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Show BY FLOOD AND FIRE OVER TWO HUNDRED LIVES LOST IN TOPEH.A, KANSAS. People Driven to the Roofs of Their Houses by High Water, Many of Tfem Cropping Into the Raging Rag-ing Torrent After Becoming Becom-ing Exhausted, tlon in the residence district The work of rescuing and caring for the flood survivors is being carried forward for-ward systematically. Contributions are being rushed into the relief committee. com-mittee. Citizens are opening their homes to survivors and every indication indica-tion is that the city will be well able to care for those who have lost their homes. Every public building in the olty is sheltering scores of homelesa people. The conditions at Topeka, the capital cap-ital city of the state of Kansas, on account of the flood in the Kansas river, are truly appalling. Over two hundred lives have thus far been lost, placing the loss of life at the lowest estimate, and the finacial loss will run Into the millions. To add to the horror of the situation, situa-tion, fire broke out in the northern part of the city and about four hundred hun-dred houses have been burned. Several hundred people are on the roofs of their houses, the buildings being be-ing surrounded by water. Many of them, becoming exhausted after hours of imprisonment, have dropped into the waters and drowned. The flooded district is in the northern part of the olty. Latest reports from the stricken town of Topeka, Kansas, state that the present condition of the flood is: Between 170 and 250 people dead; 8,000 people without houses; J4.000,-000 J4.000,-000 worth of property destroyed. Five dead bodies have been found and identified; twenty floating bodies have been seen. The number of people peo-ple missing is placed at 200. Houses to the number of 200 have been destroyed de-stroyed by fire, two banks have collapsed, col-lapsed, a number of wholesale grocery stores have been flooded, while at least twenty-five big business blocks are liable to fall at any minute. A more conservative estimate places the number of dead at 175, but the higher number is as likely to be correct cor-rect at the lower. A special from Topeka says: Burning Burn-ing hfouses are floating about, setting set-ting fire to others. The lower stories of the burning buildings contain ten feet of water. The current is so strong that no boat can approach any of the burning buildings. People are gathering gather-ing on the tops of houses and will meet death either by fire or drowning. drown-ing. The cries for help can be distinctly dis-tinctly heard a mile away. The fire was started by a live electric wire, and at least 150 lives have been lost as a result of the fire. When it is stated that North Topeka To-peka has 10,000 inhabitants the extent of the disaster can be realized. People are clinging to the roofs of houses and the limbs of trees, and many are giving up in despair and dropping into the waters below to be carried away by the swift current. It is death by fire or drowning to 400 people unless means can be found for their rescue. Every foot of North Topeka, inhabited inhab-ited by 10,000 people, is under water. The current is so swiit that no boat can live in it. Several thousand people peo-ple have escaped to the south side and are being cared for as well as possible. pos-sible. The remaining large number have not yet been accounted for. They have bean seen on tops of houses and waiting for the water to subside or be rescued. They are safe only so long as the houses stand. Below town scores of men are In tree-tops, yelling for help. Thousands of revolver shots and screams have been heard on the north side signals for aid. Houses with the water below the second-storr windows are the excep- |