Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-08-28
THE HOTTEST SPOT OF EARTH
Australia. the Country With Summer
at Christmas.
White Men Can Manage to Live at
Temperature Many Degrees
Above What We Ever.
Experience.

uIIesl, executing Sucn absolute deserts as
a large portion of the Pacific coast of
South America. From the time when its
summer begins in September, until the
coming of winter in July. not only does
no rain fall, but during those nine months
there is scarcely cloud to shade the
earth. The earth gives up all its moist
ure, almost the largest bodies of water
dry up, the air is dry, and day by day the
sun sends down ever fiercer beams. Even
the thermometer bushes for shame at the
temperature it is called upon to record.
Adelaide, which is upon the south shore
OF the continent, finds lis degrees no I'M
usual temperature for Christmas and an
additional 10 degrees calls for comment in
the journals. Strangers to the climate are
Frustrated and yet retain animation
enough to be filed with amazement that
the natives seem so little affected by the
heat. Not content with the APPALLING state
of the Thermometer in the shade they ex-
pose it to the sun and find to their dismay
a temperature of anywhere from $50 de-
grees to
200 DEGREES.
The native colonials go about their bust
ness unaffected by the heat and look not at
all at the thermometer but most anxiously
at the weather cocks. When the wind
shows disposition to get into the north
they begin to tremble and by the time the
vanes have united in pointing to the in
visible pole stat Adelaide is like a city of
the dead. Doors are closed to keep out
the heat borne by the wind from the north
ern desert, workmen leave their work and
idlers vanish from the streets, even the
cabs are driven home to the stable. Then
the wind begins, gentle at first us though
trying to mask It's real ferocity. Little
guests OF breeze snap about the corners,
little throbs of heat steal upon one DIS
though innocent, yet every pulsation of
heat every vapor whisper of the wind,
brings lassitude with it. In abont three
hours the wind comes steadily from the
north; the heat comes steadily from the
furnace. The stranger who finds the heat
intolerable in his closedr room thinks to en-
JOY comfort by throwing open the window
to catch the breeze which he can hear.
whose force he can measure by the bending
treetops and the tossing boughs. The idea
is seductive, the execution is destructive,
Through the open window comes the wind
which is not breeze but heat in motion:
with it comes the gritty sand of the desert;
with it comes flies which bite and sting
and stick to the flesh. So long as the
wind is from the north people can do moth
ing but watch the vanes and long for a
change, their eyelids dry, their lips
parched and peeling. Three days blast of
such wind will kill even the most care
fully irrigated garden, week shows it.
self in the insane asylum
Thus in such city as Adelaide: in the
barren interior tenfold worse On the
great sheep runs such wind threathens
ruin to many men of wealth. The sheep
must have water or they will die, and the
only water available is that which has been
saved from the winter rains in shallow
excavations of soil. The hot winds begin
to blow and at its blast the winter evapo-
rates almost visibly. The painting sheep
sweltering under feeces hurry from all
sides to stand in the rapidly vanishing
water. So long as that water remains all
may yet be well, but its evaporation spells
bankruptcy. the sheep die, the owner is
helpless before a rain he cannot avert
How swift is the destruction of a hot north
wind may be seen from this case; A run
owner numbered his focks at 10000,
after a fortni ght of hot wind there remain
ed alive but 5000. Artificial reservoirs are
of little effect in a country where even
great rivers cease to flow and dry UP into
|
Sheep and cattle die, yet men manage 10
} live, and despite the torrid heat never have
ice; the nearest approach to cooling drink
Is water from canvas bags which is cooled
by constant evaporation. There is an in.
teresting comparison: America uses ice
water and suffers sunstroke; Australia,
with much greater heat, knows.
NEITHER sUNsTRo KE NOR ICE WATER.
There is fully thirty degrees difference
between the mean temperature of most of
the United States and India, this country
averaging about so degrees and most OF
H1ndostan being above so degrees. Thus
the Anglo-lndian Is welI-recOgnized type
of humanity with his testy temper and I'M
paired liver, for which the excessive TEN.
perature is held responsible. Yet it is
possible that the heat after all is not SO
much to blame; no one looks on a Dutch
Indian as well-recognized type of man
kind he has no liver and no temper to af-
ford torment to his family and torture to
his friends. but great merriment upon
the stage, yet the average temperature of
the Dutch East Indies is considerably above
that of Hindostan
The diff erence is all in the way in
which one takes the heat The English
griffin" makes no concessions to Indian
life. He eats and drinks as he did in his
native climate. He even plays cricket
which would seem to any right-minded in
dividual particularly out of place within
the tropics. The natural result of this is
death in two years or the Anglo Indian in
twenty. The Dutchman renounces Hol-
land and all its works from the instant he
steps ashore at Batavia. In their stead he
assumes all things japanese and thus
lives In comport even In greater health
than India can show. The time honored
divisions of the day are overturned to suit
the new order of climate. The twilight
of morning and evening are the time for
work when there is GOODNESS abroad.
Business begins by candle light long be-
fore sun. At or even 4 o'clock stores and
banks and offices of Government are open.
The Dutcnlnen rise even earlier and make
a light meal of fruit, freshly picked, with
perhaps light sup of cocoa. This sup
plies sufficient energy for the conduct of
business until 9 clock, when all establish
ments closes, the banks and Government
offices for the day; the small traders to re-
open for two or three hours at sunset At
10 clock In the morning comes breakfast.
large and sociable meal at which each
settler strives to gather his friends in
largest number. 1t is a meal of fruits and
vegetables with little meat and in general
the less the better. Breakfast over all
move out to broad stone stoops with swing
ing punkaks overhead and dripping mats
for screen against the sun. To every man
is d long reclining chair and low table
stocked with tobacco, spirits and fruit. |
Being Dutch, conversation is not brisk,