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Show BY FLOOD AND FIRE OVER TWO HUNDRED LIVES LOST IN TOPEKA, KANSAS. People Driven to the Roofs ,of Thelr Houses by High Water, Many of Them Dropping Into the Raging Rag-ing Torrent After Becoming Becom-ing Exhausted.. Tho conditions at Topeka, tho capital cap-ital city of tho stato of Kansas, pn account of tho flood in tho Kansas river, aro truly appalling. Over two hundred lives have thus far been lost, placing the loss of llfo at the lowest estimate, and tho flnaclnl loss will run into tho 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 house? have been burned. Several hundred pcoplo arc on the roofs of their houses, tho buildings bolng bo-lng surrounded by water. Many of them, becoming exhausted after hours of Imprisonment, havo dropped. Into tho waters and drowned. Tho flooded district Is In tho northern part of tho city. Latest reports from the stricken town of Topeka, Knnsos, stato that the present condition of the flood Is: Between 170 and 250 peoplo dead; 8,000 pcoplo without houses; J4.000,-000 J4.000,-000 worth of property destroyed. Flvo dead bodies havo been found and Identified; twenty ' floating bodies havo been seen. Tho number of peoplo peo-plo missing Is placed at 200. Houses to tho numbor of 200 havo boon destroyed de-stroyed by fire, two banks havo collapsed, col-lapsed, a number of wholesale grocery stores havo been flooded, whllo at least twenty-five big business blocks aro llablo to fall at any minute. A moro conservative estlmato places tho number of dead nt 175, but tho higher numbor Is nB likely to bo correct cor-rect at tho lower. A special from Topeka says: Burning Burn-ing hjuuses aro floating about, sotting sot-ting flro to others Tho lower stories of tho burning buildings contain ten feet of water. Tho current Is so strong that no boat can approach any of tho burning buildings. Pcoplo aro gathering gather-ing on the tops of houses nnd will meet death cither by flro or drowning. drown-ing. Tho cries for holp can bo distinctly dis-tinctly heard a mile away. Tho flro was started by a llvo electt'Ic wire, and at least 150 lives havo boon lost as a result of tho flro. When it Is stated that North To-poka To-poka has 10,000 Inhabitants tho extent of tho disaster can bo realized. Pcoplo aro clinging to tho roofs of houses and tho limbs of trees, and many aro giving up in despair and dropping Into tho waters below to bo carried away by tho swift current. It is death by flro or drowning to 400 peoplo unless means can bo found for tholr roscuo. Bvory foot of North Topeka, Inhabited Inhab-ited by 10,000 people, Is under wnter. The current Ib bo swlit thnt no boat can llvo in It. Several thousand people peo-ple havo oscape'd to tho south side and aro being cared for ns well as possible. pos-sible. Tho lomalnlng largo number havo. not yet been accounted for. They have been seen on tops of houses and waiting for tho water to subside or bo rescued. They aro safo only so long as tho houses stand. Below town scores of men nro In tree-tops, yelling for help. Thousands of revolver shots nnd screams have been heard on tho north side signals for aid. Houses with tho water below tho second-story windows aro tho execp- Uon In tho residence district Thy work of rescuing and caring for tho flood survivors Is bolng carried forward for-ward systematically. Contributions m are being rushed Into tho rollef com- f ' mlttco. Citizens aro opening tholr homes to survivors and ovory indication indica-tion is that tho city will bo well able to care for thoso who havo lost their homes. Every public building In the-clty the-clty Is sheltering scores of homclass. people. ' |