The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-07-31
NOT FOR 6 YEARS
Has 1t Been So Hot as Last
Night,
Except Once, and Then a Breeze
Blew.
MERCURY STOOD AT 80
Indoors and so Outdoors Nearly
All Night.
How Observer Jennings Pre-
served His Life.

While suffering humanity in Topeka
last night sweItered and psrsplsd.
changed from beds to floors, and porchc
es and hammocl1s. seeking for cool
spot to lay their fevered brOws ald
gasping for a breath of refreshing air.
the wind and the mercury remained at
rest. That is, practically so, for their
movement was so slight as to be imper-
ceptible.
When the mercury reached the he1gnr
of 1O1 degrees at l o'clock yesterday
afternoon, it was apparently satisfied
with its days work, and commenced an
easy and gradual decline. By IL o'clock
last night it had reached to so out
doors. but indoors it was So
Here it rested for the first time, and
at that temperature remained for two
hours. At 1 O'Clock in the morning it
dropped one degree, at 2 o'clock one
more, at 8 o'clock another one, and at
this point sOjourned until o'clock,
when it made another degree drop and
out doors registered rs. But four de
grees in six hours, a change for the
better which was not perceptible in.
the least
But the mercury was not wholly to
blame The wind was a fellow con-
spirator Had there been a strong
breeze from any quarter the tempera-
ture would probably have fallen several
degrees, in imagination, II not IN 12ct-
From IL O'Clock until midnight last
night the wind blew but three miles an
hour. a rate which would barely move
a feather. During the succeeding hour
it gained one half mile, and at O'Clock
made a grand squirt in the cause OF
charity and blew breeze at the rate Of
five and One-half miles. This lasted DuI
one short hour. At O'Clock II dropped
to two and three-quarter miles, ana at
for 1d
away and left the rate but two miles.
Happily this continued only until
O'Clock. At that hour a talr breeze
sprung up which mas continued uUA-
With one exception last night was the
warmest night which Topeka mas e2-
perienced in the past six years. The
exception was the 26th OF uIy 1874 On
that date the temperature reached q
point five degrees higher than it did
last night, but this was offset to con-
siderable extent by a good breeze
Owing to an ingenious arrangement
adopted last night whereby every
breath of wind sailing over the Column
bian building was cOrnered and forced
to blow over his placid countenance.
weather Observer Jennings was able
to make a few remarks today on the
condition of the weather during the
Refore preparing for bed last night,
Mr. Jennings opened the door leading
to the roof of the Columbian building,
placed a screen at the door OF the Deu-
room, which is almost directly below
the roof door, in such a manner that
air passing through the hall would be
turned into the room, and then placed
the head of his bed in front of the door
in a direct line with the windows on
the other side. In this manner helslept
comfortably during the night.
1T was certainly pretty hot last
night" said Mr.. Jennings That is, it
was not so very hot bur We didn't have
enough wind If we had a good wind
we wouldn't have felt it.
What caused such condition ?Why
the crops dfd-indirectly. I don't mean
to say that the crops made the hot
night. but it is the same condition
which insured good crops that causes
warm nights. This condition is damp
atTnosphere. We are compelled to sac
rifice ourselves for the good of the
crops"