New-York tribune., 1900-08-19


more extreme than usual But there are other
places in this country to say nothing of other
lands, where the weather is far more intolerable
lhan it has been in the metropolis for the last
few weeks
Generally speaking 1t is both hotter in sum-
mer and cooler in winter In the heart OF a CONT
nent than near the ocean. In New-York City
this season the highest temperature has been
- degrees, Official thermometers rarely go
above 1i0 degrees here, and there are few win
tcrs when the mercury gets down to zero. But
out in North Dakota and Montana 40 and so
degrees below zero is the regulation thing in De
cember and January and records of 60 degrees
below are not uncommon Nevertheless, for a
portion OF the summer II is always hotter In
those States than in New-York. The mercury
has been above 100 degrees several times in
North Dakota and Montana this season, and
records of 1O5 and ITO degrees have been made
repeatedly in that region in past years.
The heat is more continuous, though, in
belt that extends from Texas across New Mex
leo and Arizona to the extreme southeastern
of California. Thus for July the mean
temperature OF Rio Grande City, on the Gulf Is
50 de grees or IL degrees hotter than a normal
July in the metropolis. A number OF places in
Northern Texas have recorded a maximum Of
10 degrees and Ell Paso has experienced lib
degrees. Fort Yuma, Arizona, at the mouth on
the Colorado River has average temperature
in July of 92 degrees, or Is degrees higher than
that of this city Yuma's highest Individual
flight of the mercury was 11S degrees. This
figure has been beaten by one degree at Phoenix
and Fort Mcdowell. in the same Territory.
So far as we'll authenticated records go, the
deserts of California, just the line from
Arizona, constitute the hottest part OF the Amer
lean continent. Death Valley. inclosed by par
anel ranges OF mountains and covered with
gittering white SALT has long been famous for
its terrors, but not until 1891 was 1t systemat-
cally investigated. Writing before that time
General Greedy expressed the belief that there
was not a well authenticated record of 120 de-
grees in the United States. but the Weather Bu-
reau expedition to Death Valley reported for
July, 1891, temperature of 1O2 degrees
and a maximum Of 122 degrees! By those who
scrutinized their proof carefully, this will prob
ably be regarded as high water mark for this
country. It should be noted, however that Pro-
fessor G. K. Gilbert mentions in "Johnson's En-
cyclopeda" that in 1887 the thermometer rose
to 12S degrees in the Colorado desert which lies
near the southern boundary of California. only
a short distance west of Yuma But Professor
Gilbert does not specify by whom the Observa-
ton was made, under what circumstances.
Yet if these figures should be discarded by
the critical as some others certainly should be.
1t will stin remain true that in Death Valley
the temperature has been 26 degrees hotter for
a month at a time than 1t was in NewYork
during last month, and that maximum has
been reached there which beats that of this city
in 1900 by 27 degrees.
The foregoing data all relate to shade temper
atures. 1t has been q difficult matter to deter
mine accurately the heat of sunshine. The eff
fects Of solar heat certainly vary with the color
of a mans raiment Black absorbs and light
hues reflect heat. The instrument employed to
take sun temperatures has its bulb carefully
blackened, and is then sealed inside another
globe in which a vacuum has been secured
Now black bulb thermometer in New-York
generally registers from thirty-five to fifty de-
grees higher than ordinary shade thermome-
ter which is properly sheltered and not twenty
feet away. The difference between the two
readings depends largely on the amount of dust
moisture and other impurities in the atmos-
phere; but in the dry pure air of mountain
climate the black bulb thermometer reads from
seventy to eighty degrees higher than the other
instrument A traveller in Death Valley ex-
posed the full sunshine of July afternoon
and wearing black garments and hat might not
actually experience a heat represented by 200
degrees, but he could not tell the difference by
his feeling.
South America is smaller than the northern
half of the continent, and. though crossed by
the Equator. does not appear to present just the
right combination Of conditions for greater heat