The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-19
Intense Heat Causes 25OO
 People to Faint
10000 WALK NINE MILES
Police and Red Cross Nurses Have the Busiest Day of Their Lives Look ing After Eiks Who Suffer
 From Great Heat.

Philadelphia, July 1s.--The parade of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks today was marked during it's progress by the prostration from heat of an army of persons estimated by the police and hospital authorities at 25O0 Never has there been such wholesale prostraton of people, and the Red Cross nurses were kept on the run Joking after persons who collapsed under the scorchlng rays of the sun, and largely because of their excel lent service but one case resulted fatally 1 The other stricken persons are said to be in god condition.
 The parade grounds was on Broad street for a distance of three miles north and the same distance south of the city hall. The paraders eountermarched the last three miles back to the city hall, so that they traversed upwards of nine miles, yet few of those overcome by the heat were in the line of march.
 Those who succumbed were among the spectators jammed along the street in d solid mass from one end of the line 60 the other. The temperature lowered near 90 degrees, and the humidity was exces- sve and as a consequence people swell tered.
 20,444 Men In Line. Every attention was given to the spec tators to see that they were protected, but 1t required four hours for the marchers to pass a given point and the eager people stood in the hot sun for two hours or more before the parade started. The total number in the line of march Is conser- Yatively estimated at 20.000 men, with about 125 floats.
 About 100 lodges from cities and towns from the Atlantic to the Pacific partici- pated in the parade. There were ten di- visions, and they were under command of i Grand Marshal John T Sullivan of New | Orleans, grand esquire the Elks. Phtl- l adelphia lodge the host 5f the occasion, had Che right of line. 1900 men. The New York Iodf saSl4 lti3er lcdgcs which marched included those from Gin- cnnati. Indianapolis, Memphis, Wheelins' New Orleans, Fl Paso, Tex. Newburn, N. C., and Florence, s. c.
 The day proved to be one of the hottest of the summer resulting in the prostra- tion of hundreds of persons who were watching the parade. The jam of people was terrifying and the greatest difficulty was experienced by the Worn-out police men in getting the prostrated persons out of the crowds. Fortunately the pros trations as a rule was of q mild char acter, and most of the patients were able to dispense with medical attention after short treatment. Reports showed no fatal cases.
 Storm Relieves Heat.
 The rear of the parade line passed the official reviewing stand at Broad and Chestnut streets at 3;15 D. m., having taken about four hours to pass. The rear portion of the procession still had four miles to march when a storm broke. causing the paraders and crowds to scat ter The storm came quicker than the people could extricate themselves from the surging. struggling crowd, and tens of thousands that stood for hours in the boiling sum- in danger of sunstroke, were soaked to the skin by the rain. With the heavy rain came a cessation of heat prostrations.
 The grand lodge installed It's newly elected officers tonight at which time it was announced that previous session of the State Association of Elks had been given official recognition.
 This decision on the part of the grand lodge settles a fight that had been waged for two years The State association is restricted in its work and may not interfere with executive affairs in the subordinate lodges. Its principal work will be along charitable and fraternal lines