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Newspaper
Webster City Tribune
Location
Webster City, Iowa, United States of America
Date
Jun 05, 1903
Page
2
Reports from Topeka Kansas recount a catastrophic flood and fire after lime in submerged lumber yards sparked blazes destroying floating houses. Estimates place deaths between 170 and 200 with thousands homeless and property losses in the millions.
Topeka reports thirty four known dead while the Kansas River falls half an inch per hour. Manhattan and Wamego see similar declines and relief reaches North Topeka with food supplies reducing danger from sickness. In Alabama a grand jury indicts thirty six white residents for peonage and holding enslaved people.
The Des Moines river rose to record heights exceeding last year flooding Des Moines with water covering streets and submerging thousands of homes. Bridges closed and travel halted as businesses, gas and electric services halted. thousands homeless and an epidemic feared among flood victims.
Major R B Turner at Fort Des Moines ordered to advertise for bids on construction including commanding officer and field officers quarters, officers clubs, cavalry barracks and stables, blacksmith shops and workshops. Twenty buildings estimated at $600,000 with occupancy planned by November for two cavalry squadrons. Bids to be solicited by July, after required public notices.
The Ottumwa flood worsened with the Iowa river breaking through at South Ottumwa and the west end. The torrent-like rise kept all day until last evening when water stood still. Five thousand residents were affected by the inundation.
The Des Moines region faced record flood levels with 24 feet of water, submerging wide areas from Flint to the river and leaving 2,000 to 3,000 people homeless. Fatalities were reported, rail lines and power disrupted, and losses tallied near $760,000 with factories, streets and bridges damaged.
John Phelps son of A C Phelps was killed while riding a freight train east of Avoca. His body was found half a mile east of Avoca ground to pieces. He was with Jasper Howe who saw him fall as he tried to climb between cars. The 19 year old resident had lived in the city all his life. The report notes higher male death rates in the era.
Eddyville about ten miles southeast of Oskaloosa was flooded when nearly four hundred residents were driven from their homes. The Des Moines river rose with the water covering main street to two to seven feet. Relief was not in sight as rain persisted.
Muscatine May 30 Harry Gay, accused of killing Arthur Meade of West Liberty, is liberated after County Attorney Ingham concludes the case lacks merit. Gay was confined four days in Muscatine jail.
Adel woke to a sudden downpour when five inches of rain drenched the town in about ninety minutes. Streets became torrents, storefronts and homes flooded, railroad rails washed away, and crops within five miles ruined. The scene left residents legal in the wake of the storm while a local society woman shone in her mirror.
A two minute Gainesville Ga tornado killed at least eighty five and wounded forty, leveling 100 cottages and damaging mills. The Gainesville cotton mill building collapsed with many workers, chiefly women and children, among the dead. Suburban Pacolet and other structures were destroyed. overall damage ran into millions across Georgia and nearby towns.
Floods race through central and eastern Kansas with crests reaching historic levels. Reports from Kansas City indicate rising waters affecting Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa as authorities urge evacuations and monitor embankments.
Berlin reports treat Premier Balfour's approval of Chamberlain's imperial tariff plan as serious. Newspapers warn Britain should avoid offending Germany and risking trade disputes with Europe and the United States. Officials say they will wait to see how the policy develops.
Dawn reports from Kansas City Kansas and Missouri detail the worst flood in memory. At least 27 men drowned on the Union Pacific bridge over the Kansas River after river waters rose and swept away workers. Armourdale and Argentine suffer heavy losses to packing plants and other businesses with costs estimated at millions.
Kansas City faces a water and power blackout as floods and storms threaten the city. 20,000 homeless in Kansas City Kansas with drowning feared and widespread property loss. Rivers hold, rain pours, transportation falters, and life hangs in the balance amid the rising emergency. In Jackson Kentucky a grand jury indicts Curtiss Jett for the Cockrell murder as troops reinforce the town.
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