The Ottawa free trader., 1881-07-16
THE HEATED TERM.
veterans.

| Nearly every summer In this country has lis
season of a week or two of extreme heat,
which IS called par ercellence the heated term.
This year il seems to have commenced west OF
the Aleghenies about the 4th of July and by
to-day we suppose is generally over WITH or
has moved east Of the mountains.
SO far as Ottawa Is concerned, though the
term has been decidedly oppressive, we believe
81 is about the extreme reached by the ther-
mometer; and though large numbers of me
chanlcs and laborers have been constantly EN-.
ployed outdoors on the new buildings In
course of erection, we have heard of no case
OF sunstroke, nor is there any Of that mortality
among children that is mentioned in connec.
tion with the heat elsewhere,
Chicago which sets up to be cool enough
| in the hottest season to offer attractions as a
summer resort, had to own up on the 4th that
| it Cooked like thaw" and for the next ten
days that the thermometer showed per-
verse tendency to linger among the nincties,
going up, two or three days, to 0G and 81. On
the 7th there were three cases OF sunstroke, on
the Sth four, on the 9th nine, on the 10th two,
after which rains and cool breezes so tempered
the atmosphere that since Tuesday the papers
boast that the weather has been delightfully."-
cool and refreshing. One feature of the brief
heated spell was frightful increase of the
daily mortality. From 45-abont the usual
number-it went up on the 7th to 20, on the
Sth to IS, on the 9th to SO, and on the 10th to
S3-more than half the deaths being children
from cholera infantum. Since Monday the
daily mortality has been diminishing.
At indianapolis, where the term" com.
menced about the same time, the hea: has been
greater than at Chicago, the thermometer
reaching 1903 in the shade each day for week.
There were two deaths from sunstroke on the
7th, three on the Sth, five ON the 9th, three on
the 10th, and three on the 11th, with lj pros.
tratons. Oa the 18th light rains with refresh
ing breczes seen to nave brought partial relief
At Cincinnati the first fatal cases Of sun.
stroke were reported on the Sth. On the 9th
there were nine reported, on the 10th there
were 30, most Of them fatal; on the 18th 80,
with 23 deaths, on the 12lh, &c. with 80 deaths :;
and on the 18th 10 cases. with eight deaths.
The thermometer went up every day for over
a week to 1903 TO l07 the mean average for the
week beng high in the eighties.
Pittsburg seems to have about equaled
Cincinnati in the intensity of the heat, with
daily cases Of sunstroke, the number on Mon.
day reaching 3j, with 81 deaths, diminishing
to seven deaths on Tuesday and two on Wed.
nesday.
But the greatest sufferer Of all by the heat
among our larger cities, was st. LOUIS. From
the Cd of July up to the 18th the city zen,
joyed" an almost unbroken sweler. On the
10th the thermometer touched 101 in the shade,
the signal service, which is so located that its
thermometer is usually four or five degrees be-
low others, recording 103, and stating that it
was the hottest day recorded since the station
was established at ST. Louis On the 9th there
were three deaths from sunstroke, on the 7lh
tour, on the Sth, 90, on the 9th "the morgue
was crowded with corpscs from suns,roke,"
on the 1lth there was a slight abatement in
the heat with but 12 sunstroke deaths and ON
the 18th slight rain brought a cool breeze
and 1t is hoped the end OF the torrid term.
During the spell the heat frequently compelled
policemen to leave their beats, steamboats,
were unable to discharge their cargoes half
the street cars stopped running, and people
kept so close to their houses that the streets IN
the middle of the day looked like Sunday.
The heat was attended with frightful IN.
crease of the daily mortality, the majority of
the cases being, as in Chicago, Cincinnati, &c,
children from cholera infantum.
OF course cities like Peoria, Quincy Alton,
Springfield, &c, &c, extending to villages ana
rural settlements" suffered in nearly the same
degree.
We see no account of the heat further west
than Lincoln, Nebraska, nor south of Ken.
lucky or north of Illinois and Iowa. Nor
was there any such heat at the east until We'd
nesday, when we notice New York and Phila.
dephia began to exhibit signs of suffering,
complaining OF 90 degrees of heat and cases
of sunstroke. Baltimore has caugh, it little
stronger talking OF 95 degrees. and Richmond
of 105, with a number Of sunstrokes. The
heat everywhere in OHIO, Indiana, Illinois,
Missouri and part of Iowa has been such that
great deal of the harvest labor was perform.
ed at night, while in the stock yards at Cincin'
natl, st. Louis and Chicago the mortality
among cattle and hogs was frightful.
.
Barnums Great Show, which he calls his
London Consolidation, has worked westward
Us far as Michigan having exhibited in DE.