The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-07-26
No Other Place in the Country Where There
wss Any Show rf Relief from the Torrid
TEMPERATURE IT, 1t Everywhere Reigned.
Mercury Boiled and Sizzled, Varying
from 92 TO 103 in the Shade.
Chicsgo Comes 10 the Front with Fourteen
sudden Deaths and the Hospitals Crowded
With These Who We're Overcome
Great Rise In Heat Followed by Disas-
troua Storm I'm Philadelphia

Great Rise In Heat Followed by Disas-
trous Storm I'm Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA, July 25.-At o'clock
this evening the thermometer in the
United States weather office at the top of
the postotice building registered go, one
degree higher than 1t has marked any day
so far this summer. The mercury started
on its record breaking course early this
morning, and by O'clock IL had reached
500. 1t continued its upward movement
rapidly, and at 11:30 was 9le. Just before
noon a violent thunderstorm broke over
the city, and in fifteen minutes the
mercury had been driven back to SO. The
duration of the storm was NOT above forty
minutes. but IN that time IL did nearly
500, 600 worth of damage. The southern
section of the city escaped with heavy
dowfall of rain aud some sharp lightning.
but . wide swath of demolished and roof
less houses marked the path of the storm
in the northern portion.
There the rain and lightning was ac-
companied by high wind, which created
great havoc. At Twenty-ninth and York
streets row of twenty-five three-s.ory
houses that were in the course of con-
struotion were Ieveled to the ground. A
two-storv stone stable at Tbirty-fourth
and Harold streets met the same fate. The
storm advanced eastward over the city,
leaving trail of unroofed houses in its
wake until it struck the great manufactur-
ing districts of Kensington and Richmond.
Here It's greatest fury was vented. The
tall mill buildings furnished o good mark
and a score of them were stripped of .heir
roofs. At Richley avenue and Gaul street
five small houses that were being built
were almost destroyed. The roof the North
Pennsylvania railroad station at American
and Berk streets was blown of, and with IL
went over q hundred wires of the Phila-
delphia & Reading Telegraph Company
and the Western Union company. The
roof of the Catholic Church Of the Nativity
at Allegheny, avenue and Belgrade street
was ripped off.
At Clearfield- street wharf one of the re-
pair shops of the Philadelphia 81 Reading
road is located, or rather was located. The
building was 400 feet long, 20 feet wide
and so feet high. At the time the storm
broke the 40 men employ ed in il were cat
ing their dinner. The ightened workmen
crash, the whole mass of brick and wood
that formed the building fell IN. With the
exception of six men, who were somewhat
cut and bruised BY flying brick, all In the
shop pescaped uninjured. The cars beneath
which they took refuge were reduced al
most TO kindling wood. There were sew
enty cars In the building being repaired.
and the loss upon them and the
structure itself is estimated at ESQ.,
OO0 In addition TO the above
damage nearly fifty dwelling. houses
in the two districts were unroofed and
partly demolished. The suburban sections
of the city also suffered heavily. At Map
ayunk fifteen dwelling houses were nm
rooted. After the passing of the storm the
GOODNESS that had come with 1t passed and
the heat became more intense than ever.
The mercury and the humidity rose to-
gether. and at o'clock they formed a COM
bination that produced an atmosphere akin
to that of the steam-room in a Turkish
bath. The thermometer atthe hour marked
93o and the humidity way S4 per cent.
After o'clock the heat began to abate.
and tonight. at O'Clock, the thermometer
marked $50 and humidity had fallen to 76
per cent. Notwithstanding the extreme
heat not a case OF sunstroke was reported
by the police, and there were but four en-
tries at the hospitals of heat exhaustion.