New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-18
HOTTEST AMERICAN TOWN
1T IS YUMA, ARR. AND TT HOLDS THE
RECORD.
Of TIE Boston Transcript

The people WHO hcn to the mountains and sea-
shore these summer Gays as il before res'i-
lence, when what they know as the heii"d term
is on. can have .ded what hot ~eaifer really
is until they have spent a few days in this old
town the Colorado River in Southwestern
Arizona. The people who tell aGon!Iing tales OK
their suffering in the periods W temperature
among the nincties in the great cities ought TO
come out here these summer days TO Know pet
ter what Old Sol can do in the way OF heat
making when he gets really down 10 business
What would you say to living in spot Where
not blade Of grass may he seen. where thcre
Is nothing green but few trees shirn:uerinS IN
is so hot that one cannot stand upon 1t with
bare feet. and where from June | To early Oc-
;ober the temperature Is seldom below ID de-
grees and more generally about the l1oth dc.
gree mark-once in a while running up 10 10
and 12J degrees? What would you think of
temperature for full month not less than "
degrees. Of two weeks at time varying from
los to 10 degrees. and even a week al 'iihe
over III degrees in the shade That Is wnat
the residents % this quaint cid town OF iuma
have regularly each summer So far this SEA-
son the HUMANS have had two spells OF weather
when the mercury climbed ~ To III degrees IN
the shade every morning for a few successive
days and descended to G and 1oD degrees IN
the rght From June I'D 10 II the daily tenn
pcra;ure ranged from lOI 10 1lJ degrees. From
June ~ to June 2l inclusive the temp nature
on each afternoon wen; as high as III degrees
in the shade.
a DREADED ARMY POST.
Yuma has been the bann,r hot town 81 Amer.
lea for forty or fifty years. That ancient, pilsed
and weat her bcaten story about the soldier VINO
lived and died in the garrison at Yuma. anu
whose ghost came back one night for ms army
blankets for use down in chilly. frosty nell
has gone far AMI wide throughout the woriu
(eIen Dr. Dcpcw recently told II To a group OK
reporters who welcomed him home in New ork
from his tour II the Pacific COAST and has gwen
a certain characteristic 10 the fame OF the town.
In The fortics and iif,ics the army garrison at
Yuma was famous among Uncle SANS ao'iierS
| AZ the mort dreaded post on the frontier ana
the letters and diaries II such military men a3
| Generals Albert Sidney johnston Edward j.
Ecalc and kraruy whD se-ttd their military APP
premiership there. are plentiful Win '"inn"htS
on the terrific hot weather II fort lumd III the
summer months whilc tn served tfr'".
All conditions seem to unite in making Yuma
| the hot summer spot II IL. Il ~ located ID
| low hasinliSc locality On the 'ds" ~ me lNy'
( muddy Co. RADIO River rs 10 medn'crs through
desert sands ard adobe soil down 10 me Tuii
Of California. Away To the west across ne
/ river and To the south stretches IN t"'"iaH"
/ desert several thousand s. luirc nlii'a !" ~.
/ I, f. So ru.rcl.cSs CHASTITY and Ncfc" a desert
| waste that 40 ore iarcs cross II 10y WAGON or
on foot in the summer months. and never III
| winter or carly slrinr. unl".s accompanies ny
/ , couruauion Or two and h:tod out WIN IN
| nbundanco II drinking water ard io'd. f'r'y
summer there are ycnturesomc miners VINO INy
down thor uyc9 IN iry INK 10 cross th't" o''e' .
because they are oycrtakcn hy sdhdst"'tl' ~
| are weakened unto death by the dreadiuI heI''
FIVE RAIHFALI.s \ YEAR.
Pain falls In Yuma and thr region roundabout
L,, fnur or five times year. ana t"'ii "''y ~
! 3D., .,rl, winter months There are. hpN''''.
som. very heavy i.ods here IN the months -,
| February and March. when th' Wa'vI ~ ,''N
/ r,t.roIn Ulytr rises ami oV' rHp"S us n1hNS ~
| cause Of the melting SHOWS away up III vac
/ mountains Of Colorado and Nprth'th ,tl"I, H
| and the heavy rains In southern '""' u,".i-
! When the water rcCcdcs tt leaves ''i.' t""u
-. ~ acres Of rich bottom lands al, ng me
sides 81 the river. area II alluNiai i'iu". w.
| the Indians plant thor mesquite nc'''' ~.
melon seeds for their annual crnIs tn' H'i'i'S 80,
I ~. L,qvptians max. their annual plini'nS ANS
The banks II the Nr when IN" moons are p ,S',
! Tho fertility Of these bottom lands mas a'ua.'cu
/ attention ard in recent years entcrpris''F an,
/ Ie,s nav. taken up hundreds Of acres ot ms
! soil and are growing 10 sinal extent iiul'S
| cnI ,n,lons which are first in the market even
in scini-tropical southern CaIi"rn'h a,u ~
| Angeles The town If Yuma mas p"Pu'dt'"" va
| ihrrn thousand About half II these are Amer
| cans from Eastern states. ana the r'"' d'V '''"
! leans $50 49, ,,ho
| ,ho, ,s hntit If adobe mud bricks. they nave
| walls from two to three feet thlch' ana a'c ~.
story high. Al night every one S'eePS "u' -,
| doors Many sleep there through ten months "
the year. In mi Summer no me can WEI. my ~
/ the heat and closrness Of any apartment IL.
| eipbt that one. has As he Eizes from Il tWo-s'ory
| building cr some cIninencr in the place carry III
| IN. morning In .ummer across me "iu t""'
| ynuId he long remembered by any one not ',-
custoned 80 Arizona NE and customs ilu'','Is
| Of men ard women, cArn r. ''ii'' our l''r
| , cot may he seer on the roofs or in me IN.
| closures nj the. back Of their respective houses
out on piaZZas.
SLEEPING IN NATURES CARR.
! MANY Of them are sleeping in their cio'hea
others have a simple sheet rs cover Wh'C ~
| tie boys and girls are sleeping me Sltep ." '''f
! ius, without the least incuWhrar'e ~ 81, n'iiE
C,r c,vnrinp when ; o'clock comes and Old ool
rises 50 high that sleep is orrer out of me IueS-
| ton even for tho old-timers ~ the iuini"s ms