The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-07-07
SIX INCHES RAIN.
Unprecedented Fall in Topeka
Last Night.
Shunganunga Floods Houses in
South Topeka.
LIGHTNING'S FRANKS.
Street Cars and Telephone Lines
Put Out OF Commission.
Kansas River Rises Six Feet
During Night.
Santa Fe and Union Pacific
Trains Tied Up.
LIGHTNING'S FRANKS.

After bending the record for hot
nights and sweltering days, the mois-
ture record was badly broken. During
the Is hours preceding 9 O'Clock this
morning five and nine-tenths inches
CpracticaIIy six inches) of rain fell in
Topeka and vicinity. In all the records
of the local weather bureau, there is
not even a "A hour stretch wherein
the same amount of water fell There
fore. the precipitation record was bro
ken. with eight hours to spare.
The thunder-heads which collected
about $3.50 o'clock Tuesday afternoon,
, broke up the intense heat, and proba-
fbly saved the day from being the hot
test of the year. The temperature stood
at 80 at 2 o'clock, and during the next
hour fell nine degrees. During the next
hOur-IO D O'Clock 1t dropped TO IL Inc
first dash of rain was in the nature of
a cloudburst, accompanied by electric
demonStr -tions. In a few minutes the
streets ran curb deep in water which
the sewers failed to carry Off Electrlc
light and telephone circuits were put
out of commission by lightning, and
several buildings were struck. One
heavy bolt struck the Crawford build
ing, and Judge Y. 7. Hazen, whose Of
flee Is on the first floor. and Frank
Willard, whose Photographic studio is
on the fourth floor, were slightly
ed to any extent. but some the light
circuits were broken. About the same
time a bolt struck the home of H S.
1sbell, 500 Harrison street, followed a
light wire into an upstairs bedroom and
started a fire. No members of the fam
lily were injured, and the blaze was soon
eXtinguished
The street car service was crippled by
lightning and water. Low places on the
track, particularly in North Topeka,
We're flooded. and bolts of lightning fol-
lowed the trolley wire into some Of the
cars, burning out fuses and Gripping
motors. Schedules were disorganized
as result. and the car crews had to do
the best they could under the circum-
an hour, in which an inch and a half
of water fell. and then Stacked up in
time for business men and labOrers to
get home for the night.
Big Rise in Kaw.
The Kaw river at Topeka this morn
ing stood at 15.3 a rise of exactly 81
feet during the night. The local small
streams contributed somewhat to this
rise, but the principal cause was a rise
on the upper Blue river. OccasiOned by
heavy rains in western Nebraska and
on tributaries reaching almost to the
Canadian line last Friday.
The Shunganunga creek which runs
through the south end of Topeka and
never misses a chance to show off "
got out of its banks last night and this
morning. and backed UP in the adjacent
streets, HInnB cellars ana dana Rin2
kitchen gardens. All the little streams
near Topeka were filed to the brim
and are adding their quota of water to
the river. There is little danger of
the river reaching a flood stage unless
the rains continue for another "a hours
or more.
Shunganunga on Rampage.
Shunganunga creek overfiowed its
banks this morning and dwellers along
the stream calmly watched the small
bits of drift wood from upper windows
as they are washed along by the cur
rent They are not viewing the situa-
tion with any great degree of alarm
even though the water in some in
stances is washing through the doors of
their homes. They are becoming used
to the Venice system of thoroughfares
The outlet for the water at the rail-
way bridges is inadequate and con-
sequently the stream backs UP and
eventually overf1ows its banks The
first overflow Is above the bridge on
Topeka avenue near the fair grounds
The lower part of the latter has been
converted into one great pond and the
frogs are doing justice to the occasion
by their Outbursts of gleeful song The
small boys are also thoroughly enjoy
ing the situation, having the time Of
their lives trudging through the water
with trousers rolled up. Some of the
old colored women along the wake of
the overflow with their few pieces of
furniture stacked in the middle of the
room and water under foot were even
cracking jokes about their dilemma.
The water lacks three feet of being as
high as it was during the big flood last
year. The overflow extends from the
fair grounds to the railway tracks and
beyond, and from the creek to the cen
ter of Seventeenth street.
Last year there was an agitation
among the people on Seventeenth street
to have the Santa F'e enlarge the chan
mel of the stream at the bridge. but
nothing was done in this direction The
Missouri Pacific tracks were flooded
with water this morning.
Police Patrol ON Duty.
In the flooded resident districts. the
water reached the greatest depth be-
tween Eighteenth and Nineteenth
streets on Van Buren street about S
o'clock this morning. Upon awaken
ing early this morning to find their
floors becoming pools of water rapidly
filling through the doorways, the resi-
dents hurriedly prepared to leave for
higher ground and the police we're
notified of the danger in that quarter.
The police patrol was sent immedi-
ately to the scene of greatest danger
manned by Driver Leach and Detec-
tives Wonderly and Hutton.
After three express wag gons in turn
had been hired to go in and get the
people and had dared mot take the
risk, the officers learned of the Situa-
ton Three negro families We're re-
moved from their positions on top of
their piles of furniture in their houses
in the block of greatest depth of
water. Mrs. Freeman of 1911 was the
first to be rescued as her daughter
had stood on the corner of Kansas