Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-10
How the Two Cities Suffered Under
a Heat That Chased the Mercury
Beyond the Record.
1T WAS THE HOTTEST OF THE YEAR
Many Oakland Citizens Kicking About the
Approach.to the Wilmot Street
Bridge.
FIRE LADIES WORKED FOR NOTHING.
Some Pencil Photographs Taken From Life in Two
Great Cities.

Ine sbdtlOA Oh
the eighth floor of the Schmidt building
was entirely deserted yesterday. Observer
| Stewart was lying in the shade and drink
! ing the West Virginia brew of ice water,
while the selfregistering thermometer at
the signal Office was having its busiest day
| of the year. Toward evening Mr.. Stewards S
| assistant, R. B. Harkness, assembled the
eight flights of stairs and confirmed his sus-
picion that itwas the hottest day of the year.
The maximum temperature in Pittsburg
yesterday, as officially given out, was
90. 500, though hundreds of truthful men
who walked through Fifth avenue will make
affidavit that they.would have felt comfort
able in an overcost at that degree of heat.
What the actual temperature was on the
sunny side of the street can only be con-
jectured, though the man who habitually
sings There's land that is hotter than
this was as mute as dead canary.
HIGHEST TEMPERATURE OF THE DAY.
The highest temperature was recorded at
o'clock .P. NJ The minimum registered
was go and the mean 800, showing range
of 25o. At 8 A. NJ. the temperature stood
at 10, and at s P. NJ. it had declined from
the maximum of 92 500 to $40, but it must
be borne in mind that this was in the
shade at the top of an eight-story build
ing. The prevailing direction of the
hot blast was from the southwest,
and its average velocity as measured
at that high elevation was ten miles an,hour,
though that gait would distance the slug
gish zephyr that dragged itself over scorch-
ing pavements of the downtown streets.
The exthottest day of the year was June
16, when the thermometer registered 80. 100.
On that day the minimum and the mean
were a trife lower than to-day.
Last year this record was broken twice:
On July 8, when the highest was "a 200,
and on August 8, when the same igures
were reached. The highest figure reached
one year ago yesterday was 5000.
The prediction made by Uncle Jerry 8 4
subordinates, that it would rain in Pitts. Il
burg yesterday, was great disappointment, 4
and they promise in extenuation for this al
small quantity of refreshing electrical pre-
cipitation" to-day.
UP TO ONE HUNDRED DEGREES.
On the streets of Allegheny the tempera-
ture ran up as high as 1000, although the
stagnant warmth was occasionally broken
was good breeze on the hills and conse-
quently there is where the crowds went.
The trees bending under the force of the
winds seemed to beckon to the crowds in the
dusty street below and in consequence street
railways reaped harvest.
At night the crowds f1ocked to the parks |
and received cold comfort, even for "a time
when Mercury is in the ascendant. There,
were at least 25, 900 people out on the hard
IL. n
for tenth of them. Around the music |
stand was collected throng as great as a
concert night They stood and they walked |
and they talked. In fact, they did every |
thing to escape the heat and the cry of the |
policeman, ''Keep off the grassP'
The scene brought to mind the idea how |
much easier the burden of heat would have |
been had it been possible to have had con-
cert of sacred music. 1t also showed plainly |
that to allow the public to wander fancy
free each Sunday evening over the grass |
would be one of the greatest boons to man |
kind, and make the park appear TO be of |
some comfort at least.
OVER ONE HUNDRED ON THE SoUTHSIDE.
The Southside was undoubtedly the hot |
test part of the CITY yesterday. The mercury |
climbed away up in the upper nineties |
early in the day and passed the hundred |
marx In UnS AFTERNOON. Everyone VINO naQ |
not gone out of town or to the hill tops re-
mained in their homes to escape the scorch- /
ing rays of the sun. But the evening |
brought them out and up to a late hour |
Carson street was lined from one end to the |
other with sweltering humanity sitting ON |
pavement and door step.
No deaths from sunstroke are reported, |
but many persons were prostrated by the |
heat. One of these, James Devlin, was |
taken into neighboring drug store, where |
he soon recovered sufficiently to be taken to
his home, near the head of South Twelfth |
street. Scores of light attacks of sunstroke |
were developed by inquiry among the doc
tors on Penn avenue. Many of these are |
laid up at their homes, while others suffered |
but few hours.
Pittsburg was not alone in her suffering |
In fact, the tri-daily bulletin of the Signal |
service issued at 10 o'clock last night shows
exceedingly high temperature all oyer the
country.
Cleveland, which has been widely ad-
vertised as summer resort, stands at the
head of the list with a $50 thermometer. At |
Milwaukee, Dubuque, ST. Louis and Fl
Sill, $40 were recorded, while Charleston.
Chattanooga, Nashville, Louisville, In
dianapolis, Cincinnati, Columbus, Oswego,
Lynchburg, Charlotte and several other
places produce 800 temperatures. The 900
list is much longer, and only one place re-
ported goes below 800, this being Ft Gus
ter, Mont, where 7So temperature was en-
loved