The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-08-16
In THE ORIENT.
The FerVor on the Slmmerlng
Sun in Egypt.
Consul G eneral John Cardwell
Signs for Lympia Creek
and Preside County
Air.

written letter to the telegraph editor OF
The STATEsMAN, which depicts fesrfully
hot condition of the weather in Cairo and
throughout Egypt. The heat in Cairo, he
says, is almost intolersble, and the death
rate in the city is alarming.
The official report shows that the aver
age in the city is rs out of every 1000
inhabitants, and in the low, crowded
quarters it reaches 100. From the tone of
the letter, it is evident that Consul
general Cardwell, while on a donkey
ride, draws up in the shade of
palm tree, and, putting his hand
to his head, signs for the sparkling
waters of Lympia creek and the braciDg
air of the mountains up in Preside
county. He thinks of the cooling shades
and bright waters of Barton creek, and,
pulling off his turban, he sorrowfully
gazes at his donkey and wonders if it will
not be best to return to Texas and go to
work on his magnificent plantation, where
he can enjoy the balmy gulf breezes.
With the letter he sent newspaper,
from which the following is clipped,
showing the intense heat prevailing III
Egypt and India:
The weather in Egypt is disagreeably
Job. Do what one will, there is no relief
from this continual oppressive heat,
reminding the wicked more of world
to come than anything else. Sleep
less nights, with the consequent
nervousness of the next day, drip
ping clothes and an everlasting thirst
are the main features of the climatic stu
alton. And yet the the thermometer is
not abnormally high. 1t does not bounce
up to 125 degrees in the shade, and keep
there for days, nor to the 135 degrees,
which for many weeks was recently re-
corded in a cool town in Persia. Nor
have Cairenes ever reached the maximum
of New York, where the heat is as the
blast of furnace. A great philosopher
once said that grief, pain and
what are generally known as trou-
bles, are quite comparative affairs
and this is the same with heat Many an
Anglo-Indian would consider Cairo bliss
IN comparison with the fearful heat which
reigns in Calcutta, and simply look upon
the Egyptian capital in the same light
as the many Cairo fngitives do upon
Constantinople or the 'gelid groves"
of Lebanon. In Calcutta, the "City
of Palaces" the "Market Place of
Nations, "the "Heart of ASIA" most abnor-
NAL wether prevailed; the heat has been
sudden and terrible, ard very enervating
After reading the accounts of this heat,
Europeans residing in Egypt may con-
slider themselves in paradise, particularly
if they remember that everything in India
is organized for the heat. Punkahs, tat
ties, long chairs, refreshing baths, careful
! nj be nd
many other things which would be con-
sidered luxuries in Europe are necessities
there, and form as much a part of the
household stock of every European, as the
strong corduroys and beer do in the life
of rustic working Epglishman. There
are few places in the world where so little
is done to fight the summer heat as in
Egypt, and where so much gross ignorance
prevails in regard to the best method OF
cooling ones self. However, let this pass
and straightway to Calcutta.
gentleman writing to literary FRIEND
in Cairo from that town under date Of
|, June %, says: 1.-Two of our ompositori
dropped dead yesterday while citing w
your letter. not on account of your bat
writing, but simply from the heat. Thu
thermometer 120 deg. in the shade, aDc
the humidity was fearful, -. For th,
last week the record is sixty Europeans
dead from heat aroplexy, and HEAVIER
only knows how many are in the hospita
, suffering from the effects of the heat. W.
are paying six rupees and even twelve fo
one cwt. of ice."
The Calcutta Statesman calls upon the
; meteorological department to account fol
, this abnormal heat, and "slangs" tn,
worthy weather clerks for not explaining
thermal matters, as if that would ease thu
situation in the least. 1t appears that al
business in Calcutta is at a standstill; tn
different hospitals receive on an averag
twenty cases of sunstroke day, no
counting natives.
The same journal reports that the law
yers and p!eaders, who, by common re
ports are supposed to be under tn
patronage of the ruler of the nethe
, regions, pc itioned the various courts Il
a close for week as it was impossible t
work under this terrible heat Sewers
schools have been closed for the same rec
son. The ticca-garri-wa llahs-the COL
, freres of the noble Egyptian cabman, hav
struck, only working at exhorbitant rates
Some charge five aud even ten rupees 70
a drive, which in the winter they do 70
one rupee. In sum ming up the editor
, the paper referred to says "there can b
little doubt that some serious atmosphere
changes are taking place, and having re
0 gard to the public anxiety on the subjec
the meteorological department shout
n give fuller and more detailed wea' her re
ports, and tell us the reasons for this ter
rible heat" 1t would be consolation
many in Egypt to have meteorological
department to abuse at the present mo
0 ment, for this would ease much irritatio
and enable European residents in what II
o Globe calls the Egyptian Suntrsp''
support the prevailing burning weathe
n 1t is some consolation TO know that "
are 80 much better off than Europeans
India, Persia, and other countries note
a for the intensity Of solar heat.