New-York tribune., 1919-07-05
Ciity's Hottest
Jul y 4 Drives
Out Thousands
Country and Seaside Resorts
Crowded by Exodus From
City as Thermometer Re
cords 90; ManyProsirased

The hottest Independence Day ever
recorded by the Weather Bureau in
this city drove almost the entire popu-
lation into the country or to the
/ beaches yesterday. At 2:30 p. IN. the
official mercury reached its highest
point, SO degrees.
The mean temperature Of the day
mean meaning also average-was SO de-
grccs. At o'clock in the morning the
thermometer said it was II degrees hot,
| the coolest time of the day. The hu-
midity was not to blame, as it was nor
NAL.
The previous hottest Independence
Day was in 1911, when SO degrees were
! suffered. The weather man said that
it would be warm to-day. but that to.
night would bring, slightly cooler
weather. At sundown yesterday the
thermometer registered 80 degrees.
Prostrations we're few, partly BE-
cause nearly every one appropriated h
fire escape or some neighboring tree
PcdcStriani5m was never 30 neglected
as yesterday.
From before dawn until dusk people
vent away from here. At first, when
the hours were small. they departed
by hundreds. At dawn thousands were
scurrying away from the smell of the
softening asphalt. By o'clock it
up OF the aged, infrm and 4 few work
crs Everything that ,adiated from
the hot hub of a city was kulging
Numerical estimates Of even the rounn
numbers of holiday seekers were open
only to expert accountant at O'Clock
Hosts Flock to Coucv
principal attack. By 10 o'clock the sand
on the beaches showed shimmering
white IN few patches as hundreds OF
thousands wooed relief from the heat
and got sunburn.
The need for greater transportation
to Coney Island grew as the mercury
bounced upward and traffic managers
Of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit began
concentrating rolling stock on the
roads to the beach, The Sea Beach
subway and the Brighton Beach ele-
waited were the most popular with the
air hungry thousands.
Brighton line trains ran on single
minutes Roadway. Cars had been re-
cruited from the corners of barns and
from lines which were quiet and dry
with intra-city traffic. The trains
were made up of sin cars, each accom-
modating between fifty and sixty
seated and that many standing. Sub
way trains for Concy Island slipped
into the West End terminal at two and
three minute intervals. These cars
seated ninety and "stood" even more.
At o'clock old Coney Islanders said
that more than 100000 were revcllng
in the crowded waters or coolly routing
discomfort with much 2.75 There
were only six arrests for intoxcation
at the island yesterday, a new low
Sunday or holiday record.
Mary Duffy, matron at the Concy
Island police station, had no holiday
She had fifty lost children to take
care of and sonsole.
Rockaway Also Popular
and in the numbers to whom it extend
ed succor from the scorchng streets
of the city. The Long Island Railroad
strove perspiringly to take to the
Rockaway breakers the thousands who
clamored to 20. But at 10 O'Clock the
effort was suspended and the ticket
windows were closed, largely because
nobody could go through the train
gates, because everybody seemed
wedged in them. When the congestion
was relieved the ticket sale was re-
sumed.
The train dispatcher at the Pennsyl-
vaniG Railroad terminal announced
that the line was busicr than ever be-
the throngs which choked the term;n H.