Evening star., 1940-07-31
Weather
Continued From First Page.)

Gated there was little hope OF relief.
Temperatures were far above nor
NAL in most of the continent east
of the Rockies. Waynoka, Okla,
was the hottest spot yesterday, with
temperature of lot degrees. Vio-
lent thunderstorms struck the New
England coast last night.
In Quincy, Mass, a Goodyear
blimp was f1attened in a storm and
$4,000 worth of helium escaped.
Lightning caused dozens of fires in
the New England area.
Prominent Clubwoman Dies.
Those whose deaths were believed
to have been caused by heat strokes
here yesterday were:
Mrs. E. Gratten Kerans, 81, of
1905 Kennedy street NV, a promi-
nent clubwoman, who died at Sibley
Hospital. Her doctor said she was a
heat victim.
Mrs. Ruth E. Burke, "A, of 5204
Western avenue. Chevy Chase, Md,
wife of dental surgeon, who died
of heart attack said to have been
brought on by the heat.
Grover Dulin, 81, of 824 Eighth
street NV, pronounced dead at
home by an Emergency Hospital
ambulance doctor. Coroner A. Ma
gruder Macdonald said he was a
heat victim.
Isaiah Ruffin, 81, colored. of 1928
Twelfth street NV, who died sud-
denly of what appeared to be a
heat stroke. An autopsy was sched-
uled today.
Fisherman Drowned.
The latest drowning victim was
Eugene Thompson, 25, of Cottage
City, Md, who was drowned off
Breezy Point, Md, about a mile
from shore. State Policeman C. S.
Schleuter said Mr.. Thompson was
in boat fishing with his wife and
two friends, Broadus Weaver, 80,
and Miss Esther Scott.
Mr.. Schleuter said the others in
the boat told him Mr.. Thompson,
who could not swim, apparently de-
cided suddenly to cool off and
jumped into the water. Just as his
wife was climbing back into the
boat after a swim.
Mrs. Thompson, who is % years
old, and Mr.. Weaver jumped into
the water after him. She grasped
her husbands hair. but he went un-
der. Efforts to find his body were
futile
The high temperatures yesterday
brought another stoppage of work
in many Federal departments. En-
ployes in virtually every non-air-
conditioned Office were released dur
ing the afternoon.
Showers Elsewhere.
Elsewhere showers brought a well
come respite from intense heat in
scattered sections of the Nation, but
apparently provided only tempor-
ary check on torrid temperatures.
Indianapolis was blistered by
102 02.9-degree heat. 1t was the hot
test July 80 there in 81 years. A
heavy rain sent the temperature
down to Is late last night.
Temperatures of 100 or more were
plentiful in Missouri, Kansas and
Oklahoma. Topeka, Kans., sizzled
in 105-degree heat. Other Kansas
hot spots were Pittsburg, Wichita
and Dodge City-all with 104 read
ings. Enid and Ponca City, Okla,
reported 103.
The violent tnunderstorms which
struck the New England coast last
night cut % degrees off tempera-
lures which had reached 94.6 earlier
In the day at Boston. Winds up to
As miles an hour uprooted hundreds
Of trees, unroofed houses and barns
and leveled power and communica-
ton lines. Lightning also caused
damage near Uniontown, Pa.
Mercury Drops in New York.
The mercury fell II degrees after
a thunderstorm last night in New
York City, but the humidity-69-
kept the metropolis perspiring. At
Nashville, Tenn, the temperature
dropped 20 degrees from a high of
95 as showers doused the city. Other
parts of the South also were IA
vored by cooling rains.
Scattered showers brought relief
to Nebraska and sent temperatures
down to normal in New Mexico. Lake
Michigan breezes routed sitting heat
In the Lakeshore regions of Wis
consin, Illinois and Indiana.
st. Louis residents, plagued by the
prolonged heat wave, learned from
the Weather Bureau that despite the
torrid spell this July was the coolest
! there since 1929 with one eynentio,,