Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-05
HOOVER AND HYDE
/. MEET ON DROUGHT
Department of Agriculture to
Submit Report Monday
.on Effect Of Weather.
Continued From First Pasel

contributing cause OF eight deaths IN the
District last week, as many IS In the
entire year OF 1928, according to sta
tistics made public today by Acting
Health Of1cer Edward j. Schwartz. The
victims included one baby under l year
old, two persons In their thirties, one
In the Mites. two, In the sixties and two
in the eighties.
"a Heat Deaths This Year.
. In the same week last year there was
only one such case. Already this year
there have been "a deaths In which one
Of the major contributing causes has
been the heat, according 70 Dr..
Two local heat prostrations occurred
yesterday. Mrs. Bertha Brown, 80, q
laundress employed at the Pioneer
Laundry on Rhode Island avenue, was
overcome at her work late last night
and taken to Casualty Hospital. She
was unconscious for q while, but was
doing well" today, 1t was said. VIII
liam A. Ban, II years old, Of Chuck.
Tenn, was Frustrated at the tourist
camp In East Potomac Park last night.
He was taken to Emergency Hospital.
All employees of the State Department
who could be spared from their work
were excused at l O'Clock on account OF
the heat. Only few Of the $50 re-
maipsd On duty.
Other departments were considering
early closing. but at noon no orders had
been issued. Employees in the tempo
rary buildings of the Agriculture De-
partment, on Seventh, near B street,
were excused from work in accordance
with a policy that has prevailed on the
hottest days during the present heat
wave.
The continued drought in this section
was emphasized today when more Mary
land cities were put on q restricted wa
ter diet and bitter fight Continued
against the menace of forest fires in the
western end of the State as the mercury
mounted. Two forest fires In the vicin-
ity Of Franconia, Va, raging since Fri
day over wide area, necesSitated the
impreSsment of prison gangs from
Occoquan into IRE fighting service.
Onicial washington was giving
thought to the word brought yesterday
by Louis j. Taber, master Of the Ma
tional Grange, that the drought would
assume proportions of major catas-
trophe unless rain fell within 30 days.
The weather maps, meanwhile, con-
tinued to show no indication Of perma-
nent relief. President Hoover was said
to befviewing the situation with grow
ing concern.
Asks Extension Of Credit.
Some of the relief measures under
consideration involve special low freight
rates to move hay and feed into cattle
growing sections deprived of their nat
ural pasturage. Maximum extension. OF
credit facilities to farmers in the
parched regions also Ia q measure under
consideration. Chairman Legge of the
Federal Farm Board has asked bankers
and business men to extend credit ia
cilities to furnish feed for cattle and
dairy herds. MS appeals reached the
board for aid.
william r. Schilling of the Farm
Board said II important dairy States
had had only So per cent rainfall
during the growing months, not only
damaging crops. meadows and corn,
but decreasing milk production. The
braska, Missouri. Oklahoma, Tennessee.
Kentucky, Arkansas. Michigan. Ohio,
Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, North Dakota
and Minnesota.
Temporarily. at least, Washingtonians
will derive a little benefit from cooler
weather, but the official forecast for
today gave the disconcerting news that
no rain is in sight for several days.
A few drops of rain that fell in the
Bethesda and Chevy Chase districts OF
Montgomery County raised hopes
which the Weather Bureau quickly
dashed. This little sprinkle occurred
during the early morning hours. 1t
also sprinkled q bit in sections of
Washington between and o'clock
this morning. This may have account
ed for q minimum temperature OF 10
degrees early in the morning.
Thermometer Over 80.
The only encouraging word from the
forecaster was to the effect that the
thermometer would not go as high as
yesterdays peak of 1913 degrees at 5
pm. The mercury. however. VIII go
over 90. Registering 70 degrees at 8
o'clock, the mercury was IS at 0 o'clock,
80 an hour later and 81 at 1890 o'clock.
While the water supply for the metro
politan area In Maryland is said to be
holding its own, due to the supply from
the district of Columbia system, the
reports for other Maryland communities
was discouraging An indication of the
drought in the Washington district Is
seen from records which show total
rainfall of only $50 inches during the
entire month Of July. The normal
rainfall, it was said, should be All
inches.
Slightly cooler temperatures are COM
ing on the wings of cool winds original
ing in the Ontario, Canada, district, 1t
was said, but. except for occasional 10
cal showers, so slight as to afford no
relief, the aridity of the section north Of
will continue.
The Weather Bureau was careful to
point out, however, that today's lower
do not mean an end to the
heat wave. 1t will continue hot as far
ahead as the bureau can forecast.
New Maryland Records.
Summer heat records in Maryland.
further restrictions of
water diet. were broken at several
points yesterday. notably Hagerstown,
where l08 degrees was registered. 1t
was 1Ol for three hours In Baltimore.
At Cumberland a drastic curtailment
Of the city's water supply was made
by an ordinance adopted
yesterday by the City Council.
At Annapolis, the State capital, fines
of $40 to $40 are to be imposed on resi-
dents who waste water, the water board
ruled.
Sinking of emergency wells and the
laying of q pipe line q mile and q half
to a stream at Brownsville were con-
sidered by the board.
Several hundred men, continued to
battle forest fires raging along 20
mile front near Cumberland, on Dams
Mountain. More than 900 were drafted
by State police at Homecoming.
At Frostburg authorities began driv-
ing an artesian well and considered
the purchase of several springs.
Late yesterday the forest fires burn
ing In the neighborhood of Franconia,
Va. had spread dangerously near the |
little town Of Acotink. A sudden |
change In the wind yeerine the flames
south, it was said today, would force |
residents on the town outskirts to aban-
don their homes.
A gang of SO prisoners from the |
District workhouse at Occoquan, fought |
the fire at Franconia for six hours |
They succeeded In saving |
.un farm. houses Crnrs Already blasted