The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-05-20
IsIT HOT ENOUGH FOR your
If Not There Are Other Place Where
You Can Be Accommodated.

You Can Be Accommodated.
All our pleasures or sorrows are
great or small by comparison. As the
sunshine Of the past day or two gives
promise of some warm weather for the
month of Nav, we may find our expe-
rience more endtlrable by thinking how
much less oppressive it is than the Wea-
+her in some other countries. The other
day we read that a weather prophet IN
St. Louis predicted that this would pc
the hottest May within the present
generation. If his prophecy is to be
realized. and we are to undergo some
comparatively warm weather we may
be braced up for the experiences by
reading about the weather IN South
Wales. The hot weather of which we
read occurred there in January. New
South Wales is below the equator, and
catches its July weather in january.
The Mackay Standard thus describes
the experiences of inhabitants in that
land. its account having in turn been
taken from an interview in the sydney
Mail with Mrs. MACPHERSON, OF RAD
dington Station, near Cobar. The wea-
ther in Sydney is compared with the
weather in the interior, or the West, as
follows:
The thermometer in Sydney, at its
highest reading, was los degrees ia the
shade; here on several days it rose
to 120 degrees and 1913 on aeoolyeranda.
1t is almost incredible, but one night
we looked to see what it was at II
o'clock, and it registered 100 degrees
then The wind was like the blast
from fiery furnace, even at that hour
of the night. We barely existed in the
day time; meals were a misery, the
sight of meat dishes was an abomlna-
ton, and we mostly lived on strong
soup and fruit. of which we fortunate
ly had good supply, the melons being
larger than usual in spite OF the
tIrouth, owing to the unlimited water
ing given them by the Chinese garden
or. An eternity of fire can have no
fear for him! Early and late, no matter
what the temperature, he was TO be
seen trotting briskly around the garden
with his huge watering can. At night
ii was impossible to sleep indoors, so
we slept on the verandas, the menkind
betaking themselves to tents outside.
Some days the heat was SO unendura-
BILE that we used to sit for half an hour
or longer in large baths of water to
give us courage to 60 through few
more hours. No one did anything, If 1t
was possible to avoid 1T, and the SER
wants did their work at early dawn and
late at night Birds fell dead from the
trees, and kangaroos scratched the
earth away from the roots in the hope
of finding a cool spot to lie on, and
many were found lying dead, having
evidently failed in their attempt. Fowls
and cats died from the heat, and at any
time of the day the big turkey gobbler
was to be found standing daintily in
trough Of water with his many wives
pasping arond him. A lady and gem
flednan driving from one station to an
ether, one of the days when it was l23
degrees IN the shade, had made the
error Of starting after breakfast IN
stead of at daylight; when within III
teen miles of their destination one OF
their horses died from the heat. Inc
gentleman, therefore, took the other
horse and rode off to get assistance,
leaving his companion seated IN the
buggy to wait his return. The water
bag was empty, and after waiting for
hours She could no longer endure the
frightful thirst, so proceeded to walk
along the road in the hope Of reaching
tank. After walking about four miles
she saw their second horse lying dead.
| This was the last straw, and after
| struggling off for another mile she fell
insensible on the ground, and when her
companion, after his long and weary
| tramp, returned with buggy and
fresh horses, he found her lying in the
middle OF the road. a little wine and
water and the night air soon revived
her. On the day the rain fell we all
| felt as though we could not endure
much longer. The day before the tenn,
| perature was 123 degrees in the shade.
| and that morning ii had already risen
| to 11s degrees, but about o'clock a
| heavy bank of thunder clouds got UP
| in the southwest. and before long the
| welcome rain descended and revived
| our gasping little community. During
| the night a cool south wind sprang up,
and indeed by morning it was rather
| too cool for our enervated frames. The
| thermometer fell SIS degrees.
| How different everything seem.
ed after the rain. Our spirits
rose and we resumed our ordinary
occupations. May the saints forfend
that another heat wave should ever
again visit the much-harassed Far
West.