Evening star., 1896-07-28
NO RELIEF AS YET
The Weather Men Hold Out Little
Comfort.
POSSIBILITY OF THUNDER STORMS
Where the Hot Weather Wave
.- Came From. @
RESULTS ON CITIZENS

Shakespeare. in his play Of Macbeth.
speaks of "a dagger Of the mind. a false
creation, proceeding from the heat-oppress-
ed BRAIN"
BY the same token the average Washing
tonian who is not SO fortunate as to be at
the seaside or in the mountains Of the north,
might readily conjure up an arsenal Of
such weapons For, verify, it is hot. When
the mercury in the thermometer goes stead
lily up above the 90 mark during the day.
time and comes down only far enough at
night to get fresh start in the morning
one may almost be excused for passing re-
marks on the subject of the weather. But
when the mercury goes to 94, as it did yes
terday afternoon. patience almost ceases
to pe virtue. and to kick is the right of
human kind.
And what is quite as bad. the officials at
the weather bureau hold out little promise
of surcease from misery. Mr.. Park Morrill,,
the predictions officer. is an awfully clever
sort of fellow. and 1t may be that he has
heart. but 1t is a little hard to believe it,
for he calmly stood up in front of Star
reporter this morning and averred that
there was no let-up in sight. 1t was all
right for him. dressed in Immaculate sum-
mer garb and sitting to ieeward of an elec-
trio fan in cool and breezy building, but
1t seemed positively inhuman when one
thought of the less fortunate who are
compelled to dig and delve and otherwise
work for a living in hot, sun-beaten streets
or in close, stuffy offices.
Pleasant Prospect.
ITS hot" he said, but what do you
want in July? Frost? Well, you don't get
it. see? We're going to have hot weather.
How hot? Don't know exactly, but 1t will
be hot. hardly think 1t will go as high as
1t did yesterday. not quite high, though
it was degrees higher at o'clock. Still,
We are looking for thunder storm this
afternoon that ought to take the top off
the curve, and showers tonight should
make 1t little cooler tomorrow morning.
1t will stay above the average for several
days, however. You see they are having
an area of high pressure along the gulf
states, and that tends to force the heat up
this way. So far as 1 can make out, there
are no immediate signs of relief in sight,
Electric Storm.
With the thermometer at a maximum of
~ at the weather bureau. yesterday was
almost the hottest day of the summer so
far. During the afternoon there WIS a
breeze. and the overheated people of Wash
ington hoped that the wind might blow up
a thunder storm before the evening was
over. The summer of '96 has been remark
atle for such storms, and there has scarce
ly been hot spell that has not ended up
with RAIN and thunder.
To a certain extent the hopes Of suffer-
ing community were doomed to disappoint-
nient. Though there was a lively disturb
ance of the elements during the evening
there was scarcely drop of rain or a
rumble of thunder. Yet for more than
TOUR hours the heavens were Illuminated
by most unusual electrical display. 1t
began about 8 O'clock and continued until
after midnight. During all that time there
was hardly moment when the sky was
not brilliant with flashes Of lightning. The
storm seemed to have it's origin In the
northwest, but 1t circled the city, and by NJ
o'clock the celestial fireworks were all in
the southern heavens. At time was the
sky completely overcast. but there were
noble effort to shine. The lightning was
too much for them. however, and they
made but a poor showing
Inere was something almost uncanny
acout So much lightning when there was
no thunder. No rain fell to bring relief to
the heated earth. and the result was that
the night was one of the sultriest and most
uncomfortable of the whole summer
During the evening the electricity n,av.d
some curious pranks 1t made things yerv
lively in the telegraph offices, and at times
communication with other cities was ser
locSly tntertered with
Lightning struck the trolley u,iro ~ ~
brlghtwood electric line and for awhile
ran things to suit itself. 1t tore off the
fence Irm nto of ss H1s car T,a and threw It over
until the next one came along and pushed
It to the city. The people on hoard TeIt
tne me shock. and the conductor was stunned
1th street Is lunch house, whose aiectrJo "
i Lans are run by power from the trolley
hne The bolt or ball of fire. as those VIZ
saw saw ';.,s IL Describe 1t; entered the room and
tbriillantly Illuminating the place. The
lightning set fire to the building hut IL
names were extinguished without sum.
mon1ng the engines
It's Route.
According to the weather bureau. tho
storm started in the New England states
ana swept down the Atlantic coast
spreading westward, with rain and wind.
In the west there ives a heavy rainfall.
eago 1T was several degrees hotter than
mere. At Little Rock. Ark. the mercmrv
rose rose 70 10 loo and at Montgomery, Ala. Il
tha Mas 30. @: The highest recorded here at at
ne Weatner bureau was 81. the worst ~
Inc season New York, Philadelphia ana
baitimore were visited by wind and r.ir
of f1iaae1pn,a ffxtwdp ,o the wind blew at the rate
storm was general in the eastern states
Effect of Heat.
There were three prostrations fror, 49,.
reported to the authorities yesterday at
o'clock pm. John Bailey, a colored man
sixty-seven years old, living on Trumbn1,
street between 9Th and 7th streets north-
west, was overcome at 18th and Clifton
streets. He was carried to Freedman's
hospital. and was rapidly getting well this
afternoon. - '1iie
ROBERT Johnson, also colored, was over
come at the corner of 9th street and Marv.
land avenue at 3:8O pm, and removed to
the Emergency Hospital. He was suffer-
Ing severely. but had recovered sufficiently
this afternoon to leave the institution.
George Fisher was sunstruck at 68O n m
at Sd and c streets southwest, and removed
In the patrol wagon to his home. III p
street northeast. He recovered in a short
time. oA
Will Filed,
Joseph McCauley. the father of the tes.