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Newspaper
Topeka State Journal
Location
Topeka, Kansas, United States of America
Date
Aug 03, 1903
Page
7
In Topeka during a heavy downpour residents faced severe flooding near Sixth Street and Talbot. Water rose to feet, inundating basements and causing property damage. Debris clogged avenues while streetcar lines suffered washouts. Local crews worked to clear debris, repair roads, and restore service as city leaders assessed the aftermath.
A powerful rainstorm produced gale force winds forcing water through open and cracked windows. Basements at Christ Hospital and White Star laundry flooded while the Mall Office basement and nearby streets saw water surge through and into machinery and fixtures. A new sewer was installed to channel the flood past Seventh Street and Van Buren.
A fierce electrical storm struck early morning, toppling large trees and damaging Stewart McDonalson’s kitchen at 413 Madison Street. Fire was started but extinguished by J. B. Staysen. Mr Maynen’s barn suffered minor damage from flying splinters as residents were briefly stunned but unharmed.
Dispatch reports Kanena river rise minimal and no threat of floods near Topeka. Cloud burst drenched county, flooding cellars and streets, Governor Bailey and aides evacuated to safety as water flooded yards and executive residence area.
The report shows heavy rain and flooding with 28 inches of water in places and four hours of recorded rainfall ending this morning. It lists rainfall amounts for Dresden, Fort Scott, Oran, and multiple towns, along with daily high and low temperatures and southwest winds.
Local officials report no washouts on main roads but heavy rain caused widespread delays. Union Pacific used Missouri Pacific tracks between Saint and Isleworth as trains 1 2 4 ran late with arrivals stretched into the afternoon. Santa Fe faced washouts but recovered quickly with minor delays on lightly affected segments.
Storm floods toppled several bridges Sunday morning across Mission township and surrounding areas. Tenth Street Bridge near Menoken and bridges over creeks were washed out. Water surged two feet high at the Shutgacanga bridge near Teurnbeh, leaving many crossings unusable and residents alarmed.
Water surge floods Forme Wear Reform School and surrounding streets as the embankment fails. County officials pledge immediate action to lower the water level while authorities assess damage to buildings and interior rooms. Residents report water entering through windows and damaging the premises.
McPheron Kansas reports the Smoky Hill River rising and flooding surrounding farmland. Water breaches leave crops and barns at risk as authorities assess land damage and relief needs.
July report from J D Bebrian, state penitentiary chaplain, lists William Link as a July convict killed in a coal mine accident on July 16. Link, sentenced to 21 years for murder in the second degree, was reportedly stabbed by a man named Jones in Tennessee. The incident followed a dispute near Baldwin Street and a room disturbance involving Prince David’s mother in law robbery. Also noted: Mrs Parker, widow of Col Samuel Parker, robbed of $80 in jewelry at a Saturday reception. later gems stolen from her home. Joseph Saxton, 75, McKinley era relative, dies of cerebrum nema.
Indignation rises as Topeka residents prepare tonight to press for funding of storm drainage and sewer extensions amid widespread flood damage. Ward groups from Parkdale, Fifth, and Sixth mobilize including Snyder, Griley, Tincher, Swendson, Katz, Blossom, and Shimer to demand new drains, bridges, and regrades while officials consider who pays for relief measures.
A local disaster report describes a ground collapse near Twentieth and Vas Buren streets. A subterranean passage opened toward the creek, flooding and nearly drowning a horse before rescuers pulled it free.
Albert Martin a former clerk in the Topeka Pension Agency faces removal fallout, alleging political influence in salary revisions ordered by Pension Commissioner Ware. Metcalf confirms a nationwide reclassification that raised some clerks and lowered others, with no political motive. A colored laborer, listed as laborer but performing clerical work, is among hires. Ware’s process aimed to balance clerical pay across agencies.
The page lists assorted grocery items with prices including lemons potatoes coffee beans and preserved goods. Items such as red kidney beans oats sardines and health products appear among the listings with varying per unit prices.
The article reports a woman’s dress ruined by a damp car seat on West Sixth Avenue after rain. She and her husband, a pension office clerk, faced hostility when filing a complaint with the city railway. The incident prompted questions about service and standards in urban transit operations.
Corn opens steady then weakens on weather reports. Cattle strengthen with gains of a point or two. Hogs also show strength but smaller gains. Wheat futures react to Paris advances and northwest rains delaying harvests.
Senator Chester Long arrives in Topeka from Medicine Lodge and heads to Cawker City for a Lincoln Park chautauqua address. He discusses quiet campaign activity, possible August speeches, and touring plans through September and October ahead of the next congressional session.
A heavy stone-laden wagon wrecked its couplings on the Sudha Kamria line in Austrian Silesia. The runaway cars sped 29 miles down a steep grade and crashed into a passenger train. Thirty dead and 33 injured, according to Breslau reports.
A Chicago rainmaker writes Governor Bailey offering to bring rain to Kansas. He cites past droughts in the Mississippi Valley in 1901, Australia last winter, and a recent eastern states Canada drought followed by heavy rain. Kansas, flush with rain, has no need of his services at present.
Over a million Bready Growth Reported in the Nun ere assembly, reveals Meares of the Presbyterian church for 1903. Striking feature is the falling number of nations, with total membership showing a seventh rise since 1288, while finance for home missions stands at 1,253,201. St Francis Brotherhood elects Raphael te Boe as superior and Brewer Jerome as ephersor.
Readable lines show grain receipts at Chicago and Kansas City, including wheat and corn movements, with price hints and market tone. Reports cover butter, cheese, eggs, sugar, cotton, stock prices, and assorted livestock values from New York and Chicago exchanges, plus regional product prices and futures chatter.
Fragmented OCR text notes New York money market rates with mention of percentages and terms like six months and government bonds. Also references a Chicago livestock market with cattle totals including Texan and western cattle numbers.
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