Evening star., 1925-06-06
RELIEF FROM HEAT
MONDAY FORECAST;
DEATH TOLL IS 239
"Air Blockade" Over Nation
Breaks on Northwest.
Turn Gradual.
THOUSANDS OF WORKERS
HERE ABANDON OFFICES
All U. S. Departments Closed at
O'Clock and Business
Houses Suspended.

The Scorching Bermuda high that
has held Washington and the entire
East in it's withering embrace for a
week reached its zenith late yester-
dav and is now slowly diSintegrating
before a flank attack of the cool at
mospheres that tried in vain to break
through from the northwest and have
now finally found weak spot in the
heat waves far northeastern edge.
the Weather Bureau announced to-
day.
So strongly We're the tropical pres
Sures entrenched, however, that II
will be at least late Monday before
there is any appreciable change in
the temperature here. Today is eX-
pected TO equal yesterdays new record
of 100 degrees, and if the thermometer
succeeds in reaching only SO degrees
the present torrid spell will smash
all records for duration at any time
of the year.
Showers Tuesday.
Possible cloudiness and thunder
showers the latter being only re
motely likely at present. may lower
the temperature tomorrow, but the
forecaster here predicted that the
change will be almost unappreciable
in Washington before Monday night
and more probably early Tuesday
The prediction is definitely for thun-
tierstorms Tuesday. During the first
few days of the break local tempera'
lures will remain above normal, but
will slowly give way to complete nor
melcy by the latter part of next week.
In the meantime. Washington faced
another day of sitting heat today.
When the Weather Bureau opened for
business at S o'clock the mercury had
already climbed to 81 degrees and
shortly before II o'clock had climbed
to 96, with the prospect of equallirS
the 96la of Yesterday within few
minutes Baltimore. only So miles
away. opened up at 81. which is be
lieved To he the highest temperature
ever recorded so early in the day eass
Of the Moiave Desert.
All L. =. Offices Close.
Every Government department In
Washington was ordered closed al l
O'Clock today. and many of the city S
private business interests are prepar-
ing to quit business shortly after that.
Thousan nds of workers. unable longer
To bear the smothering temperatures
of their offices, will be given the
afternoon to go to their homes or
nearby resorts and reCuperate from
the gruelling physical test of the past
week. with the hope that by the time
they return Monday the thermometer
will have dropped enough to make
life little more bearable, at least.
Washington recorded its first death
from the heat yesterday. The victim
was Adeline Harris. colored, SO years
old. of 2225 Ninth street. She was
unconscious when taken TO the hos
pital after collapSing in front of her
home. and died before rest orativeS
could be administered. Physicians at
F'reedmen's Hospital. where she was
taken in private automobile. declared
death was undoubtedly due 10 heat
prostra ton.
Four Others Frustrated.
Four other persons were prostrated.
They gave their names as Edward
Hit. 635 Fourteenth street northeast;
George r. Vail, 1906 NJ street; Daniel
Sittle, member of the Fire Depart
ment. and Dane Davis, colored, 1887
Vermont avenue. Davis was over
come while working in the ordinarily
coCl Geological Gardens. Mr.. Vail was
the only one of the four seriously
affected and physicia at Georgetown
critical today.
Many inSta nceS of persons suffering
from the heat who were able to walk
10 hospitals and drug stores were re-
ported to the authorities yesterday. A
number became faint in their places
of employment and were either treated
on the spot or taken TO hospitals in
private automobiles. None of these
proved serious. however. and after re.
Ceiving first aid treatment sufficiently
recovered to make their way home
without assistance.
The official forecast from the Wealth.
er Bureau this morning would give
little encoura cement to- the reader. 1t
predicts continued warm and most
fair weather east of the Mississippi
River during the next SO hours. with
prOba bility of local thundershowers
and somewhat lower temperature on
Sunday in New England and por-
tion of the interior of New York. -
The latter promise does not hold good
for Washington and this section be-
fore Monday or Tuesday" however.
Barometer Dropping.
But it is this prophecy for New
England that makes the hope for re-
lief early next week highly proba BILE
The low preSSures that came down
from the North early in the day and
gave the Far West unusually cool
weather Travelled all the way TO the
Mexican border in their efforts to
break mp the intrenched Bermuda
high" that had consolidated itself east
Of he Missouri River. Failing utterly
they began skirting the high hot
atmSspheres and started moving off
into the North Atlantic.
Scarcely had they reached the
southeastern Canadian coast, how
ever, when the barometer slowly be
gan to drop here and elsewhere in
The swelterinG East. The baromet er
dropped a tenth of an inch here by
last night, and on the extreme east
rrH edge of the high pressure, al
liorta. in the Azores. il had fallen
half an inch this morning. Simul
taneously Canadian cities began re-
porting rapidly falling temperatures
Belle Island leading with the mercury
at 2 degrees below freezing.
This means, thef Weather Bureau
said that the cooler atmospheres have
found weak spot on the northern
edge Of the Bermuda high" and thar
it has begun to disintegrate. Thunder
showers will increase as these COO
winds cut Z wide trough dowr
through New England and into the
Middle Atlantic States. of whici
Washington is part. The speed with
fCortiu,Ied IN PAGE 2 Column 61