will only be
! r.
avenue by next week. All the people
| living in two story houses will be COM
| Portable by tomorrow It was only
| those living in cottages that suffered
| the expense and Inconvenience Of hav-
ing to move their goods and the delay
in getting back into their homes. The
talk about real estate over there being
on the bargain counter is all rot. No
one is trying to sell property at half
price. The MERCHANTS are expecting
a good business iext month. The hood
is an unpleasant Incident. that it all.
pie who suffered and who are camping
on the battlefield. and they ought to
know. They talked as follows:
| Doing Business at Old Stand.
Stone Produce Goa. L. Stone
stated that they were doing bigger
business than ever today. I'VE are
not discouraged a particle Our build
and the carpenters have resumed their
| work. We did business every day of
the food, but of course we are on
higher ground than the large majority
| of the business houses. We expect to
enlarge our business this year.
J. B. Billard-My mill was shut
down several days and the machinery
was injured by the water. but sold
and delivered produce right along
through the flood. Leave here? That
is ridiculous. OF course shall con-
tfnue right along. I lost heavily dur
ing the last flood, but was prepared
this time No, am not disheartened.
The Dibble Grocery-Mr. Dibble
had his store in fine shape. But for
the sawbust on the floor it would
have been hard to have told that a
| flood had swept through 1t this week.
He said: 'I am staggered a bit by this
third blow from the water. It is hard
to tell yet how 1t will affect business.
I shall stay here as long as there is
any business in sight I believe that
most of the people will move back into
their homes"
Shawnee State Bank-A. v. Lindell
the assistant cashier, said: "Sure we
will get over this flood all right. 1t was
not to compare with the other one.
why, five years ago the people wan
a week. The damage run into the
hundreds of thousands Of dollars. We
got over that flood. This time each
one tried to be the first to get back
into his home or open his business
The bank did good bsuiness yester-
/ dav and todayffi better than expected
Last year it took a month to get oul
hooks dried out so we could read The
figures in them. Everybody was pre-
nared this year and the town should
ret back into its stride in less thar
half the time it took in 1903. even i
this was the second blow. The Stast
Journars optimistic articles have help
ed and we appreciate them"
Capel & Whaley-They conduct a lit
tie restaurant on the avenue and til.
walk in front has been washed dow;
into the flooded basement, but Mrs
Capel was doggedly determined to g,
| ahead with the business. IT shall stay
here and run this restaurant as Ions
] "There is nothing else to do"
/ ]. Nystrom, the shoe mani shal
| try it again. His front walk had beer
washed out and there was chasm i.
front Of his doorway in which mudd.
water could be seen. but he was opeI
and ready for business.
I. J. Ketchum-Had just completed
nice $4,700 house on Jackson stree
where the water rose to height o
four feet, but he would not sell ou
for s4,7O0
Model Bakery-G. Urban, the propri
etor, was engaged in drawing pans o
fresh baked cookies from his ovens
but he stopped long enough to say tha
; he was going to keep right on bakin
until the next flood should drive hin
!, forth from his bake shop.
!. One of the Old Guard.
G. A. Fernstrom-His shoe store wa
again ready for business and the pro
prietor was one of the bravest of tn
: old guard. He did not talk much, bu
what he said was in the point st sha
: STAY right here and continue my bust
| ness / do not believe any Of thi
: talk about not half Of the residents Q
| the town coming back here to stay
! They talk also about property bein
INnnfinuad on Piazza Tan