The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-08-22
FIERCE HEAT,
WIND AND RAIN
THEY WERE THE FEATURES OF
Yesterdays WEATHER.
Until Evening the Heat Was Almost
Unbearable and Then Came
Wind Storm That Tore UP the Dust
and Felled Trees with Great Gusts.
1t Was Succeeded by a Heavy
Downpour OF Rain-Some of the
Damage Done by the Storm.

Pretty hot, isn't IT.
"Oh, no. I'm not warm. I'm de-
lightfully cool; in fact, it's one OF the
coolest days Of the year and, by the
way, next time just vary that little;
say its exceedingly hot, or excessively
warm or Internally humid, but for good
ness sake don't ring in that pretty hot
phrase again." with which exceedingly
scintillating and brilliant retort the
short stout man waddled down Wash
ington avenue mopping his brow with
a red bandanna and making for the
nearest shrine of Baccnus that he
might slake that unquenchable thirst
with a glass of foaming "Hn:portcd."
But the lean, lank individual who
had uttered the first remark was right
1t was pretty hot. 1t was very hot
and every man. woman and child in
the city knew it and felt it.
People walking the streets had the
usual Woe begone expressions on their
faces that betoken that tired feeling"
which is. as the physicians say, super
induced by the heat. Even the ire
pressible small boy was not much in
evidence on the streets and that may
be taken as a sure indication that the
weather was hot even IL there were no
thermometers.
DID A GREAT BUSINESS.
The drug stores with soda fountains
the ice cream parlors and the saloons
were probably the only places of busi-
ness in town doing any business at
all. The former were crowded all day
and the gentle siz-siz of the gushing
soda as it fell on the ears of the
acquaintance with soda water was linn
tied to a few years in early childhood
to rush frantcally in and call out in
desperate tone: Give me an orange
Cocktail-I mean an orange phosphate,
| and give it to me quick"
The sun rose on schedule time in the
| morning and got right down to bust
ness from the time of his arising and
soon the mercury in the thermometer
| began an earnest effort to force itself
out of the top of the tubes. The gem
eral average temperature for the whole
| day at Phelps drug store was SO de-
| grees in the shade. 1t was sometimes
| considerably higher here, but main
| tained that general record. At the cor
ner of Linden street and Washington
avenue the thermometer in front of
| Lorenz & Koemple's store registered
| 90 in the shade at 8 p. m.
a large crowd gathered about the
! glass tube in front of j. d. Williams
& Company about noon, whore the re-
gistry was 120 degrees in the sun. This
is about a record breaker in the line
of sun records in this city and caused
a number of persons to look around
and pinch themselves to make sure
that they had not been transported
in some unknown manner to the CEN
tral portion of the great Sahara desert
or some other tropical summer resort.
FELT BY TIE HORSES.
The heat was especially felt by the
| poor horses who We're forced to be out
and at work despite the condition of
the weather. The lack of sufficient
watering troughs for these poor beasts
of burden in the central city was again
in evidence and many expressions of
sympathy for the horses were heard on
the streets.
Considering the intenseness of the
humidity there We're very few heat
prostrations. A little girl from Provi-
dence whose name could not be learn
ed tainted in front of the Traders
|
was quickly revived, however and
started for home.
The short, stout man and his friend
met again at the same place about {
y. m, but just as they were about tC
indulge in another exchange of repar.
tee the formers hat blew off, he fell
himself being taken off his feet. and
with wild, convulsive shrek, he dis.
appeared in a whiring cloud of dust
while his friend dashed madly up tn,
steps and into the postoffice, while be
hind him a tornado on a small scale go
down to work.
The cause OF the sudden separation
of the two friends was remarkably
severe wind storm which came as
forerunner to a remarkably severe rail-
storm. The former came up very sud
denly and raised the dust i'm sucl
quantities that it was impossible to Sc,
a very great distance in any Sdirection
FOLLOWED BY RAIN.
This continued for over fifteen min
utes, after which a perfect deluge o
rain began to fall. The latter had th
effect of cooling off the atmosphere t,
a certain extent, but the thermometer
were loath to make any record break
ing drop and the weather still remained
very warm.
4 great deal of damage was done II
various parts OF the city by the storm
especially the wind portion. \ mum
ber of large trees We're blown dow
along North Washington avenue an,
Mulberry street. One on the latte
street fell on a passing trolley car bu
fortunately did no damage beyond bad
ly soaring the passengers. All of tn
electric lights in the hill district wer