Evening star., 1948-08-29
Top Of 98 Due;
Tomorrow NAV
Offer Relief
Shower Is Possibility;
Thousands Poss Night
In Districts Parks

Some relief from the heat was
forecast for the District area to-
morrow after the city had swell
tered through another day yes
terday. Thousands of Washing
tonians took to the parks last
night to escape the heat.
The Weather Bureau, in revised
forecast shortly before midnight.
said today would be hot with the
highest about 98, but tomorrow
would not be so warm and there was
even the possibility of a shower.
Yesterdays high temperature here
was 80 degrees at 4:26 pm.
Two. and possibly three, deaths
attributable to the heat were re-
corded here yesterday with numer-
Gus prostration victims receiving
hospital treatment.
Few Areas Escape Heat.
The intense heat here was
matched by similar weather over
much of the country. An Associated
Press roundup showed 1877 other
deaths due to the heat, mostly from
prostrations. Only the West Coast
and the extreme Northwest portions
Of Minnesota and North Dakota
escaped.
The official hign kere was 80 yes
terday but many unofficial readings
OF well over 100 were recorded. 1t
vas the hottest August 23 on record
here, topping the previous high of g..
Park Police reported cars were
lined up solidly last night along
the drives at Hains Point and other
Of the city's parks also were
crowded.
1t was estimated that most Of
the night crowd has been staying
out to 2 to 3 am during the hot
spell. but the number of all-night-
ers runs into the thousands, the
police said
On Hains Point news pho
tographer had difficulty finding a
place to park while swapping the
"campers-out."
Many of those in the parks we're
dressed in sun suits or swim suits
and were stretched out on blankets
under the stars in an attempt to
cool off.
Biggest hope for substantial re-
lief was the possibility that the
hurricane off Florida might turn TO-
ward the coast and suck cool air
south from Canada. pulling the hot
air lowering over Washington and
the eastern States before 1t. But
the hurricane was reported to be
about 500 miles off the coast last
night and moving slowly.
A patch of Cold air was reported
in Canada's northwest but it ap-
peared to be moving more eastward
ly than southeast.
Five major cities in the country
had higher official temperatures
than Washington for the 24-hour
period ending at o'clock last night
with l0l, Phoenix with
liz and Richmond, Va, with 100.
The downtown thermometer of the
Weather Bureau in Charleston, w.
Va, registered los degrees yester-
day afternoon. the highest In that
city in l8 years. At Huntington, w.
Va, the mercury hit 1903.
-Four other cities registered 90
Boston. New York. Philadelphia and
Louisville, demonstrating the extent
OF the heat wave.
There was report Of thunder
and tightening at Front Royal. Va,
but no rain.
Washington Heat Casualties.
There were many Washington
heat casualties. Anna Marie Thom-
asson, 56, of 2l4 Massachusetts ave-
nue. NE, died early Saturday from
heart attack plus Fridays heat.
She was found by her husband,
Edwin N. Thomasson, on the bed
room floor of their home and died
at Casualty Hospital.
Margaret Callahan, so, of New
York, collapsed in Union Station
where she had just arrived by train.
She was taken to the station first
aid room and then to Casualty Hos
pltal where she was pronounced
Sac yUC TryFn -.