The sun., 1896-08-14
STILL A LONG DEATH LIST,
DUE CHIEFLY TO THE CUMULATITB
EFFECTS OF THE HEAT.

|
he Open After Midnight for the Pres
| ent-Cooicr Weather Is SIN Expected.
| The cooling cataracts that. according to nation
al and local weather prophets, have been threat
| ening to descend on this parohed neighborhood
for the last seven days, didn't appear yesterday,
and the outdoor toilcrs of tho city sweltered q
| good deal, but not as much they had on pre-
ceding Gays There were two reasons for thisi
one was that the temperature was not quite m
| hot by three degrees, and the other was that
| there was less humidity. The sky to tho west
| ward was leaden with storm clouds for several
hours in the afternoon. and II looked for q while
! as II we were really going to have the much-
| prophesied shower; but the clouds passed to
the northward of us. distributing their LIQUID
coolness, IL they had any on the unjust hayseed.
Measured in averages. 1t was three degrees
| cooler from sunrise until sunset than IL had
| been on the day before. The highest tempera-
| turc, up where Mr. Dunn sits in his crash suit
and breathes tho stimulating ozone, was 74e az
D A. NJ. which was the minimum and Sso at >
p. NJ. which was the maximum. A northerly
breeze, which varied from eight to fifteen miles
in force, helped to decrease the humidity. which
for the day averaged about % per cent.
The street thermometers. as usual recorded q
temperature higher by from two to four degrees
than that of the Manhattan Life tower. There
were many deaths. and also many prostrations,
but they were due chiefly to the cumulative eff
fects of the long continued heat. The total mum.
Der of deaths due to heat In the metropolitan dis
trict was 81. and the prostrations which wero
not fatal, 233. In this city AS persons were
killed by heat. and l4Y were prostrated besides.
In Brooklyn there were 20 deaths due to heat,
and 90 not fatal prostrations. In the towns
across the Hudson there were l0 deaths, and
"a prostrations in addition.
Mr.. Dunn did not want to go into the prophe-
sying business with particularity Like all true
prophets ho preferred to generaize. He said t
was not improbable that there would be let
up. a gradual let up OF the hot spell. He thought
the temperature would get down to a normal
summer basis in gradu normal way without
checking the scnsitivencss OF folks who may
have abandoned their under3hirts. To-day, he
says, ought to be from 40 to 80 cooler than yes
terday and there should be much less moisture
in the air
Early last evening the city went into the busi-
ness of distributing ice to the poor. At meet.
Ing OF the heads of the city departments called
by the Mayor. it was suggested that SIS. 1000 be
appropriated from the emergency fund of the
Health Department for purchasing ice. Presi-
dent Wilson of the Health Board said that the
death rate was higher than 1t had been since
the cholera epidemic of 1850. Since Monday
last, he said. there had been 224 deaths In this
city. many OF which were due directly or indi-
ending at noon yesterday there were 374 deaths.
In n whole week last year. about this time, there
were only 6o4 deaths.
1t was decided at the meeting to appropriate
Immediately the 1000 suggested. This was
done, and the Chief OF Police was instructed BY
the Police Commissioners to notify all COM
manders of precincts to assign roundsmau
and two patrolmen to distribute the ice. These
were the Chiefs Instructions:
a
Ice will be given far possible in the consesecd
districts, where the suffering and danger to hsA..n
are greatest When the Ice suppy fails notify the
Eo1rd of Health. through this oire. stating at the
same time whether or not there IS n demand for 1t
Ice will also be left for distribution the various
fire houses In your precinct where they arc
not situated too close to your station. When
the fire houses well away from tho
station house. notify them that In accordance with
the order OF the Mayor and the OF the Fire
Department the fire houses Will used as depotS Of
distribution for cs, and certain quantity OF ice will
be sent 10 each OF them. II there sufIicene
fire houses in the precinct 10 provide depots fairly
well scattered over the precinct let the commanding
officcr, by A. u. tomorrow, repor: 20 head.
quarters one or two private places vacant
stores, &C. that could be used with permission OF
owner distributing centres with police in charge.
The ice will be distributed by order OF the Board OF
Health to the different precincts in the amounts set
opposite each In pencil, beginning soon after O'Clock
this evening through the lower precincts. and tho
distribution Is TO go on day and night until counter
manded
Have your that the ice is distributed fairly
according to the needs OF the applicants giving due
preference women and children.
By 8 A. M. tomorrow let each precinct commander
report to President Roosevelt and the acting Chief
how much ice has been distributed. and how much II
left. II any.
Where needed. precinct commanders will purohas,
for cutting the ice, aud forward here In tho
regular manner the bill for same.
Ninety-five tons of ice bought at cost price
from philanthropc dealer. were delivered to
the station houses of the city before tho
@ O'Clock relief squads were sent out. Tho
roundsman and the two policemen from each
precinct found IL the hardest task OF their
lives TO cut up the Ice, keep the multitude who
wanted 1t In line, and hand 1t out. The Cap
tains decided. on their own hook. to increase the
ice-distributing squad by from eight to ten men.
Commissioners Roosevelt took a stroll through
the downtown precincts to see how the scheme
was being carried out. He visited the Eliza
beth, the Madison, Mulberry, Oak, Eldridge.
and Union Market stations. AT Oak street he
found that moro than 800 men. women. and
children had lined up on the sidewalk nearly an
hour before the time appointed for the giving
out OF the Ice. Two tons were cut up and
handed to the denizens of Cherry hill. Some
got five pound pieces and some, who looked az
II they needed 1t moro than others, received ten
was made at Elizabeth street, where 700 per-
spring and haggard tenement dwelers carried
away Ave tons OF ice.
Mr.. Roosevelt said that the system advocated
by the Chief Of Police was inadequate and
somewhat crude, and that it would have TO be
perfected. He said that It was all that two able
bodied men could do to chop up the Ice for the
half clothed battalions OF east siders who were
clamorinE for 1t. In some precincts Mr.. Roose-
tha Icah had haen "A Intn
cellars and there broken into five, ten and twen-
ty pound pieces. In other places 1t was chopped
up on the sidewalks.
In the long lines In front of the Mulberry.
Eldrdge, and Union Market stations there were
many women with toddlers clinglng to their
dresses and crying babies in their arms. These
women invariably received in dshpans or pals
more than they could conveniently carry. The
lines In some instances were more than a block
Il IL