New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-08-05
HEAT TEMPERED BY A STORM
NINETY-FIvE DEGREES IN THE SHADE REG
ISTERED.
TWO VIOLENT DOWN PoURs OF RAIN WITH
VIVID LIGHTNING AND LOUD THUNDER
IN THE EvENING-sEvERAL CASES
OF HEAT PROsTRATION, NONE

IN THE MISUNDERSTANDING CASES
OF HEAT PROsTRATION. NONE
FATAL
Happy they who yesterday could get out Of the
city-the hot, reelSing stewing city-and go
where cool brcezes whisper TO the pines on noun
tain tops, or where the surf laughs and leaps
and hoary old Father Neptune grants to all the
privilege of using his hath tub. That fend in
ferna humidity. held possession of the town
and with old Sol' doing pretty nigh his worst
the city was converted into a colossal stew pan
where humanity boiled aid simmered.
But with the gathering shadows Of evening
came the gathering clouds of storm. Humidity
had tried the patience of the atmosphere until it
could bear no more and, like an angry child, flew
first into windy passion and then burst into q
food OF tears
THE LIGHTNING BEGINS IT'S WORK.
About o'clock these gathering clouds took on
an ominous look, and ten minutes later the bright
messengers Of the began to shoot their forkcd
lengths along the horizon The wind, too, came
in ftful gusts that grew stronger and stronger,
gathering up great clouds Of dust and sand in it's
skirts and hurting them up and down the streets
and across the town. binding the eyes and smoth-
ering the cries OF every unfortunate person who
happened TO be caught out Then what q hurry
ing and skurrying for shelter there was! Men,
women and children scattered in all directions
fast as their feet would carry them. Even the
poor, faded strcet-car horses caught the infection
OF fear and travelled as they never had travelled
before while not another sign of animal life was
to be seen anywhere. 1t seemed as though all ma
ture apprehcnded the approach of some dread dis
aster
At half-past 7 o'clock the wind had assumed
the steady velocity of a small hurricane. and
the flying clouds OF dust had become so large
and heavy that scarcely anything could be seen
through them, the great flashes of lightning
which had been steadily coming nearer, accom-
panied by the thunderous salutes of the artillery
Of the skies.
DOWN CAME THE DRENCHING RAIN.
At 8:20 o'clock there was vivid flash that
lighted up the whole city, followed almost
instantly by thunder peal that sounded like
the explosion Of whole battery Of artillery.
Then the rain fell, first in scattering drops and
finally in great drenching sheets laying the dust
and flooding the streets, but imparting most
grateful GOODNESS TO the parched air. Every few
seconds there would be another binding fash Of
lightning, which had a startlingly beautiful effect
to those who witnessed it, as it shone for that
brief but vivid moment through the falling
sheets of wind-driven rain, which seemed as
great glistening gossamer mantle Of fairylike
texture spread out over the city.
Just before 10 o'clock the storm subsded and
humanity came out Of its holes again. only to be
driven back quarter Of an hour later by a second
and even more violent storm, which lasted until
close upon midnight though its violence did not
continue so long During this latter storm there
were several flashes of lightning that almost ex-
tinguished the electric lights the Bridge, and
lit up large portion of Brooklyn so that a num-
Der of prominent buildings could be plainly
distinguished.
LIVELY TIMES IN MANY OFFICES
These violent electric disturbances in the at
mosphere had their effect upon the telegraph and
telephone wires throughout the city. Flashes OF
/ light could occasionally be along the wires,
aud in Offices where there were keyboards and
telegraphic instruments these flashed and snapped
with report like exploding crackers, while
distinct shocks could be felt whenever the re-
ceyer Of n telephone wire was placed to ones ear
! The electric lights also showed resentful dis
position, and sputtered and cracked in a most
/ alarming manner. The telegraph wires IN all
directions from New-lork, and particularly those
running to New-England, worked badly during
the storm, much press matter and other messages
being delayed. At the operating room of the
Western Union Telegraph Company it was said
that the wind had not blown down any of the
| wires nor caused any special damage. The bad
/ working was due entirely TO the electrical dis
| turbances, and as their effect had passed
of the wires would be in good order again as
usual
! At the Signal Service Office it was said that
the storm had gathered little west Of here, and
was moving eastward but would probably soon
die out as it seemed to be only summer thunder
storm of a purely local character. 1t is pre-
dicted By the same authority that the weather
| for the next few days will be much cooler
During the day there were a good many cases
of prostraton from heat but no fatal ones.
sUFFERINGs OF POOR PEOPLE
Hard was it on the sons Of toll who live by
manual labor; hard on the poor sewing girls IN
sitting apartments stitching for miserable pay,
but harder still on the poor mothers In The ten
ement district, who could see their little ones
visibly willing and dropping away like plants
! in a drouth and yet could do nothing for them
At o'clock at the Signal Service station on the
Equitable Building, the thermometer registered
/ - degrees, and the humidity was rs per cent
That is to say that the atmosphere had 76 per
| cent of az much moisture AS II could hold. III was
something more than three -fourths full 1t
/ had a stupefying effect on those who had TO
| endure It, Perspiratlon didn't cvapOrate, but
/ vital energies did, and lie rendered burden
and was endured only under protest. People
went about their business listlessly. There was
little said about the weather, for most people felt
/ the complete inadequacy OF language to do justice
/ to it, As the day grew things got worse At 5
o'clock at the Signal Service station the mercury
was at 90 degrees and the humidity was
/ 62 That is something extraordinary with such
"a temperature said Lieutenant Purssel, who Is
a man not given to exaggeration, but has scien-
tifc fondness for cold facts. Under ordinary
circumstances it should be about 45 per cent
What hope OF relief is there p asked re-
porter planting himself where he could stop
good section of the breeze that swept in through
a small circular window
Well. | think said Lieutenant Purssel,
with provoking indecision, that we shall have
a thunder storm between now and tomorrow noon
and then things will cool off,
OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY TROUBLED, TOO.