The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-10
FLOODS in KANSAS
Many Streams Over the State
Leave Their Banks.
Soldier Greek and Shunga-
nunga Do Their Part.
SEVERAL TOWNS IN DANGER
Santa Fe Forced To Abandon
Station at Ottawa.
Thousands of Acres of Land
Are Under Water.
SEVERAL TOWNS IN DANGER

/ Several hundred acres of Shawnee
1 county land have been under water
/ the past twenty-four hours as 4he re-
! suit of a flood from Soldier creek.
The high water is due to heavy rains
! which fell prior to Saturday night,
and altho North Topeka is expert
! encing little trouble the flood extends
northwest from Topeka almost to the
Jackson county line.
The flood in the immediate vicinity
of North Topeka occurred about Z
O'Clock Sunday morning when series
! of dikes at Menoken gave way, while
the creek was far out of its banks all
the way to Grove, according to re-
ports Most of the land inundated is
wheat and potato ground and the loss
will be heavy.
Reached Crest at Midnight.
High enough Sunday to wash away
part of a fill at the north end of the
Central avenue bridge, stopping traf
fic, the water in the creek continued
to rise until it reached its crest at
midnight Today at II o'clock it had
going down at that time at rate of
about eight inches an hour. How
ever, the creek is still out of it's banks
at a number of places.
Practically all of the trouble from
the swollen stream, usually so low that
one can step across it, has. been west
of the boys state industrial school
and even there the damage does not
appear to be as great as first reported.
The lowlands are under water but no
large sections of land have been af-
fected and the damage will be scat
tered.
Slight Damage at School.
The water covered a small portion
of the industrial schools land, damag-
ing piece of alfalfa, part of a field
of oats, and the grape arbor. A small
swinging bridge, built in Filipino fash
ion, leading to the grape arbor was
torn down by driftwood, and the
black. muddy water backed up into
the swimming pool a depth of two
feet But whatever damage has been
done to the schools property will be
made up tonight by the boys who are
going on a fish hunt thru the
sloughs and back water places.
The. Shunganunga also went on a
rampage Saturday night and did con-
and bridges all along its course are
now in need of repairs, as a result
Hundreds of cellars were flooded in
the vicinity of Quinton Heights and
street car service in both the Country
club district and Oakland were ham
pered for time Saturday night. The
water receded rapidly Sunday. how
ever. and today the Shunganunga is a
very calm and placid stream well
within its banks.
1t was well that the weather bureau
issued q flood warning Saturday after
noon for Ottawa. A report which the
weather bureau received from that
city at o'clock this morning stated
that the Marais des Cygnes. after ris
ing slowly during the night, had
reached a stage of thirty feet which
is six feet above flood stage. The
water at that time was within eight
cen inches of the floor of the main
-f,- hid nd a1 ri
Santa Fe tracks. All of the lowlands
around Ottawa, including the fair
grounds. are under several feet of wa
ter and many residents have. been
compelled to flee to higher ground.
Altho a further rise of eighteen inches
would flood the main part Of town,
the river has about reached its crest,
the weather bureau reports.
Much Flood Damage.
Reports reaching here today from
various joints in Missouri, Kansas and
northern Oklahoma told of increas-
ing flood peril with streams continu-
ing to rise and severe foundations
threatened
From EmpOria. Kan, came the re-
port that the Neosho valley is ex-
periencing the worst flood in nineteen
years The Neosho river there had
reached a stage of twenty-six feet and
ten inches, within two inches of the
highest mark on record. Hundreds of
acres of farm lands are under water.
caused by tributaries being swollen
by backwater, from the Neosho itself.
Both the Arkansas and Walnut
rivers were still rising at Arkansas
City. the Walnut being higher than
for several years 1t is spreading
over all lowlands in that section and
rose Sunday about one inch an hour.
Backwater from the Arkansas, into
which it empties just south of Arkan-
sas City, is also helping TO swell the
flood in the Walnut.
Situation at Independence Serious.
The siuation at independence, Kan,
has become serious. The Verdigris
there is two miles wide and rising
dily it has reached a stage of
forty-one feet early today. Residents
in the lower sections of the city are
moving out. All interurban and steam
service is demoralized.
The Missouri Pacific is using the
Santa Fe tracks between Independ-
ence and Garnett and service on the
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