Evening star., 1935-06-04
Worshipers in Church Are
Drowned by Wall
of Water.
TOLL is PUT AT 140
IN PLAINS COUNTRY
$l7,0O0,000 in Property Loss
Counted While Rivers
Rise.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Death estimates In three Midwest
ern States and In Mexico mounted
to the 500 mark '.oday as ramIaging
floods continued their widespread
destruction.
More than $50 persons were ON
cially estimated TO have lost their
lives when a wall of water swept
down on the fertile valley of Mexico.
Only seven of the throng OF wor-
shippers in San Pedro church
escaped.
Nebraska, Missouri ard Kansas still
were lashed by raging streams An
estimate based On reports from re-
lief workers placed the number Of
dead in Nebraska at 14o. An unofa-
cial list compiled by the Associated
Press included "a persons.
Kansas had eight oeaths and Mis-
souri,, three.
Property damage in the three States
was estimated at S17.000,000. with
the greatest loss in Nebraska.
Lowlands Are Flooded.
JUNCTION CITY. Kans., June 4
@.-Like the tentacles of q strug-
Cling octopus, water burdened streams
of Kansas. Nebraska and Missouri
dashed into new lowland areas today
to continue their widespread destruc-
ton.
As the meandering Republican
River returned to its banks along its
200-mile course In Nebraska, the
junction of the North and South
Platte Rivers was viewed as danger
point In the western part Of that
State.
In Northern Kansas the Republican
River was receding, but the Kaw was
forcing families to fee. The Missouri
River-"The Big Muddy"-covered
thousands of acres OF farm land. and
crews Of laborers struggled to main
tain strategic levees along its 400
mile course between Kansas City and
St. Louis.
In addition. numerous smaller
streams were out Of their banks In
all three States.
140 Estimated Dead.
The death toll was not known. An
Associated Press survey showed "a
unoficially listed as dead In Ne
braska, but State Senator w. c. Bull
lard Of that State estimated the total
at 140. Scores still are missing.
Eight deaths have been recorded In
Kansas and three ip Missouri.
Extent of the property damage like
wise is unknown. The property loss in
Nebraska has been placed at S11, ,000,-
600, in addition to $4,000 900 In dam
age to highways and bridges. The
total loss In Kansas was placed at
$4,000, 900, half of which was to high
ways. Missouri's estimate was upward
of $4,000, 900.
An incomplete survey by the Red
Cross showed 1.400 families had been
left homeless by floods in Nebraska,
Kansas and Colorado, the States held
In the grip of high waters last week.
The rise in the South Platte River
came to q standstill at North Platte,
Nebr., last night and hope was ex-
pressed that the crest of the North
Forks flood would not reach the juno
ton until the waters In the other
stream had receded. The only high
way connecting flood stricken Nc
Cook with the outside world still was
passable.
100 Families Flee.
The food -gorged Kaw caused q gen.
eral exodus among bottom" farmers.
Approximately 100 families in Man
haitian, KanS., left their homes, and
all available relief workers were put
to work to help move others to safety.
Only one highway into the city was
open, and both the Union Pacific and
Rock Island Railroad stations were
surrounded by water.
A sudden rush of water late last
night swept into Ogden, Z miles west
of Manhattan. The city is located
about q mile from the river.
Nearby Fort Riley, home of the
Army's Cavalry School, was without
lights. water and dependable supply
of gas. The 5000 soldiers and men,
bers Of their families were cut OF from
normal sources Of perishable food
supplies.
s. D. Flora, Federal meteorologist
at Topeka. Kar1s.. estimated the Kaw
might reach stage of as feet-5 feet
above flood level--at the Kansas cap
ital this afternoon.
The greatest flood damage In Mis-
souri, centered around Pattonsburg.
CONTINUED on Page Q, Column e.