Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-22

Forty minutes after the mercury hit
100 degrees at 1890 o'clock for the
maximum of the day, shower, accom-
panied by refreshing breeze, broke
the heat wave in this territory.
BY o'clock the mercury had tumbled
10 degrees. Indications pointed to a
still lower mark before nightfall, with
further showers predicted. With .O3
inch of rainfall from ITO to las
o'clock in Washington and heavy down.
pours in nearby Maryland and Virginia
bringing relief from scorching drought,
the worst of the hot spell since last
Saturday apparently was over.
The heavy thunder shower approach
ing Washington from the North early
this afternoon broke the drought from
which the city and neighboring Mary
land and Virginia has been suffering
for weeks.
Heaviest in Northwest
The rainfall in Montgomery and
Prince Georges Counties was light,
however, and. it is thought, will do little
to relieve the serious water shortage
there.
The shower was most severe in the
northwest corner of the District, while
in some parts of the city no rain fell.
Robert B. Morse, chief engineer of
the Washington Suburban Sanitary
Commission, which supplies suburban
Maryland with water, said he would not
be able to say definitely just how much
the rain helped the water situation I'M
til he heard the extent of precipitation
on the water shed from which the
Northwest Branch flows, feeding into
the reservoir at Burnt Mills
Tomorrow will be fair and cooler" in
Washington, the Weather Bureau re-
ported. General shifting winds, be-
coming moderate northwest tonight"
Rain this afternoon or tonight will
greatly help the water situation in
Montgomery County, with its $4,000
population, who have been put to some
inconvenience by necessary curtailment
of use during the worst of the heat.
Nearby sections in Virginia also are suf.
fering from the worst drought in recent
years.
StenOgraphers Faint.
AS early as 1915 o'clock this morn.
ing, F. A. Birgfeld, chief clerk of thl
Treasury Department, reported that gili.
StenographerS were fainting at their
work. AT that time complete reports OF
the number of girls so stricken had nol
been totaled, but Mr.. Birgfeld said
IleIe were d SOOQ HuHlCeE. Az Ills
same time the temperature on the TOP
floor of the Treasury Building was how
erlng between SO and 81 degrees and
the architects and craftsmen working
there were striving Valiantly to pro.
tect their drawings and tracingS against
ruin from dropping perspiration.
Birgfeld told The Star that if he had
full authority he would have closed up
all Offices in the department as a "hu.
on
nomic one. He believes that if the de-
partmental employees were dismissed
during the current hot spell they would
be better able to perform their duties
with dispatch when the heat breaks.
When it was learned the temperature
had tumbled three points at noon, being
81 degrees, compared with 100 yester-
day, the War and Navy Departments
followed the suit of the Labor Depart
ment in holding their employees on duty.
This was in anticipation of a break"
in the intensity Of the heat wave later
in the day.
The State Department and Treasury
Department were two that closed at
noon and 1890 for all employees AS
yesterday, the District Building closed
at l o'clock for the remainder of the
day.
In Temporary Building No. s. where
the temperature registered 81 degrees
at noon, all clerks were excused fC the
day. These were employees of the Blu
reau of Navigation, Steamboat Inspec-
ton Service and some of the Bureau of
Foreign and Domestic Commerce.
Denies "UnbearabIe' Conditions.
At the Census Bureau temporary
buildings, said to be one of the hottest
places in town, "a persons applieG for
relief at the emergency room yesterday
between 8 and II o'clock, at which
hours the employees were dismissed At
noon the temperature in the building
was reported to have been 90 degrees.
The chief clerk said this morning IT,.
none of the heat cases was serious and
disclaimed reports current among en-
ployes that conditions in the building
are "unbearable." Some of the employees,
describing conditions, said young wom-
en- were taken from wrok rooms feet
first" and that in the emergency room
young women applied for relief in such
numbers it was necessary for them to
lie on the floor.
shortage in the metropolitan area of
Prince Georges and Montgomery Coun-
ties was available today following the
completion late last night of a water
connection with the District water Sys-
tenn at Chevy Chase Circle.
The additional water from this
source. and the 100000 to 100000 gall
Ions daily now being obtained through
the connection at Mount Rainier,
coupled with an expected reduction in
the daily water consumption in accor-
dance with an order prohibiting sprtnk-
ling will prevent any shortage, Robert
B. Morse engineer of the Washington
Suburban Sanitary Commission, believed
today.
"As far as we can see there will be
sufficient water for ordinary purposes"