Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-17

MANI american history; WaSh1ng-
WV ton. the City Beautiful
" Washington. the mecca of
politicians and patriots, the social
shrine of plutocrats-under all those as
poets Washington Is freely admitted to
fame. But there is still another glory
belonging to the National Capital
resort.
There's no use treating yourself like
geranium and following good wealth
er around the world" said an Irish
man in Boston on his return from Palm
Beach; all you've got to do is to stay
where you are and any kind of wealth
er comes to you"
That is certainly true of Washington
where at present the tonic of cool
weather stimulates one for fall house
cleaning and the winters campaign,
after the repose of a gracious sum-
mer.
Error widely prevails as to the
weather In Washington, particularly in
summertime. In the north Washington
IN summer Is regarded as a place of
terrors. The heat is unbearable, they
aliege. and they refer to official wealth
dred feet above ground, as II the
weather bureau was engaged in some
kind Of diabolical plot to deceive the
country as to the real evil of Washing
ton temperature. which is thus de-
scribed:
IF one may Judge by human feelings,
Washington weather reports under
state the case with official cold blood
least If you take the word of Their
mometers on the street in properly
shaded places they prove the official
thermometers to be unmitigated liars.
that the record in Washington rose.
successfully, 90 degrees. SO degrees and
"a degrees, In order to present to your
self clear picture of what went on dur
ing the three bad days in the middle of
September, you must say to yourself
that every one who walked the streets
and worked in the government offices
was subjected to a temperature of 102
degrees. 1o3 degrees. 1o4 degrees"
Nothing could be farther from the
simple truth Is the statement of the
chief of the weather bureau, Charles F.
Marvin. 1t is fact that the tempera-
ture in Washington is taken at an ele-
walton above the ground of sixty-two
feet. But the temperature in Boston is
taken at an elevation of lis feet, and in
New York city the temperature is taken
at an elevation Of Ala feet.
The reason for taking the tempera-
ture at distance above the ground,
Prof. Marvin explains, Is not to Con
coct" results for or against this or that
place; 1t Is to get in a position where
the air has an unobstructed passage, SO
that conditions unaffected by the acct
dent of high buildings may be deter
mined. New York skyscrapers are a
factor in fixing the height at which
temperature Is taken in New York
city, and that 1t Is taken in Washing
ton at a much lower level, and lower
than in Boston and elsewhere, at once
describes a weather condition favor
able to personal comfort in Washing
ton.
That is, the buildings are low and the
open spaces general and generous, per-
hitting free circulation of air in a
manner superior to the usual run of
icties. Moreover, Prof. Marvin says, on
the authority of his eminent experience
In meteorological science. that 1t is not
a fact-even in Washington-that a
wide discrepancy exists between the
degree Of temperature as measured in
the weather bureau and experienced by
workers and pedestrians down below.
"On a hot day." says Prof. Marvin,
II have over and over again been sur
prised as I myself have measured the
temperature on the street level and
compared 1t with the measure obtained
in the protected station of the weather
bureau. The whole fact of the matter
is that temperature is only one of many
important factors which go to produce
human comfort. In time no doubt
science will be able accurately to de-
termine and to measure those factors,
and it will then be more nearly posi-
/ BILE to compare the advantages or dis
| advantages which different cities offer
as a dwelling place in summertime"
one time by wet bulb records" to de-
| termine the effect of moisture on tenn
perature. The bulb of a thermometer
was wrapped in a wet cloth and the
heat thus affected was recorded. But
that has been abandoned, though ex-
periments .still continue in an effort to
define scientifically the best require
| ments of human comfort In relation to
temperature.
| The asphalt pavement in Washington
| is credited in other cities with ma
terially increasing the discomfort of
Washington summers. 1t is a fact that
pavements hold the heat certain time
after sunset; but the broad streets the
parks all over the city the detached
dwellings,, the uniformly low roof line
permit the free circulation of air, which
| is a great blessing as compared with
the narrow streets of city like Bos-
ton or the towering walls of a city
like New York.
| Humidity. of course. has a great deal