The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-06
HOT WEATHER RECORDS.
when the Most Disastrous Heat Waves
Have Been Experienced.


1t may be taken as q general rule that
human nature especially In the British Isles.
thinks the thermometer has gone quite high
enough for 1t when 1t touches so degrees
Fahrenheit in the shade. while at the time OF
writing 1t has on three occasions exceeded
that figure this month. Therefore, 1t IL quite
Unsuitable TO look upon temperature of 90
degrees as very hot. On Aug. Is. 1893. the
shade maximum in the afternoon was o..
This date. indeed, says the London Daily
Nal. has been described as the hottest day
of the nineteenth century. but the day really
entitled to this proud position was July %.
1885, when 1872 degrees Fahrenheit was reg
istered In the open air.
There are four other dates on which the
next greatest amount Of heat-stihing. suffo-
eating and moro than sufflcins-has been
registered In this country. On July I. 1885,
1858 degrees Fahrenheit Was recorded. the
previous days reading having been 1918:
the 4th OF the same month In the following
wear it was 1917, and ON Aug. II, 1879. lt7
degrees was registered. These facts and
figures give some idea Of what the sun L.
capable Of. And OF the terrific force Of solar
heat the astronomers have given wondering
world as good notion - can be conveyed
by words.
For instance, Sir Robert Ball. who is at
once our greatest astronomer and the most
delightful Of scientific lecturers, has stated
that IL the earth were likened to . grain OF
mustard seed the sun by the same COM
harrison would be as large - q cocoanut,
while the heating power Of . single square
foot OF its surface would be sufhcient II
placed under the boilers Of an Atlantic liner
to enable her to break the record In crossing
tho HERRING pond" II the suns heat wore
maintained by earthly means. In doing so
all the coal In existence would be consumed
In a tenth part OF second!
Another famous astronomer In his day.
the late Richard Anthony Proctor. explained
tho total heat Of the sun in another way. Ac-
cordne to him, 1t was equal to that which
would result from burning something like
twelve billion tons Of coal per second. and It's
heat would ba strong enough to melt not far
abort of three trllion tons Of Ice In an hour.
But of this almost unthlnkable force OF heat
the earth receives but . small proportion
only about one In two thousand millions
Of solar rays.
That man can exist under great heat has
often been manifested, although no ono has
probably demonstrated 1t more clearly than
did q Spsniard on juno a. 1923, In Paris an
ov.n va heated to over 200 degrees Fahren-
heit. and tho man entered this inferno. where
he remained for nve minutes. On emerging
bis pulse was found TO be beating 200 times
in sixty seconds. but few minutes later he
seemed mono tho worse for his experiment.
This was an extreme case. for . heat Of
100 degrees to $50 degrees Fahrenheit would
appear to be the utmost that man can remain
In for any length Of time. In this respect
the men who work In the Constock silver
mines In Nevada-the hottest mines In the
world--are TO be pitied. The shafis and
galleries Of these mines are over $50 miles
in length, are moro than 5000 feet deep. and
at the 2,7oo feet level the temperature Of the
water is 1853 degrees Fahrenheit and the air
l2e degrees. In another shaft the tempera-
ture rises to ITO degrees. and II Is only possible
for men to work In II for ten or fifteen minutes
at q stretch.
There are other parts OF the world, too.
where the heat. even in the open air. isterrible.
For instance on the deck Of Persian Gulf
steamer 10 degrees Fahrenheit has been
recorded In the morning. while on shore.
at Muscat, a black bulb solar Thermometer
In the sun has registered 1877 degrees. Great
Britain hes once or twios approached this