The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1896-08-26
COST OF THE HOT WAVE.
MANY MILLIONS REPRESENT THE
DAMAGE.
Great Destruction of Crops, Life and Prom
erty. Figures Tell Fearful


Tale.
Radical departures from normal condi-
tions are pretty sure to be accompanied
by more or less disastrous results. Tins
it was in the case of the recent hot
wave. The heat was much above nor
NAL over large area of country, parch-
ing vegetation and necessitating in some
instances a cessation of business, and
hence necessarily involving direct or in
direct losses, of property as we'll as of
life. The numerous fatalities from the
heat have already been commented upon,
and will not be considered in this article.
the purpose of which is to touch upon
the pecuniary losses caused by the hot
wave.
In May and June certain cotton experts
estimated that the cotton crop of Ibis
year would approximate 10000, 900
bales, and sales of futures were made
upon that basis. In the dispatches of
yesterday cotton expert of Dennison.
Tex, expressed the opinion that the
crop will be under 100000 bales. This
estimate may be little out of the way.
but tits conceded that the crop will be
much short of early estimates. Suppose
the short; ge should be l ,225 900 bales,
at even 6 cents pound, or $50 per bale,
that would mean loss of nearly $40
100000 to the south. And the extreme
ly hot weather is the chief factor in the
deterioration of the condition of the
growing cotton. 1t cannot be estimated
with any degree of accuracy what the
losses on other crops injured by the hot
weather amount to, but it is safe to say
that they are somewhere in the mill
ions.
The New York Herald makes a careful
calculation Of the losses sustained in the
city of New York, and places the fig
ures at nearly 100000, divided as
follows: Retail dry goods stores, $780,
900; wholesale and retail butchers, $780,
500; green grocers, $4,000; milk COM
panies, $85, 900; hotels and restaurants,
S47, 300; candy manufacturers, $1O5, 900;
bicycle trade, $4,000; estimate on gen.
eral trade and various industries, SIS, O00,-
900. These losses are all accounted for
reasonably and logically. The only bus
inesses that were not adversely affected
were those of the ice dealers and the dis
pensers of cooling drinks. They had
exceptional runs of trade, and coined
money. 1t is calculated that IL, 900
tons of ice were used in New York in
six days. That quantity of ice in a solid
mass would make block measuring
100 feet on each side OF "soft drinks"
it estimated that 1000, 900 gallons were
served and drank in a week.
Philadelphia's loss was very heavy, an
estimate placing it at not less than
81, 100000. st. Louis suffered worse
than the City of Brotherly Love, the loss
there being considered much greater
than the loss by the great tornado OF
short while ago. For seventeen days the
city syeltered and stores and mills were
closed, practically. Chicagos loss is es-
timated at $6,5O0,OOO to $1OOO0,O00. AS
in st. Louis, mercantile and maGufactur-
ing establishments were closed, and ev-
erYbody who could possibly do 50 left
the city for the seaside or the noun
tains.
In all of the Giles named, and others,
there were heavy losses through the
death of horses and mules, and in Chi
cago and Kansas city of many head OF
cattle. In the western country there
were many deaths of cattle and live
stock, even in the country districts,
through the failure of water supplies.
All told, the hot wave was scourge,
the like of which, happily, is seldom ex-
perienced in this country.