The Washington times., 1901-07-15
AN EXPENSIVE hot WAVE.
The Pecuniary Losses Incident to
tie High Temperature.
A Hundred Extra Funerals mt m
Average of S75 Ench-The Cost of
Nursing and Doctors BiIls-OutIay
for Ice and COoiing BeNcragcr

Evidences have multiplied during the
past week that the. hot wave which hung
! over the Atlantic Slope from June ~ to
July 8 was a costly experience for Wash
| ington, The people of the District were
sufficiently sensible of the swetering heat
as it was rasa,r,s, out the catalogue of
| its effects could not be fully made out
| until several days after the rains had
cooled the torrid atmosphere Bodily dis
comfort was perhaps the least evil result
I ing from the high temperature. In illness
and in death, in the destruction of ami
mails. in interrupted business. in extra ex-
penditure on account of the heat, those
few days entailed immense loss to the
| city.
The statistician of the Health Depart
ment. in speaking of the matter the other
day, said that hot waves of the kind re-
Gently experienced were in the nature of
a calamity. His idea was that the ex
treme heat resulted in a vast increase of
Illness and in harvest of mortality. He
said that the actual pecuniary expense
along this line, very difficult to estimate,
was much greater than anybody would at
first suppose. The official referred to held
in his hand the weekly mortuary report
covering the period from June 30 to July
6. and 1t showed sixty seven deaths from
sunstroke and heat exhaustion: The same
report showed that the number of deaths
that week increased from 120 to 22l. and
the statistician said that the inference
was plain that the lives of 100 persons.
including the sixty-seven noted above,
had been cut short by the hot wave
According to the figures of the Off
cial of the Health Department there were
100 funerals in Washington as the first
result of the heat. Estimating an average
expense of SIS for each funeral, and we
have an outlay of $500 in caskets, car
riages. and flowers, to say nothing of the
shafts slabs of marble or granite
which subsequently will mark the graves
of the departed. There should be added
to this the cost of medical or hospNal
treatment prior to death Taking the ex-
pense attached to emergency cases as
basis of estimate and for all the patients,
except those who died almost Immediately
from heat stroke, twelve in number, the
cost is S. per diem. The average length
of illness of the eighty-eight cases re-
ported not dying Immediately was
nearly three days. Hence, a cost of sl5
for each was involved, or an aggregate
expense Of Sl.300.
Ii is, perhaps, not possible to put
pecuniary value upon the lives of the 100
Amy such estimate must of necessity be
tentative as many of the decadents were
children and aged people But supposing
that the average earning capacity of
these 100 persons. providing they had
lived, was 81, 600, and we have a loss OF
10000 represented.
In following out the idea suggested
a Times reporter endeavored to acertain
to what extent illness Increased during
no
Unfortunately. no record of sick persons
is kept in the District of Columbia Only
those attacked by contagious disease are
reported to the Health Department. AS
a consequence, there are no actual hg-
ures to go by. But an enquiry addressed
to several practicing physicians elected
the information that their lists OF pa
tionts increased more than 10 per cent.
One of the doctors seen by the reporter
said, after reference to his memorandum
book, that he was visiting eighteen pa
tients ON June %, and twenty-seven on
July 6. At the Emergency Hospital.
where majority of the persons suffering
from heat stroke were taken, the list OF
patients increased 90 Per cent during the
hot wave, and has since fallen off to
nearly the former number Estimating
that $500 persons Were Ill in Washington
on June 26 and that the number increased
L per cent on account of the heat,
80 patients were added to the list. At So
"A day each for medical treatment, cost
of 5000 was involved in this one item.
ature between 80 and 102 degrees each day
vastly increased the sale of all kipds of
cooling beverages. Ice was in great de-
mand, and the facilities for its mauufac-
ture and distribution We're taxed to the
utmost during the period referred to.
While the heat was at the maximum 1t
was discovered that the increased demand
for ice in all parts of the city exceeded
the supply IL was not possible for the
ic, men to- obtain sufficient amount to
satisfy the call on their routes. tortun-
ately a snip load OF ice from Maine was
purchas land brought into port, which
alone aVerted serious ice famine during
the hot spell While the l.OOO tons or SO
Of ice on the vessel was being distributed
the factories were enabled to catch up
with the demand and matters moved |
smoothly after that.
According to the estimate furnished by
an old ice man. there were 2.oOJ tons OF
ice being distributed daily through the
District before the hot wave Suddenly
the demand increased nearly one-haif He
said that it was impossible to say how |
much was used. The ice man simply sold
all he could get and there was still a call |
for more. He thought the daily consump- |
tion for the hot weather might be inquired
at ) 900 tons 1t is sold at an average of !
s. a ton, which would mean ar extra out |
lay on account of the heat of Sl2. SON For |
six days this would amount to $4,000.
An enquiry was made at one of the |
principal soda fountains on Pennsylvania |
Avenue. The reporter was told that the
hot weather was their time for making
nGN. II WAS estimated lIldl lnt EtctIptS
of the one soda fountain were 500 Gay
during the heat, and less than S2o last
Saturday. Such an increase in the con- |
sumption of soda water throughout the |
city would mean very large expenditure
for coo. drinks.
In the saloons it was learned that there |
was an increase in number of about so |
per cent in the sale of drinks during the |
hot DAYS. There was also difference |
noted in the kind of drinks sold. Beer |
drinking noticeably increased and whisky |
drinking fell off. There was considerable |
call for various kinds of punches. lemon |
ade and soft drinks to the exclusion of |
the beverages stronger in alcohol. The |
higbbaI was a favorite during the hot |
weather. An observant barkeeper said
that the number of drinks was increased |
50 per cent. which perhaps did not show
in the aggregate receipts, as the majority
clearly apparent that the people of Wash |
ington spent much extra money in the |
saloons during the heated term How
much the reporter was unable to estimate |
Restaurant keepers stated that the hot |
weather interfered with their business |
PEOPLES appetites were uncertain They /
neither ate as often nor as much as IN |
moderate weather. Coffee drinking with |
meals fell off perceptibly, and there was |
a great Increase in orders for iced tea, |
milk and lemonade. Vegetables took the |
place of meats, and orders FOR pastry !
ianguished. One restaurant keeper said |
that the majority of his guests seemed to |
he eating little. and that of light food. |
He thought his general receipts may have |
fallen off per cent
one of the incidents of the hot wave
was a temporary milk famine. The heat |
was so intense in the country that the |
COWS would not feed This. added to the |
ANNOYANCE of flies. caused the flow of milk |
to fail off nearly one-half, and in many |
parts OF the city families could not |
n aic "a ia pT-slh In