Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-08-09
THE HEAT AND STORM
A DAY OF GREAT oPPREssIvENEss AND
ARAINY EVENING.
Observations on tho Weather and Some
Statistics on the Water We Drink
ard Ice We Use.

The thermometer at noon yesterday
indicated 80.
That, however, but feebly expressed
the situation.
The sun was Of bliRhting brilliancy ;
tho air was close, heavy, and lung-op-
pressing. The sunny sdes Of the streets
were all deserted. The people with
vitality enough 70 move about at all
were on the shady side. Young men
walked as if weighted down by the bur
den Of many years. Horses drawing
coal and brick-carts and other heavy We
hicies staggered under then loads.
1t was n day memorable for discom-
fort 10 man and beast
4 CHANGE.
About $50 Whit Of wind blowing
up Main street raised the dust and scat
tered the waste-paper Of our principal
thorOughfarcs. Gray clouds soon
gathered; but the weatherwise said
There's no rain for us in those clouds !;
it has all conc down the Chickahominy.
Orr summer showers come from the
west" For two or three hours the clouds
and the heat continued. About half-past
II the sultrlness had become almost
unbearable, and then commenced q
breeze from the southwest, and soon
came a few struggling raindrops falling
upon the hot payements and sending up
steam as if they had dropped on a hot
stove. This was soon followed by a
heavy rain, aud for several hours, at in
tervals. there were generous showers,
refreshing the whole animal and yegc,
table kingdom Of this section. With
them came, too, some thunder and
lightning.
THE SEASONS.
There was very good rain Sunday
afternoon, bat its benefits were tempo
rary.
Monday, Tuesday, and yesterday we're
all intensely hot days.
July left good record-a mean tenn
pclaturo Of - hut August-why, il IS
behaving very badly. Nevertheless, the
health Of the community is good and We
are enjoying an abundance of cheap and
reliable fruits, melons, and garden-yege-
table from Hanover.
OVERCOME BT HEAT.
The CITY ambulance was called to the
Haxall- l-Crenshaw Mills yesterday morn
ing to one Of the operatives who was
overcome by heat. lie was relieved and
LEFT with ms friends.
srorrED WORK.
The roofers on the custom-housc had
TO quit work at noon yesterday on ac-
count Of the extreme heat. Several
hands engaged N the brick-work also
" knocked off at different intervals
during the day
One man )coloreO became completely
pro lratcd, 80 great was the heat.
CONSUMPTION or WATER.
The average consumption Of water in
the city is about 1000, 600 gallons per
day, nut durno thc present hot spell the
quantity has reached $4,000, 900 that Is
to say, about 1876 gallons for each inhabI-
taut per day. Still the people complain
that thore Is a deficiency IN the supply.
The steam pump has been at wOrl, for
several ddys while one set Of the water
power pumps IS undergoing repairs.
Tho Old reservoir is full, and the water
in tine New reservoir ia within seven
inches Of high water math.
The deficiency in the supply OF water
on the upp.r stories of some of the
B!oal-strcct houses is owing partly TO
the size OF the conuection-pipes which
furnish the whole building, but is often
the result Of ihc carclcssness Of the oc-
cupants OF the lower floors in leaving
the hydrauts running, instead Of turning
. ha water off