Evening star., 1940-07-27

a slight relief from Tuesdays rain
storm. is now approaching the same
limits. In the event the hot spell
continues, some curtailment, such
as cutting down lawn watering, may
be required.
u. w. Holton, superintendent of
the District Water Department, said
consumption Of 145 GOT 900 gallons
Monday in the District was probably
a record. For the last few days con-
sumption has varied between $780,
100000 and 100000, 900 gallons a day
against an average of between 10O,-
100000 and 100000 gallons.
The heat is also slowing up work
on District construction jobs, ac-
cording to Chief Clerk Guy Pearson
of the Engineer Department. While
no contractors have appealed for
extended time on account of the
heat, Mr.. Pearson said on the basis
of past experience some such re-
quests probably would be made He
pointed out that gangs in sewer con-
struction and water main laying
were particularly susceptible to the
intense heat.
Mr.. Pearson said efforts were be-
ing made to encourage consumption
of salt by the laborers and that
experiments in heat-resiSting meth
DDS were being conducted with at
least one gang.
Despite the heat, scientists at
the Bureau of Standards went
ahead with work they were doing
testing the fire-resisting properties
of concretes Blocks were subjected
to temperatures ranging up to 1000
degrees.
A distressing note crept into the
city's life when police wiped their
brows and started out to hunt for
the thieves who stole two radiators,
weighing 300 pounds apiece. from
the home of George Simon at 1924
Fourteenth street NV.
Maryland and Virginia were shar-
ing the same kind of weather Dis
trict residents received. In Balti-
more, the mercury reached l0l de-
grees, while in Richmond, it was
90 The high in Virginia was DAN
ville's 10l.
In Farmville, Va. passersby es-
capped injury when a thermometer
feet high-which had been set
in the sun in a warehouse window
reached l35 degrees and exploded.
1t wasn't possible to get an Off
cial reading for that town. The
weather observer had taken his
family and motored out of town to
escape the heat.
State officers in Richmond closed
early and the Newport News Ship
building and Dry Dock Co. called
off all. but emergency work today.
Maryland, where temperatures
ranged from IS to 101 degrees,
counted 10 dead from drowning in
nine days.
A severe electrical storm struck
New York City as the mercury
skidded q degrees in two hours.
Earlier in the day the temperature
there reached 94.3 degrees, the high
est this year.
A 51a inch rain caused widespread
damage to crops, railroad facilities
and other property in Northeastern
Iowa.
A thunderstorm at Ellis and a
terrific wind and dust storm at
Salina marked the breakup of the
heat wave in Northwestern Kansas.
Kansas was the hottest State in
the Union yesterday. The mercury
hit lO7 at Dodge City, 104 at Wichita
and Concordia and 100 at Lebo.
Amarillo, Tex, sweltered in 104 de-
gree heat. The temperature reached
1O3 at Phoenix and Yuma. Ariz.. and
at Raleigh. N c.; 101 at Springfield,
Ohio; 100 at Moline and Peoria, Ill.
Most Eastern and Gulf States had
temperatures in the high nineties.
A heat-stricken horse collapsed on
the Pennsylvania Railroad tracks in
Philadelphia yesterday. Three thou
sand perspiring commuters were deS
layed nearly an hour.