, 1866-07-23
THE HEATED TERN.
4 Terrible Day in New York.
TERRIFIC THUNDER STORM.


Appalling Increase In Mortality.
From the n. 7. World. July 1ytu.J
The intense heat for the larger part OF the
past two or three weeks, and especially that
almost unparalleled exhibition oi boiling
temperature which!Greetcd us on Monday and
Tuesday OF this, il much longer continued.
would exhaust the stock Of Ice companies,
the powers. Of reportorial description and en-
dutance, and the fountains of perspiratloD, II
indeed there Is limit to anT or all Of these.
TuesdnT being the hottest day Within mans
mem.ry, the people Of this city felt 1t a sort
OF right Of theirs to have a thunder.
honored custom Of the weather, when mosb
oppressive to administer hydropa .hic
remedy, and truly they had reason to believe
that one would occur. from the appearance Of
western thnndet-rcaks rising like the dark
outlines Of ship sailing to the relief Of q
wrecked crew, from the unseen depths be-
hind the horizon. The clouds soon alterwnrd
nssumed little more promising aspect, till
about nine O'Clock. when the storm came, but
expended its fury In wind. The dust ascend,
cd through the darkness, nnd swept fhriously
over houses md In ut windows; but only
few raindrops accompanied 1t. The clouds
soon rolled a@ay and left the night starllt and
sitting. Scarcely ripple disturbed tue still
heated alr during the night. At day dawn.
ah'
breeze, which, though warm, was refreshing
and welcome. ..
Yesterday opened under the auspices ofiwhat
IN times when Temperance wls one Of the
irtues Of the weather, was called q fair day
The term can hardly be Justified Of present
when clear skies orc as drugs In the market
and when death Elares rclentlcssly dowI
the heavens. The heat gradually Increased
from IS degrees in the morning to 90 at
o'clock In the afternoon.
i TEMPEST.
Al this time there were increasing indica'
tlons oi an approaching storm In the south.
west. The clouds, which had been gathering
for some time in that quarter, came on apace
before, as ontriding scouts hover In tht
van Of d marching army. At 3A the storm
struck the city. The air WAS iull of flying
dust for q tew minutes, and the wind
blew with terrible force. Soon the rain
descended In torrents and IN sheets, 10 dense
street from view. The hurricane rcdonbicd
Its yehemence, and the lightning and thunder
were terrific. A flag staff, on the building al
the corner Of Park Place and Broadway, ever
as gentlemen III our office were looking at 1t,
received thunderbolt, which shiyered 1t to
spllntcrs. Fcrked lightning md deatuing
crashes, followed each other in quick success
destri0ns, and copfous current poured along
their hitherto filthy channels. The street.
cleaning contractors must hare been fully as
much rcjoiccd at this ProrIdentIal aid In the
performance Of their duties as were the suffo.
Gated dcnizens OF the city. The washing was
as5thoroushly cleansing us rain-storm could
well be. The patient and sweltering horses
that Lad been plodding along in the intense
heat Of the sun, received the storm with as
much satisfaction ns dumb brutes usually ex.
press. And even their drivers, who had been
exposed to the solar rays, were themselves
scarcely less 10th to take this impro vlsed
shower-bath. Immense quantities Of rain
fell In a very few minutes. The tempest
lasted hut quarter OF an hour The mer-
curry fell sereral degrees after the storm aud
In the evening the fresh breeze md distant
clouds mnde 1t probable TINT other storms
would ensue during the night. The grass In
the parks, which Ind sadly wl1tcd under the
scorcfling sun, looked up, quite freshly and
humnn c0untcEnnces on the street were more
enltvcncd, as & general rule, than many cob
blers could make them.
This oppressive weather for the past few
days hnving caused great deal of sickness
aud muny deaths, several manuiacturln. es-
tnblishments have stopped work. In Brook
lyn. the Navy Yard, and the paper mill and
suspended operations for the present. Other
factories hare done the same; but, If the
weather portents are correct, they will be
able to resume work soon.
4 CHURCH STRUCK DY LIGHTNING.
Shortly before three o'clock on yesterday
afternoon, during the prevalence of the thur
der.stor1n, the northeast corner of the roof
Of St. Johns Church in Varlck street, near
Beach, was struck by lightning aud set on
fire. The flames were soon discovered aud
very promptly extsngufshed BY the ilremen,
Damage to roof about $50.
