The Washington times., 1901-07-01
HEAT ALMOST UNBEATABLE.
Suffering Humanity Thankful Yes
ferday Was Not n Work Day. j

| At the Weather Bureau yesterday the
| delicate instrument which records with a
| travelling pencil the thermometer records
| of the day from instant to instant suf-
| fered case of sunstroke and was non
| compos mentis, as it were, until the Of
| fetal physician. i. e.. the scientist in
| charge of the bureau on Sunday. gave
| it the proper attention, and restored 1t
to its usual equilibrium. While in this
| state of heat prostration the recording
pencil became delirious. and noted tenn
peratures of way over 100 degrees for
long periods during the day The scientist
in charge declares that these delirious
ramblings OF the blue mark were insen-
safe and false statements. such as might
be expected from any person. as well as
from the instrument. when acting under
the insane impulses of a fevered imagina-
tion. rendered so by uaaddening weather.
The secrets of the soai, II is asserted,
are often laid bare in moments of delir-
ium, and the suspicion has often been
directed at the Weather Bureau that the
true altitude of the mercury in the ther-
mometer, in these days of abnormal heat
oppression, was not divuIged TO the pub
lie for fear OF a universal revolt against.
an Institution which is supposed to make
the weather, and should put little less
spice in it, If tiset comfort of the peo-
pie is worthy of consideration. There are
many therefore 'swho have formed the
opinion that tiTe=secrets pf-the bureau
were exposed by the fevered records OF
the prostrated instrument. The charac-
ter of the instrument for yeracity Is IN no
wise benefitek
Whatever may have been the tempera-
ture of mercury in the thermometer yes
terday, and many undoubtedly scored
close to the century mark, there could
be no question that the blood In human
veins was near the boiling point The
animals Jared little better. Horses stabbed
-xer Sunday stood in their stalls, too
eneryated to switch the flies, too languid
to discuss oats. Dogs with protruding
tongues sought mud puddieS under the
pumps and had symptoms which usually
precedc the dog days Cats. usually seek
ing places where the most heat is to be
found-under the stove, or in the fun
rays of the yesterday hugged close TO
the ice box.
At the churches benches nearly empty
were found. Only the lean members OF
the aggregation, and only the very
Ieanest of those who best bear the heat,
suffered themselves to remember that
piety required church attendance. Pas
tors preached with as little animation as
nossible and with no gestures except
such as were required to absorb the mui-
tittrlinous tiny beads OF persplratlon
from burning brows before they collected
into riyulets to fall on manuscript ana
Bible.
Streets were deserted. Pedestrianism,
except where compulsory. was absolutely
abandoned until the cooler hours OF the
day. over the hot gridirou pavements
the atmosphere rose in trembling waves,
that gave indistinctaess TO any outlines.
Within doors house wives reclined In
deshabille on sofas, fighting the enemies
of sleep-the flies and the heat-or nap
ping when possible, and sure that no
Visitors would add to their discomfort
Mankind in general vibrated between the
ice box, with the facilities II offered In
the way of cooling drinks, and the coolest
places at the windows.
The only heat prostration reported up TO
a late hour last night was that OF John
c. King. fifty years of age, whose home
is ia Cllpeper, Va, but who since ms
a rrivaI in this city has been living at 3lo
Missouri Avenue northwest He was
found wing In an unconscious condition
on Missouri Avenue northwest, in front
of his home, shortly after O'Clock last
night by Policeman Lynch, of the sixth
precinct The ambulance of the Elmer
gancy Hospital was summoned and King
was removed to that institution, where.
after an examination by the surgeons, IL
was stated that he had been overcome
nv the intense heat He was placed in a
ward until he recovered, after which he
was sent to his home