Evening journal., 1901-07-02
HEAT BREAKS
FORNER RECORD
10 Many Cities Mercury
Never So High
SEVERAL DEATHS REPORTED
Hospitals Crowded and Many RStab-
liShmentS Badly Crippled for
Lack Vi Help

Philadelphia. July 2-Yestorday was
the hottest day of which the local
weather bereau has any record. and
no relief is yet in sight At 4P. NJ the
official thermometer on top OF the post
office building registered 102 degrees
The previous highest temperature re-
corded IN this city wac on September
!, 1881, when the weather bureau theF-
mometer toUched 1918 degrees. The
Pennsylvania Hospital has been keep
ing record of the weather since 1915.
and their books failed 10 show hotter
day. The minimum temperature yes
terday was at a. m. when 50 was re-
corded From that time Il steadily
climbed. At p. m. It was &c. The
velocity OF the wind throughout the
day was six miles an hour, practically
a dead calm.
All record regarding the number Of
deaths and prostrations due to the hot
blast were broken by midnight. Four
teen deaths were reported. In Camden
N. j., two deaths were charged to the
heat. Every one Of Philadelphia's many
hospitals were taxed to their capacity
and in a number Of instances heat pa
tients had to be turned away. Tho
work in these institutions was so
heavy that the attendants had to look
after their own safety.
The extreme heat had a demoraliz-
ing effect on the manufacturing estab.
lishments Of the city. Many OF the es.
tablishments had to close down. At
Cramps the prostrations were 80 nu.
merous that the 5000 men employed
there were relieved from further duty
at noon. Cramps send all their pa
tients 70 the Episcopal Hospital. and
before noon word was telephoned to
the Cramps that the hospital could not
handle any more cases.
At Baldwin's Locomotive Works, the
Midvale Steel Works and numerous
other pieces where men are engaged
before hot furnaces, scores Of heat suf.
ferers had TO quit
Deaths and prostrations from the to
rife heat probably were more numer-
GUS than ever before in the. city's his.
tory. The police patrol wagons and
the hospital ambulances were kept
busy conveying the heat victims to the
hospitals. The facilities at the hospi-
tails were taxed to their utmost to han
die the unusutly large number Of cases
Young and old alike succumbcd 10
the high temperature and the humidity
which helped along the deadly work
Of the hot wave. The sick and the in
firm especially were easy victims TO
the torrid spell. The hospital author
iaies made an effort to secure tents In
which to house the heat victims. The
city. however, has none that could bo
used for this purpose and an appeal TO
the national guard and federal army
officials in this city likewise was un-
availina The tents of the state mil
iatia, II was said, we're at Harrisburg,
while the trmy officers sould not loan
the tents without a formal requisiaion.
AS the day heightened the deaths
and prostrations became more numer.
Gus.
The hot wave continues east Of the
Rocky Mountains, although local thun-
derstorms have somewhat moderated
its intensity in West Virginia and por-
tions OF the upper Mississippi valley
and the upper lake region. In addition
there were also showers and thunder
storms in the South Atlantic states and
parts OF the extreme west In many
city and towns of the country the tom
perature broke all records.
Record breaking temperatures ex-
listed all over the Middle Atlantic, CEN
tral and Southern states Heavy rains
accompanied by thunder and lightning
occurred in some parts OF the West
Towns in Pennsylvania. New Jersey,
New York, Delaware. Maryland, Vir-
ginia and other nearby states show
that In nearly all the mecury went be-
yond the century mark.
It was the hottest day in the his
tory of the Wyoming Valley according
to dispatch from Wilkesbarre. The
thermometer registered 1O4 degrees
and in some lowlands where the suns
fiercest rays were not tempered by the
breeze that prevailed on higher ground
106 was registered. Man and beast
suffered alike. and wherever it was
possible there was curtailment OF
work
At Harrisburg tho mercury regis
tered SO degrees at 3 D. m. breaking
the record Of theyear and being within
one degree OF the record of last year.
The workmen in the rolling mills in
South Harrisburg and a gang Of street
cleaners were forced to suspend work
yesterday afternoon on account Of the
intense heat.
The George L. King Press. PRINTING!