The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-07-10
STRANGE EFFECTS
OF FOREST FIRES
ALL THE NORTHERN ATLANTIC
COAST CITIES ENvELOPED IN A
HAZE OF SMOKE AND FOG.

WASHINGTON, D. c., June ia
pail of dense smoke has settled over
the north and middle Atlantic states
and has obscured city, town and VIII
lage in a somber veil of gray that is
impenetrable. An aeronaut If hover
ing above the national capital today
would see nothing below him but
mass of smoke and fog, the combined
product of the forest fires in New Eng
land, New York, New Jersey and Penn
sylvania. and the Atlantic ocean-the
forest fires contributing the smoke and
the ocean the fog. The combination
has proved anything but pleasing to
the persons upon Nihom it has been in
flcted few of whom were able to eX-
plain just how it came about and why
it was here.
The fact that the forest fires are so
far removed from the district appeared
to make no difference in the density of
the smoke and haze. The streets were
filled with it. The fog penetrated the
very windows and doors of the houses
and brought with 1T the smell of burnt
wood and the irritating smoke. In the
country about the city the fields are
almost obscured and the river Is
blank gray bank at a distance of TWEEN
ty-five yards.
The haze first appeared here yester-
day about noon, when misty veil APP
peared over the sun and the air looked
cloudy without really being so. To-
ward evening the atmosphere seemed
to clear up, however, and it was
thought a fog had appeared and blown
away. But during the night an east
wind blew the moist air from the
ocean, which met cold blast and
promptly condensed into fog. The wind
veered to the northeast and thick
smoke cloud came with it.
All night long the wind blew and the
smoke came, and when the good people
of the District awoke this morning they
found their homes enveloped in a mist
and their neighbors' houses almost en-
tirely obscured from view.
so dense was the smoke in the early
morning hours that objects fifty feet
away were but hazily seen, while the
end of the block was lost in the mist of
| the dense atmosphere. The smoke
cleared slightly during the day-only
! slightly, however, and this afternoon
seems to be almost as thick as ever.
Every gust of the breeze from the
northeast brings with it it's quota of
smoke and fog. The weather bureau
officials can give no hope of immediate
relief. The only thing that can clear
| the atmosphere, they say, is a west or
south wind. A heavy rain might have
some effect, but there would still re-
main some smoke.
Washington is not the only city to
suffer from the reign of smoke, how
ever. New York, Boston, Philadelphia,
Wilmington, Balt,more, Pittsburg, AL
bany and Buffalo are enveloped in the
hcz OF, fpalinu
| the Inconvenience of the unusual con-
ditions even more keenly than is Wash
ington. In Boston the smoke is so
| thick that traffic has been interfered
with in the Streets and the boats in
the bay have almost all been cOmpell-
ed to stop. In the other cities the same
unpleasant effects are being felt.
In New York the sun turned the
smoke clouds into a yellow haze yes
terday, and the atmosphere was so dry
and unpleasant as to cause some little
| physical suffering among the persons
who were compelled to be out in the
streets. The smoke filled the eyes of
the pedestrians and caused tears to
flow and eyeballs to smart. 1t pene-
! trated to the threats and nOstrils, and
| brought on an epidemic of coughing
and sneezing that was most unpIeds-
/ l.
eyes were warned of the inconvenien-
ces they would suffer by the afternoon
newspapers.
1t was in New York harbor that the
most damage was done by the haze.
Here traffic was almost brought to a
standstnl. The tugs were compelled to
glide slowly through the lines of ferry
boats with sirens blowing and fog sig
nails shrieking. The Atlantic liners
picked their WAY very carefully
through the harbor, some of them be-
ing anchored in midstream. The gil
gantic Hamburg American liner Deut-
schland ran aground while passing out
of the harbor. Tugs were sent to her
assistance.
The pail of smoke hung thickly over
the greater part of Long Island and
New Jersey yelling the summer res
orts along the coast. In Philadelphia
much the same conditions prevailed as
in New York, except that the haze ala
not settle down on the city until late in
the afternoon. 1t was first observed in
the morning, when the sun appeared to
be striving to shine through thin
cloud. Later the haze grew more and
more dense until late in the afternoon,
when the sun was obscured and every
thing took on a yellow hue.
The good people of the Quaker city
were at loss to explain the phenome-
ma, ana are said to have kept the wires
TO the fire department headquarters
burning with inquiries as to the where
abouts of the fire. In both Philadel-
phia and New York the smell of burn
ling wood was much more noticeable
than it is here. The haze there was
Ipure smoke, while here there is a gem
ferrous mixture of fog that acts as a
leaven and makes the condition much
more agreeable than smoke alone
Iwould be.
Yesterday afternoon late the thick
haze had descended the coast line as
far as Wilmington, and a slight mist
was seen in Baltimore. This was much
like the mist that WIS nOticed here