Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1890-07-09
The Awful Heat in the Northwe

The Awful Heat IN the Northwest.
The temperature in the Mississippi
valley has been the highest ever known
in June, reaching 20 degs. above the nor
NAL for that month. The consequence
was such destroying heat as the north
west has never experienced before in its
history in the month of June, scarcely
at all. At st. Paul, June %, there were
places in the streets where the thermom-
eter registered 100 degs. in the shade.
In ST. Louis it was 100. At various
points in the Mississippi valley on the
27th the temperature showed the follow
ing terrible heat registers: Watertown,
Wis, 104; Peoria, Ills, 104; Burlington,
Ia, 106; Joliet, Ills, and several other
places adjoining, 102. At Cincinnati,
Louisville and Indianapolis the mercury
was far up in the nineties the same date.
In the South Atlantic states during the
heated term in the northwest the heat
was also extreme, rising to 100 degs. AT
Cincinnati ice rose to a cent pound,
and it was forbidden to sprinkle the
streets on account of scarcity of water.
Chicago, being the largest place, of
course suffered most. There was on the
part of Chicagoans an apparent effort to
keep the true temperature on the hottest
days from the public, probably because
of the attractions of their city as sum-
mer resort. On the day, for instance,
when at a point in the vicinity of Chi
cago the mercury recorded 100 or above,
The Chicago Tribune reports the high
est temperature at 92t The fact is
mentioned at the same time by The
Tribune reporter that in ST. Louis it had
been known to go as high as 1870.
But the awful mortality reports tell a
story that cannot be misunderstood.
The cases of sunstroke seemed attended
with peculiar fatality. In one instance
in Chicago gentleman had just risen
from his breakfast, taken his hat and
stepped out Of the front door to go to
business as usual As his foot touched
the sidewalk be fell over, prostrated with
heat, and in a few minutes, with no
other warning than this, he was dead.
For one day, June 80, twenty-six pros
trations from heat were reported, and of
these fifteen died, over half.
Of those whom the sun struck down
in his fury the hapless animals suffered
most. At one time 200 dead bodies Of
horses lay about the streets swollen and
frightful, although 300 had already been
shipped from the city. It was more than
the city could do for time to take care
of both its human and quadruped dead
and dying, and all the ambulances were
taxed beyond their capacity. The num-
bers of dead horses in the streets might
have become a serious matter decaying
in the streets. For ten days Chicago
sweltered.
Persons exposed to the sun constantly
of course suffered most. In one day
three letter carriers, faithful servants of
the public, were stricken while going
their rounds in performance of duty.
One young man was simply sitting upon
high fence in the shade. doing nothing
but trying to keep cool. Suddenly the
fatal stroke touched him, and he fell
backward into vacant lot. When
taken up he was dead. The fall broke
his neck.
In two days in Chicago there were
over 300 applications for burial permits.
At one time 10000 persons were i'll with
ailments, sunstroke and otherwise,
brought on by heat. The heaviest, sad
dest death rate in the history of the huge
city by the lake was recorded. The lake
breeze itself died out and left Chicago.
Day after daycool waves were predicted,
but came not. The cause of this un-
precedented heat is explained, as far as
it can be explained, in the following
paragraph from bulletin issued by the
signal service bureau at Washington:
The cause for this abnormal condition has been
the uniform high pressure In the gulf region,
with an almost stationary low pressure area in
the northwest This distribution Of the atmos-
phere has caused steady flow Of warm, dry air
to the northward. The inflow of air has been toe
slow to induce rainfall, and the consequent clear
sl1y has been favorable to extreme radiation from
the sun, which has raised the temperature steadi
ly. without the usual relief from the passage OF
storms across the country. Somewhat similar
conditions prevailed over the eastern United
States in May, 1881, and in the middle Mississippi
valley in June Of 1874 and 1887. It Is no indica
tion of change In climate.