The New York herald., 1921-10-03
EXCESS HEAT WAVE
IN U.S.s14 MONTHS
Whole Earth Recovering From
Natural Phenomena of
Destruction.
1898 ERUPTION RECALLED
Years Disasters Have Spread
Drought, Famine and Death
All Over World.

somo human diagnosticians might call
a severe attack OF meteorological
mumps. 1t has been accompanied, ac-
cording to the Associated Press. by an
intermittent fever, manifested in a
worldwide heat wave of unusual length
and intensity. In spite of crises and
relapses - earthquakes. tidal waves.
cloudbursts, typhoons. waterspouts, hail
storms, floods and hurricanes In many
widely separated parts from KANT
chatka to Cape Hon and fom Guam to
Gnadalupe-the doctors are confident
the patient will recover
Meanwhile the United States for the
last year has been suffering chiefly
from an excess OF high temperature and
deficiency of moisture, a condition
unprecedented in the fifty years his
tory of the Weather Bureau. From
January l to September 22 last the tenn
perature Of New York city. which is
typical of the country. has shown an
aggregate excess of warmth of 96O de-
grees above normal. while there has
been a shortage ,of Gil inches in rain
fall -,
| The greatest amount of September
precipitation was sin 1882, when more
than 14la inchess FELL, and the least for
that month occurred two years later
with only ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Of an inch.
Heat Wave First IN fo2O.
The persistent higher temperatures,
for which a number of speculative ex-
plantations Have been given began in
August, 1926. and for the succeeding
l twelve months there was an average
monthly, excess above normal of 34 de-
fgrees. March, 1921, an unusually warm
spring month, had an excess average
of ,1oS Degrees The first slight break
IN the record occurred last August,
which was slightly below normal.
Some time before the present phe-
nomenon the nine months. BEGINNING In
October. 1913. and ending In July. 1919
the average monthly temperature was
I'd degrees above normal This was
a record until sunspots. sea bottom up
heayals or other Hypothetical causes
sent the mercury still higher. The high
est average temperature ever reco ded
IN this country for March, weather Of
ficials SAY. was 4S.3 in March, 1921.
The average temperature for April.
l9Zl-55 degrees-was the warmest for
that month in half century. May and
June were not unusual but july passed
ell records for the preceding eleven
years. curious freak of the weather
/ in America for the week ending Sep
tember 22 was that while every section
or the country from Bismarck, N. D.,
TO Halifax. ana from Phoenix, ArIz
to Miami, Fla, was suffering from alb
normally high temperatures large areas
In Wyoming. Montana. Oregon and Ne
vada were having freezing nights.
Eruption i'm 1883 Recalled.
] Weather Bureau officials hero 10.
siined to discuss the possible connection
between the present high temperatures
and disasters of nature in many parts
4 OF tho world. 1t was recalled, how
ever, that when the volcanic eruption
ot krskatoa, small island in the MALAY
Archipelago in the Sunda Strait, between
Sumatra and Java, occurred in the sum-
Iner of 1888, the most violent of its
| Kind in modern times. two-thirds of the
island was blown away, 10000 persons
perished and a tidal wave propelled itself
as far as the English Channel On this
occasion dust from the volcanic ashes
was carried around the world and for
days. in many parts, cool Temperatures
prevailed owing to the obstruction OF
the suns rays. Some of the dust from
lkrakatoa was suspended In layers in
the upper atmosphere for years.
Now. whether the worldwide heat
wave Is due TO some terrible paroxysm
OF nature, such as volcanic action in
some remote region of the earth or seis-
mic upheaval in the depths of some un-
known sea, or whether IL is due to
sunspots or come other cause, Is entirely
| problematical
1t is only as recently as last December
10 that scientists We're cudgelling their
Trains to solve the mystery of an earth
quake estimated to have been "2,so0
miles from Washington" few days
! later news came of an earthquake in
| far-off Kan-su Province, China, four
times that distance. in which 1000 per-
| sons perished. The explanation given
was that there probably had occurred
two distinct shocks. each widely sepa-
rated. and from that day to this seis-
mologists speak of the lost" earthquake.
The present temperatures may be duo
| to Il.
List OF Great Phenomena.
1t is fact. however. that whatever
the cause, this terrestrial ball has been
subjected of late to rough usage, not
withstanding that the war is over. A
glance back at some recent disasters
and natural phenomena shows the fol-
lowing:
Two million Coreans starving in Man
churia owing 70 drought-ruined crops
Three hundred buildings wrecked and
many killed by. hailstorm and water
spout at Baez, Cuba.
Three volcanoes. Villarica, Llaima and