At the sumo time tree in st. Johns Park,
opposite the church; was struck By lightning
jured.
A man who keeps store on Fulton avenue
near Scyins street, while engaged In cleaning
gutter in front Of his premises, was pros
tra1ed BY lightning. lie was taken to bis
homein Flatsbnsh avenue, BIZ some nelghbors.
LIS case Is not Of dangerous character
The spfre Of the Presbyterian Church Rey.
MIR. Grcenlenf, pastor) in FranklIn avenue,
near Myrtle avenue, was shattered bF light
ming.
A blacksmith.shop in Bergen street, near
Smith street, was somewhat damaged by
lightning.
The police telegraph wires connecting the
storm, and communication was thereby III
1errupted Tor several hours.
Ine Enlv was severe throughout the citY,
and considerable damage was done by tie
blowing down Of fences, uproottng trees, &c.
A row Of s1x new tLree-story brick build
ings In Warren street, near Fourth avenue,
we're levcllcd to the ground yesterday after
noon By tho gale. They were nearly finished.
The loss Will amount 10 about Sl5,GN
CONTINUED INCREASE OF MORTALIrr-S2O
DEATHS YESTERDAY.
Although It can be safely said that the city
Is not now, u any form or shape, suffering
from my epidemic, still the steady incsease
of deaths from diarrho.al diseases and direct
or indirect effects Of the heat for the past
three days is a subject Of much pub
lie concern, and one which the med
ical members of the Board of Health
have under careful Investigation. Dur
ing the riot week of 1868, there
City Inspectors Office, an average of abuut
one hundred and sixty per day. At the time
this terrible mortality did NOT attract much
attention, since the tGoublOus events Of the
week Induced numbers to believe that the
great majority had fallen from the effects Of
q focust' applications. or an indiscrimInate
o. naR Romds. ana the
aiate iucEcase than the locust and powder
combined. THIS week, however, there Ia no
riot, and, to judge from the past three days,
and from Yesterdays leath.record especially,
It is to be feared that the riot-week, in
point of view, will compare very
!uEulAulG VIII luc scftu ua1S u cu4 0u
next. Tit fact that yesterday three
hundred and twenty burial permits were IS
sued by Rcgi trar Harris, were the extraor-
1inarlly iLtense haat not taken into consider
ltion, would De sufficient cause to make over
Iimorous city residents desert their usual
places OF abode. Up to last evening the
leaths for tue week to end Saturday next thus
appear In tabular form:
Day. Dale. Deaths.
supcay, jn}y u
Fs9dsy: Fss 81. 5siyy 5ay M's1s
It is needless to state that the
:rease in the mortality Of tho city
population yesterday and tho three days pre-
'ious, about 200 children who died OF cholera
niantum, or other dlarrhGal complaints,
ormiug the bulk Of the death reports of yes
er1ay. Tbs heat, directly. and in
lirecily, also did its work as the helpmeet Of
Sixth, mud Eighth Wards, and, In fact, on tue
.ast side Of town, beyond the Bowery, on a
me below. Houston street, the deaths from
engcndered By the heat, ,ond deaths
rom solar rnd4ntion was az fyo to one COM
'aIcd with the uptown wards. In certain
enement houses the attending physicians nc
ually found two persons Of the same family
ying dead in the same room, and man
vho came to the Board OF Health COM
blaming that his wife, who had died on
Tuesday morning, had not been buried, and
Fas offensive" in reply to question put
o him, said that the reason why she had not
,een buried was that every undertaken he
lad called upon had neither hearse nor q
oach that had not been previously hired.
;ou1d deaths path be clearer traced thau
bis In relation TO the deaths occurfiag |
rom the excessively hot weather. Dr.. Harris |
ays that those most liable to die from this
ause may be divided into three classesr |
he arst class which is by far !
he largest, comprises tho over
1orled, underied, and cufecb1ed 1aborers
rho fall while toiling and exposed to tho OK
cssive radiation Of the sun, or uho labor il
lose rooms and heated places. The second
lass consists Of persons addicted to the con.