Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1920-09-02
BRIDGE in DANGER
River Rising As Result Of Heavy
Rains In This Vicinity

The county clerk and the county
engineer drove to Chapman this
afternoon following word that the
y pile bridge was In danger Of going
out, with drift wood fast piling NJ
against II. The guard rails Of the
bridge were removed yesterday be-
fore the. water had reached the floor
Of the bridge In an effort to be rid OF
any obstruction which would block
the flow OF drift wood. Now, how
ever, the water is six feet over the
floor Of the bridge and the drift Is
edged against the structure.
At Sand Springs the water was 10
feet and still rising this afternoon.
Flood stage is 10 feet and half.
\ Gypsum City emerged yesterday
from the greatest food in It's his
4 tory. Water was up to the win
dow stills In many houses, according
to reports today. The food subsid-
ed early yesterday morning almost
M rapidly ms 1t came. Along Gyp-
sum creek the food spread out over
the highest banks covering much
farm land. but is receding. Reports
indicate many small twisters In the
storm. Long stretches Of telephone
poles are down In various directions
and barns and small buildings were
unrOOfed. The official rainfall In Sa-
lima was 4.Q4 inches. One mile OF
Missouri Pacific track was washed
out.
The telephone lines are part Of
the United Telephone system.
The amount OF damage done by
I the storm and the resulting flood
has not been estimated. Indeed the
people here have been unable as yet
to get out away from home to look
over the fields In order to see what
crops are ruined and whether or not
any livestock has persisted. At an
early hour today no reports OF missing
live stock had been received, although |
II is known that thousands Of dollars
worth Of corn and other crops are
ruined by the high water as well as
by the storm which preceded the
food.
Bridges are badly damaged. al
though none has been entirely wash
ed away. Northwest Of Gypsum
little more than mile and one half
Of railroad track is washed out but
workmen began already this morning
rebuilding 1t, and the work will bel
rushed to completion.
Today Gypsum Is showing life
again. Some Of the business men
have been able to get back to their
places of business, the newspaper Of !
fee is open again, after a days idle /
ness owing to the fact that the en- !,
plOyes were all marooned at their
homes, and town activities are grad
ually being resumed. However,
Gypsum is waking to a desOlate look
ing city, and to the most discourage
ing looking outlobk since the big
food In 1908. Yesterdays overflow
did not last so long as the one seven
teen years ago, but II did fully as
much damage. .-n-s--
Chapman men in town today re-
ported that the pile bridge still was
across the Smoky Hill
there but that drift wood lodged solid
from bank to bank for three or four
hundred feet above the bridge. Using
pulleys and tractors men are work
Ing to clear the bridge Of drift wood
rs the water is high enough now to
carry over that which has been dis
lodged. The debris piles up almost
rs fast as 1t is cleared away how
ever, and 1t is thought that the mass
which obstructs the river above the
bridge Is keeping some Of the pres
sure from the structure. The water
was receding slowly this morning.
The river had gone down about six
leet and half during the last "a
hours at the power plant south of
own and at 8 o'clock had fallen to
lbout eight feet.