Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-07-02
4 not ia y IN NE w YORK.

Monday was one of the hottest days which
The Tribune of Tuesday says:
The glazing sun yesterday beat down on a
helpless city, and New York steadily perspired
from sunrise until midnight The Oldest in
habitants, gifted with memories at a long
range, could recall half dozen such days,
but the records of recent years were ransacked
in vain for parallel. At4 Z. M. the highest
point was reached, 1922, and the mercury
slowly fell, though the change in the atmos-
phere was not apparent until three or four
the northwest at sunset and excited hopes OF
relief, but, unfortunately, New York did not
lie in its line of march, for it wheeled and
passed to the west.
The intense heat began with the day itself
At midnight of Sunday the thermometer stood
at a point above that Of many midsummer
MONDAY. The pavements were hardly cooled
fiom the long and steady glare of a sun which
had set five hours before. There was no air
stirring except the irregular breath from the
harbor, and that poor as it was, could not
reach the inner recesses of the city where its
invigorating influence was most needed. At
3 A. M. the mercury was slowly but steadily
creeping upward while the sun was approach
ing the horizon. The few who were stirring
predicted an uncomfortable day, but few fan
cied that it could be worse than the previous
one. The thermometer registered 74' and
three hours later the record was 7G'. AT 8
A. M. the thermometer stood at so in the vi
cinity of the Aston House and discouraging
reports were coming in from other sections of
the city. The heat rapidly increased during
the next three hours aud at midday there
were no signs of relief. The west and north
west gave no promise of a shower and the
braZen sky was only tlecked by fleecy clouds.
The thermometer stood at 9l0 and was stead
lily rising. The sun rose to the zenith and his
arrows fell straight on the victims below.
A light breeze from the south-e had sprung
up during the forenoon and was breathing
softly upon the harbor, but it was scarcely
felt above the Battery. The wind at length
shifted southwark, and attained a speed of six
and seven and eight miles an hour, Then it
veered to the southwest, and again back to
the southeast. but none knew of its gambols
except the mariners, whose servant it was.
The hours between IL 80 A. M. and 80
p. NJ, were the most terrible of the day, or
of any day of this or any recent season. At
3 80 7. M. the thermometer at Hudnut's stood
at 990 and an hour later it reached 1920. So
unusual an event quickly drew together Curl
Gus crowd, and hundreds pressed forward to
see the mercury at 1929 in the shade.
During the seven years in which the record
has been faithfully kept at the corner OF
Broadway and Ann street, no such chronicle
as this appears. 1t should be stated, how
ever, that the thermometer, though shaded,
is much affected by the strong heat reflected
from the glaring white marble building oppo-
site, and that the tube presents large sur
face to the atmosphere; also that it was sur
rounded nearly all the afternoon by perspir-
ing and shifting crowd of curious gazers. At
o clock it had fallen 90', and registered $50.
The cause of this depression was the freshen-
ing OF the breezes from the harbor, which be-
gan to reach the city and to penetrate it's mar
row alleys.