Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-02
RELIEF FROM THE HEAT
Temporary Let Up in Sizzle
and Saturation.
BUREAUS CHEEKY MESSAGE
Respite of Several Days Predicted by
Prognosticator.
RECORD OF RECENT HOT TIME
The Local Temperature at High Alti-
tude and Humidity Of Most
Oppressive Variety.
RECORD OF RECENT HOT TIME

This cheering assurance comes from Of
dcial sources, and will be particularly graf
fying news to the thousands OF people Of
this city who since last Thursday morning
have suffered and sweltered, and complain
ed and said things that should not be pub
lished, about such time OF extreme heat
as has not pestered the residents Of Wash
ington for long period.
Although the official thermometer at the
weather bureau is said to have certain ad-
vantages of location. breezy altitude and
comfortably cool surroundings not possible
to ordinary, commonplace, overworked and
unofficial instruments that mount and sizzle
and scare onlookers, way down on Penn
sylvania avenue, statement of how the
hot time was recorded In the official cupola,
Is interesting as showing what truly hot
time it has been in the old town for sew
eral days and nights past.
The season of slZZle and satura tion-for
the humidity kept pace with the tempera-
ture-began last Thursday. when the ther-
mometer in charge of the weather doctors
registered 90 degrees. Friday the hot sea-
son was emphasized when "a was recorded,
and everybody thought that to be enough,
nut the official stew.ng point was reached
saturday, when 95 degrees was touched at
the NJ street source of weather inform l.
tion and indications. Yesterday SO de-
Srees the highest, but people were so
Exhausted by the experience OF three pre-
ceding days that little difference of six
degrees in temperature seemed to amell-
crate the general discomfort In no degree
whatever. Citizens who slept fairly well
last night and those who declared it was
too sutry to do so unite in the statement
that 1t was not a good time for rest and
preparation for Monday tasks. and viii
join in the general chorus of congratulatlon
that the hot wave, partially broken today.
will have its back so effectually cracked
w. l.; so,, fatly fnr Cayr-
eral days at least. will enjoy moderate
weather.
Thermometer Readings
The official record of temperature for to-
day is somewhat encouraging. and was, at
o'clock this morning, so degrees. at ii
O'Clock, Sc; at noon, So. and at O'Clock
this afternoon, so.
The temperature registered today by At
heck's standard thermometer was as fol-
lows: 8 am. SO; II noon, "a; pm, 81.
Temperature recorded by Feast CO. 8
standard thermometer today was: al
49, u noon. SO; pm, 50.
Ice Famine Declared.
The situation as regards the supply of
ice to Washingtonians IS still regarded as
serious. The deficiency of n nuch-needed
supply is particularly felt when the mer-
curry hovers at between So AMI 100 degrees
Fahrenhelt. intense SuHerlU3 mas UeeIl
caused to the poor of the city as result.
The ice famine is on in Washington, and
those who are in a position to know say
that It is due entirely to .he want of fore
sight of the managers OF the American
Ice Company, to whom the bulk of the
people look for their daily supplies of ice.
The famine is not as bad as it might be,
1t Is true, because the American company
bought the output of several Of the Ice
making plants, and have a thousand or
more tons of Ice on hand al the ice storage
houses of Chaplin & Sacks but this ice
cannot be handled fast enough to get 1t 70
the distributing depots, and the consequence
is for the past forty eight hours about half
the orders for ice have remained unil!ed
and much trouble and loss have been
caused thereby.
From all over the city come complaints
that the ice company has failed to furnish
the usual daily supply. and even where the
Ice has been delivered it came several hours
late allowing milk and provisions to spoil
In the refrigerators of the housekeepers At
the main distributing stations of the Amer
lean Ice Company, at the wharf foot OF
9th street southwest, there has not been a
pound of Ice in storage for several days
Some little ice is being brought down
from the uptown storage plants, but it is
sold as fast as it comes In. Yesterday aft
ernoon and again this morning there were
long lines of people with baskets and
daily supply. To every one who applied
o-cent piece was given In order to make the
little ice on hand last as long as possible
Excursionists Get Less.
The excursion steamers which get sew
eral tons of Ice each day had their orders
either cut in half or turned down entirely.
Yesterday several of the steamers stopped
at Alexandria and obtained partial supplies
there, but as the Alexandria ice men are
holding on to the supply they have to pro-
tect their local trade, this source of supply
is very uncertain and is but small at the
best. dealer from this city went to Alex.
dria yesterday and offered the Mutual Ice
Company $1,000 per ton for ten tons nor
day until the shortage In the ice supplv in
this city Is relieved, but the offer was re-
fused.
The ice situation in this city is critical
and seems to be growing worse dailv Iast
week the officials of the American Ice Com
pany assured the public through the Star
that they would be able to control the dir
nation ,l ION ana that there would be no shortage
IN the Ice supply. in spite Of this assur-
ance the Ice shortage is here and is being
seriously felt all over the city.
There is some prospect of relief, for a
at sea. the schooners Alice Holbrook and
Van Brunt arrive here. According TO cal
culations as to the average run of ice
laden vessels. the first named schooner
should arrive here about the 5th or 9Th of
this month. She will bring about j. 900
tons-less than a days supply The van
Brunt should be here early in next week
with 1890 tons aboard, and three other
vessels are said TO be loading for this
port.
Those who keep IN touch with the ice
business say that all this shortage of ice
could have been avoided had vessels been
chartered early in the season. as they
have always been done heretofore, to bring
Ice here. but the managers of the ice COM
pany believed that with the manufactured
Ice in storage, and what was being made
daily by the plants-about S51 tons-the
situation could be taken care Of They
did not take into calculation the time re-
quired to handle this ice and get it in the
wagons ready to send to the consumers
This Is said to be the cause Of the greater
part of the ice shortage.
The Home Ice Company Is now making
about fifty tons of Ice daily. and In some
weeks this amount viii be increased to
nearly one hundred tons.
Aa an examnla of the unurof7f aa,le h,,si-