The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-07-11
RECORD HOT DAY FOR JULY 10
AND 1T SEEMED WORSE THAN
THE MERCURY TOLD.
Humans and Horses Roth WiltCd After q
Hard Night-Deatls and Prostra.
lions Incrcased--NIay Be Cooler To-


| Never thunderstorm came to break It's
extremity, 1t did cloud up. Jerseyward.
somewhere, late In the afternoon, but
the blacklist clouds all Went to the south.
Some folks in high office buildings could
see from their perches Fishes Of lightning
coming out of the cloud banks somewhere
south of Staten Island But rain did not
fall to cool any part Of the city.
Showers and fresh west wind are prom
ised TO temper the heat to day.
The Weather Bureau announced that yes
terday had been the hottest July 10 on record
by three degrees, and that with three ex-
captions it was the hottest July day. On
July 0, 1879, on July 3, 1903, and on July .,
1901. the thermometer got up to 90 degrees.
The best or worst it did yesterday was o.
The hottest day ever recorded in this city
was SEP. 7, 1884, when the mercury touched
the 10O-deEree mark.
The police reported eleven deaths due to
heat yesterday and sixty-five heat proe-
trations in Manhattan and The Bronx
At the Brooklyn headquarters four deaths
and fifteen prostrations were recorded
Folks who went to the Weather Bureau
for sympathy got mighty little of it. The
Weather Bureau is up in nice high build
ing which catches every breeze that strays
by. If it is possible to escape the suffer-
ing which hot weather brings, the weather
man escapes. Therefore, he felt war
ranted yesterday in saying most cheer
| fully that yesterday was no hotter than
| Thursday had been and that there was no
more humidity.
! 1t is TO be doubted whether any lay OBJ
server agreed with him. Perhaps because
| the night had been SO hot, with the moon
| looking out on the swellering town with an
almost brazen tnge in its white glare, folks
! We're not as we'll prepared to stand the heat
| as they had been on Thursday; perhaps
! sleeplnssness made them nervous But
! certainly, most of those to whom the
Weather Bureaus assurances came felt
quite confident that the thermometer was
| lying.
| BY the timr the city was fairly astir
| yesterday morning the Thermometer had
| already reached "a. 1t rose each hour
until at noon it had reached g. For an
hour it stood still, but at 1'l5 made on,
! supre m" effort and reached "a, the highest
| point Of Thursday. Gradually, hut very
| gradually, h, ret reat begnn. At O'Clock
! The Thermometer in the Weather Bureau
Offices was at 81. In The next hour there
was drop to SO.
Don't you notice how much cooler it
| is now than it was at the same time last
night" asked Weather Bureau voice
| over THE Suns telephone at 0 O'Clock
| Then, by way Of refining the torture, camol
the added comment: There is such q
breeze, you know"
Every little while somebody though
| that he had caught little private breea,
| of his own. The assertion was always
met with scorn and derision by others
! There were no decisions on the subject
in the tenement districts on both sides of
the town. Women let their work lie and
| gathered in doorways and on steps and
| wherever there was shelter from the direct
| heat of the sun and at the same time more
| air than there was in the oven-like tene-
| ment rooms. There they read to ona
another horror extras of the evening news
papers and took mutual comfort that -the
| cruel suns slaughter" hadn't reached
| them yet.
| In he streets, on the side walks, on the
! cars. in the restaurants. men shed their
coats and looked ready to bite the head
| off any one who dared so much as to raise
! his eyebrows in objection. Park benches,
even those in sunny spots, were filed all
day long with folks who We're exhausted
| and wanted rest, evt n though il was a
| hot rest
One of the more cheering sights OF tho
| day was disi laveu h. iasscrs-Dy in Park
! row a little after noon. A very solemn,
! fat reporter came down out of a news
| paper Office with camera and a Their
! mCmeer. He wandered about the open
space, disconsolateIy and drppingly look
! ing for the hottest spot. After a while
! he found u handy place near the Franklin
| monument which seemed to be the focus
| Of more sun rays than any other. There
| he sclemnly set up the thermometer, waited
| until the mercury refused to rise any higher
and then photographed the record. Then
| solemnly ard dripringIy he retired TO the
| picture department of his newspaper.
A few minutes later another young
man. from rival newspaper, appeared In a
| secluded spot in William street near the
Bridge arches and likewise produced a
Thermometers. He. however produced .
| match which he lighted and held under the
| bulb of the thermometer while another re-
porter with a camera took "a picture. Thus
| are "bcats" scored by the truly great.
| The horses felt the effects of the heat
| great deal more than most men, presume
! ably because the horse had not the average
| mans freedom and opportunity TO shirk
| his work. The strongest and sleekest OF
| the contractors teams painted and trem-
| blei like the sknni"st ramshackIr bare
| bones in huckatcrs cart. The firemen
! at all the engine and hook and ladder houses
| throughout the city did what they could
to mitigate the suffering CT the horses
At every fire house a small hose was at
tachcd to the hydrant and group Of cheer
full young volunteers relieved the fremen
of the task OF refreshing the tired animals