The morning times., 1896-08-09
CITY sOBs UNDER THE HEAT
Palpitating Humanity Rushes
to the Parks for Breath.
SCENES In PUBLIC SQUARES
Little Ones Sleep Under Shade Trees
and the ep-Off-the-G rass Sign
Is a Dead Letter-ROofs Are the
Haven After Nightfall-Every
Grassy Spnce Crowded Yesterday.

Oh, for u wind from The Atlantic Ocean!
Washington 1olks are now ali IKE pcor
Sister Anna, in the watch tower, waiting
for relief for Blue Boards wife; but there is
nothing in sight except the ehotciouds, Kicked
up by the sheep on The roads, made dusty
ana musty by the torrid wave frcm the
West.
Everybody is signing for The wind of the
eastern sea; at present il takes Il Sood deal
Of ice, fan, sauZe and living picture pose
TO feel any practical suggestion in Lord
Alfred TeDnyson's dream of tie Wind OF
the Western Sea-" The western sea is
5000 miles away. Ii makes happy the
people who come in and out of tie Golden
Gate There is spring weather in Caiifor-
MA and weather and water hot enough in
the district of Columbia 10 paint crab, a
shrimp or Il lobster Il deep cardinal hue.
In May last, when people were COM
paratively blessed with a temperature or
only SS and 60. they walled, CRASHED their
teeth and talked slang at Jove. Yesterday
they sighed Il sigh OF relief when the tenn
pcrature had gradually descended from
9s officially to SO officially. All the
same, while ii is Dot rs high as a hundred
nor as low as the flower frinSed corsage
OF a ball dress, IL VIII 10.
There have been eight days of veritabie
torrid temperature which has literally
driven people TO the. woods and To the
housetops. 1t has paraiyzcd exercise
men, women and children have run away
in rivulets and rivers, painting for the
shade of the trees and the scant breeze
which has blown listlessly through the
aislcS of the parks Of the city.
THAT SAVING BREEZE.
This breeze has been impartial For
the first few days of the hot wave II blew
from the southeast and southwest. Then
the half Of the city on that side slept Willie
OH the other side they tossed and tumbied
and groaned. For the last three Gays
the wind went round to the west and north
west, and then the east side people had
their innings with humidity, heat and other
horrors.
The parks have really been The oascS in
the desert the refuge from the hot blasts
of the street, and the reflected heat In
1.-The houses. They were the places where the
wilted we're rnost in evidence, and especial
ly children of the cradle and nurse ages.
very comm Oh sight was the baby stretch
ed out on a bench in the shade, his head
on a pillow, face, arms, legs, and neck
agIow with ra Sh roSeola, and ninety-four IL.
the shade.
These are possibly the sick fellows who
are being blessed with their outing in
the open-air hospital. Other youngsters
with bald heads and ballet costumes, rolled
around in the grass at the foot OF some
spreading tree. and took care of them
selves while they were unconsCously en-
loving the daily boon OF the breath OF
fresh air For the fretful little ones there
was no rest except in the arms OF the
nurse, or nurse and mother combincd, or IN
their carriages which went to and fro, up
and down the walks, the sufferers pal
pitatipg with every fresh attack of the
nulsing waves of heat. which swept through
the miniature woods.
SOUGHT THE ROOFS.
Elderly humanity took care or Itself
during the day in the ordinary way, and
at night in the extraordinary way. In
The late hours of the night when people
have no longer the sound OF the splashing
water OF the park fountains, or the cool
temprraturr of the reservations beneath
the trcrs thrice blessed is the man or
woman who owns or can borrow, nat
roof.
1t need not he II roof garden, but simply
A roof on which a few chairs or pallet
can be disposed. Thursday night ON one
roof a reporter saw several families. They
had such Il time as wasn't even dreamed
of in the hanging gardens OF Babylon.
There WIS party at a table pla wing cards,
some pitchers of ice water, one or two
pallets, on one of which was baby evil
dcDtIy fast asleep, and on another two mon,
probably inValids.
In Jerusalem they let such people down
through The roof to see the Great Physician;
nowadays they elevate them to the roof to
get near the gratful breczes of the same
Great Healer There were undoubt-
edIy many such places in Washington.
The refuge on the roof is not new, but
there ought to be more roofs in Washing
ton. on which people may smile at the
mercury, and sing and dance and. drink
cool water if they please.
THERE THEY KNOW BETTER.
In New York philanthropists have made
such roofs in certain tenement districts,
where the poor par-boiicd babies OF the
poor may coo and be hapy while the band
plays and the milk bottle is best in bloom.
In the m eanwhile, Oh!for a wind from the
ocean, for that is officially stated to be
the only balm or balsam in Gilead for
the next few days Spend yonr time in
the park in the afternoon, and whistle like
the becalmcd boatman for the breeze. Get
on the roof at night il YOU have one; if
not remodel Your house for the next season
of torrid horrid waves.
When you go to sleep assume the semi
altogether if you please. There is no
danger of Asmodeus lifting the roof
20 show an inquisitive French philosopher
how the world sleeps, Lee Sage will
tell you the rest of that story.