Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-08
A BLANKET OF HEAT
Washington Still Swelters and Suf-
locates Under It.
TALES TOLD BY fHE THERMOMETERS
Slight Drop Of Mercury Not Very
Substantially Felt.
THE COAT-OFF QUESTION

| The goat, even the goat. that optiInst of
the desert, as some Sahara traveller dubbed
him, grew pessimistic today when he con-
| sidered the weather. The tattered poster
that erstwhile inspired passion in his pal
| ate lost all its charms; the cast-off hoop
skirt longer gave him inspiration for
| levity, and the urchn threw rocks him
| without eliciting single butt in reply.
And was the goat so were the other
comDonents of animal creation I'm this
| neck of the woods, human and otherwise.
| Men were limpid and women lassitudnous
and those who were compelled to meet the
| cares of business of household suffer-
ed keenly from the overwhelming burdens
| the temperature added to their material
| ones.
| A terrible yesterday had been succeeded
| by a miserable last night, when to count
less hundreds sleep had only come when
| physical nature was exhausted. Even the
| moon lost her sflvery complexion and SEEM
ed like copper disk when viewed through
the thick veil of heat that enveloped OBJ
servers.
Usually when the mercury marks % a.
| the weather bureau during the warmest
| part of the afternoon life Is not luxury
| In this city of asphalt, but it was that
high at pm. yesterday. and even at 10
| O'Clock the marker was at Sc, according to
| weather bureau records.
| People Grow More Careful.
After such a night such a day as this
was perilous, and most people appreciated
| it. There was noticeable diminution In
| shopping crowds, and in many sections
| work on buildings or of public character
| as pursued piecemeal 1t were. while
| In numerous places II was stopped entirely.
| Even the soda fountains showed falling
| off in patronage.
tpepp1a afr 10 ri
| stuff day like this remarked the OBJ
servant proprietor of one.
They were afraid to look at thermom-
| eters, too but some of them had to, and the
man who took the records of Affiecks
| standard instrument wrote down these
marks: am, 50; II M, 81; 2 pm, 99I2
Even that half degree drop from yes
| terday at the same hour sufficient to
| make the man calculate:
We'll, thank the stars 1t isn't as hot as
yesterday, anyhow"
Materially, however, the half degree
didn't amount to any more than a grain of
dust In the desert when it came to bodily
and mental effect everybody, and 1t
will need a drop of good many whole de-
| grees before comfort regains anything like
| substantial existence hereabouts. When
| that drop will come, however. even the
| weather bureau savants cannot tell, despite
| their scanning of the field meteorological
| in every direction.
| They satisfied themselves, however, today
| with announcing mark OF 93 at = pm,
| CnuS DedtlIlS the ulOp VI luLc ps
| 21a degrees, the record at that hour yester-
| day being &t
| The humidity was 80, and the barometer
| above 80 showed how little hopes the mer-
| curry held out for a wet visitation.
| Opinions on the NeElige.
"It seems to me-" said Mr.. W. A. Mearrs,
whose taste In matters of masculine attire
| Is superlative, that the coatless crusade
| is a very good one providing those who
| hon
| necessary boundaries Of the requirements
| O. harmony in their dress. Now, the belt
! on a man IL neither beautiful comfort
| able, in my opinion. In the latter respect
1t makes hot circle around ones person
| that is disagreeable such days as these. 1t
| seems to me 1t would be easy for those who
wish to be comfortable and coatless and
| at the same time neat to go back to
| the patterns of boyhood days and have
| their trousers and negliges made 50 that
! the former could be buttoned to the lat
| ter. The summer trousers are always, OF
| course, of lightest weight material, and
| there would be no strain on the shirt worth
| mentioning.
| Mr.. Alexander Brtton voiced sentiments
almost identical with those expressed by
| Mr. Mearns and Mr.. Joe Bradley Of George
town Endorsed both with animated empha-
| sis.
One Who Wears Buttons on HIS
"a friend Of NINE" said Mr.. Bradley,
| has already started the style going in the
| manner suggested. He has had waist
band with buttonholes placed inside the
| band of his trousers and buttons put on his
negliges in their proper place. He says the
| comfort he gets Is amazing"
1t was further ascertained today that
great many men would Join the coatless
| army and courageously go forth in all the
glory of their negliges, II they only had sup
plies of the latter with collars and cuffs
attached. One who wore blue shirt with
a white collar declared that he would shuck
his coat in second If it were not for the
| inharmonious effect he was afraid a white
Chinese laundered collar might have when
it was buttoned on a home laundered blue
neglige shirt.
| 1t was learned that others had cut the
| original collars off their negliges in order to
| be able to be in the swim with the major
ity, who nov wear white collars with any
colored neglige. But one and all swore lus-
| tily that when they laid in their supply of
summer toggery next year the shirt part
would be purchased with a single view to
shocking their coats in weather like this.
|. A Haberdasher's Views.
A well-known haberdasher talked over the
| subject Il have doubt" he remarked,
that the very general cry of the sweltering
man to be permitted to go without his coat,
| which is extending all over the country
where weather such as We are experiencing
| is liable to be suffered, will be very mate
| rally recognized by shirt manufacturers
when they Shorty proceed TO determine the
character of their output for next year.
Originally, the negige shirt was never
| made without collars and cuffs attached
| the entire garment being made of the same
material, of course. A very pretty style
| that held for one or two summers was to
| have the tie of the same color and material
as the shirt The Introduction of the col
ored stiff-bosom shirt with which white col
| lars We're worn had something to do with
the removal of the collar from the great
| majority of negliges, but the most import
ant factor was economy. How do l mean?
days wear would soil 1t, and while the rest
| Of the shirt might be clean 1t was i'm
possible to wear 1t and be neat with a dirty
| many shirts and of having half a dozen or
| so laundered every week was too much for
| the general run Of men. Next year, I think.
will see the original negliges in greater
| GoaaAl Gsl