New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-09-07
days but VIM probably be able to meet with the COM
mittee
THE HOTTEST Day or THE YEAR.
THE MIsERIEs OF HEAT AND DRoUrH

THE MISERIES OF HEAT AND DROUTH
THE MERCURY AT 971ao-FoIIAGE IN THE PARKS
DYING FOR LACK OF wATER--THE HEAT ELSE
WHERE.
1t was reserved for September to furnish the hot
test day OF the season, the thermometer yester-
day surpassed the record of any day during the
summer. The sky was slightly overcast with smoke
and fog in the morning but soon the sun broke
through, and 1T was like fire breaking through the
cracks OF volcano. According to the record at
the central Park Observatory there have been
only three warmer days in New-Yorl1 in tho past
ten years These were juno 20, 1874. and July
. and 16, 1870, when the mercury reached $50
Yesterday the Thermometer at Central Park marked
TOO at midnight, TAO at a. M, $40 at noon, 900
at p. M, and go Mt p. IN. The Their
mometer at the Signal Service station on the Equit-
able Building marked 72o at a. H. so at IL a.
m, 97l2o at $50 p. M, and go at 8 p. IN. At a.
M the wind was i'll tho west at ~ IN. in the north
west, and at p. in tho southwest its velocity
ranging from ono to five miles an hour. The barom-
eter fell in the day from 80. 05 at a. m to 90 90
at 4 p. m. The humidity of the air ranged from so
to 90 parts in 100. The Thermometer in the sun at
Central Park reached 1902.
The last rainfall at Central Park was on August
81. Only S5-100 of an inch of rain fell during the
month of August. The park bears sad evidence of
the drouth. The grass ia killed on almost every
knoll. and in spots all over the park. Many trees
and shrubs are apparently dying, and the loss to the
park will be serious. Some trees that still look
grecn on close examination are found to have their
leaves perfectly dried, and they can be
powdered in the hand like tea leaves
The oaks, pines willows and naples seem to stand
the drouth best while elms, larches magnoas
cassWoods, sumac and wild cherry trees are turning
brown or yellow, and are fast shedding their leaves
The grizzly bear was the envy of MANY persons at
the park yesterday as he walked to aud fro under
copious shOwer-bath. The camels looked as con-
tented az il they thought the park was now not
much different from an Arabian desert The eagles
painted With beaks wide open, the monkeys were too
hot to play, and the owls, funniest of ALL kept up
such a spasmodic painting that their palpitating
bodies looked as if they had chronic sea-sic1DesS
without hope of relief.
The well disciplined human sufferers from the
heat in the city endured the day as best they could
Most of them had learned to heed the
91dmonltion to go slow and not fret"
Laborers worked leisurely, and few contractors
were hard-hearted enough to hurry them. As a
loaded leisurey, aud hand-trucks were not over
worked All the sounds of the city have Il muliled
tone on very hot day. Above this the ambulance
bell was frequently heard yesterday The thcrmoIn-
eter was about the only thing that people felt much
interest H. eXcept the removal of the President to
Long Branch. The drouth is now to many persons
taking rank with the Presidents illness as Ma
tonal calamity. and many would doubtless want to
include prayer for rain in the ono for the Presi-
dents recovery. The following table from the
Central Park records shows the mean maximum
and minimum temperatures during September for
the last ten years.