New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-30
AT LAST THE AIR FRESHENS.
A COOL WAVE COMES WITH A STORM.
IT WAS AFTER A TERRIBLY WARM DAY. HOW
EVER. AND MANY THOUSANDS HAD


SUFFERED GREATLY.
Refreshing and cool, bringing with it an eX-
harating smell of cool country places, wind
storm, accompanied by thunder, lightning and
rain brought welcome relief to a suffering city
last night 1t began at 0 p m, when whlrlng
clouds OF dust began to rise, and it caused the
Temperature 70 fall 10 seventyeght degrees before
| midnight, The Weather Bureau then reported
| that the probabilities were that the weather
would be much cooler to-day, and that the hot
| SPELL had gone The chances were that IL would
! rain today and the temperature, the officials
| said would probably Eot rise over eighty degrees
! II is high time that change should come, tor
the weather has laid the city under heavy con-
| tributon, and the death rate has reached most
alarming figure Up TO noon yesterday there
| were 223 deaths OF these Ill were INFANTS
under five wears old and most Of them died from
causes directly traceable to the heat Twenty
six deaths among adults occurred from sunstroke'
and seventy-onc deaths among children were due
70 darrhoeal disease.
Since 1875, when the Signal Service began keep
Ing daily records of temperatures and weather
conditions only three other hot spells ike TINS
have been recorded. In 1876, from July : to
July 2l, this city had worse experience Inc
maximum temperature recorded then was 90 de-
| on July 49, and 95 degrees on July 10. July 10
and July II were the coolest days, with a maxi
NUN tpmperaturc OF 81 degrees In 1872, from
July to ., the temperature ranged from 20 TO
| 9j degrees, and in 1892 from July "a TO ~, II
ranged from 90 TO 93 degrees
The hot wave which has caused so much sur
ferng and death throughout the country was
due to the formation simultaneously OF an area
OF hiqh barometrc pressure in the Southern states
arh an area OF low pressure in the MISSISSIPPI val
10y This created a draft of the hot air from
thc Southern States TO the Mississippi Valley
| Thence IL swept north, and then east in
mighty curve, like great storm. In fact. II
WAS. az one Of the Weather Bureau officials sald
Yesterday n tornado OF heat instead of wind
| Yesterday was the hottest July 20 ever re-
| corded here, the temperature reachlhg 70 -
dccrees between and 3 80 p. IN. The day
| started in warmer by five degrees than the pre-
| ccdinp day, and the thermometer got within one
| dccrec 81 eoualng the record Of last Tuesday,
which was the hottest July % ever recorded here
Tho Weather Bureau thermometer on that day
registered 90 l-2 degrees at p IN. Yesterday
| AZ that time il was % l-2 degrees. The day
started In at 3 a. m with rs; at a. IN. 10 was
"a In one hour il was three degrees higher, and
the next hour added three more. But y" ue-
rrccs was not enough for such volatile thlhe
| a. an American thermometer. 1t slipped on lie
inward climb, 10 bc sure in the next hour, ana
registered Only 80 degrees. But at noon
n registered % l-2 degrees. 1t then s;oprd
fr light luncheon, and at ! p. m. registered
| % degrees Then came the hours oil neat
From p. m To 80 p. m wa' fhe hottest par'
~ rho day. and il was then that The thermometers
| in the streets registered more than the ther-
! rnome,crs on the Equitable Building. In the
/ for tle first time on
I rccord Pcrry's Thermometer had actually regis
| ,orcd n lover temperature than the instruments
| - ,bc Weather Bureau But the street instril-
mcu,s made up for It after that Al p u u'e
! Weather Bureau thermometer r"slst"red % -
d.rrecs and Pcrry's % degrees. Intll hal-pa>'
, o'clock there was no change. Ihen the 'en'-
noraturc began 10 fall slowly. AZ that h'ur th'
| Weather Bureau instrument registered - "'
crccs After that each hourly reading showed =
s,cadv drop AZ p. m. II wa 81, p H. o.
n m. ~. p. IN. SO, S p IN 81, p III o"'
10 n m 20, and II p. III. - degrees. Inc
average temperature yesterday was ;. degrees
which is the highest average recorde' Ior ""S
! day during the hot spell
Tcrry thermometer, on the Sidewalk f'Si' 'c''"
the following temperatures: a. m'' 81 D d H.
sl: a. m, -; II m, 81; ; p m ~ ana d ''0
p. IN. 9l DEGREES
producing misery yesterday as IL generally does
| -, hot laws Al D. ia. there were only 40
| ,..r cont of humidity, increasing 10 90 per cent
at , D. M: "a per cent at ; p. m, and 80 per
cent at u. NJ. and so per cent AT p. m. but
hs officials at the Weather Bureau explained
that a relatively small percentage OF humidity
on n dav SO hot as il was yesterday really
amounted 10 rs much as 70 or so per cent on
a day of normal temperature.
| All day long as it had been for many preced
ing days, held in the grasp of deadly ana re-
| lcntlcss enemy, the city suffered and groan'd
changed from town TO "A burning PIT MeI
went to sleep 10 attempt 1t, on IhursuaS
night, in perspiration and suGocatinS heat "a
II 10 mock them, they saw the great iamcS o.
the lightning play in faroi fiery circle arouh'
their broiling town and the thought oil the ram
falling in distant places made the lot OF th'
prisoners in town all the harder to bear
Al night men tumblcd and rolled IN hot Ded
and rooms. which number Of open wlhdo"'
cor1d cool The sinking Of the sun had brought
slight relief for every stone, every DricN' Ill u"
houses rudiated heat through the night. An'
a. soon AS the first red flame of the rising sur
broke through the haze in the east the heat he
can TO increase again Ncw-York awoke to fine
itself surrounded by n hot, white haze which
hid rivers and bay. sky of strange color
throbbng with heat, hung over the town, alu
an intense sun burned the streets until they be-
came uncomfortable.
Before o O'Clock the sound of the ambulanc,
bell was heard in all parts OF the city. Al
home in their Offices, the streets. men AMI
women were overcome. And II became 80 com
mon "a sight 70 see fallen horse that compare
lively few people stopped TO see it, AS the SUI
climbed higher, the burden of the heat became
heavier, and the list Of prostrations lncrease'
rapidly. The hospitals, already severely taxed oy
the demands nude on them during the last hV'
DAYS. became oycrcrow,lcd. Bellevue Hospital
larlr as II Is. hnd hardly room enough Tor the