Year: 1866




Untted States tBRItOOn) Gone TO Smash.


The pecuharities of the weather usually afford
material for goodhumored raillery to those
whose business 1t is to "wrlte it up,n and so
long as its effects ore seen only IN cessation OF
hosuhtessamong the bulls and bears of Broad
street. or in the occasional eccentIicites OF sane
people elsewhere, the theme is one legitimate
enough Tor the exercise of the small wit OF re-
porters and they do well to work the field for
il needs developing, but when men and women
are being stricken down in the street as by a
plague, and when even the shelter OF ones roof
ls not security against sickness or death from
the intense heat, the subject ceases TO be o
merry one. ... %


The column and half devoted in Yesterdays
I1mts to the record OF deaths and prostratOn
from coup de s0eu sufficiently alarming to
nervous people to make then pray earnestly,
however long out OF practice, for change OF
weather, and II is only because the weather has
CHANGED that we dare to write even cheerfulIy
about 1t. Anent this praying for q change of
weather, there is story told OF two sailors, who
cast away at sea, had managed to preserve their
lives for few hours upon a raft, but being with
out tood the storm still raging, and no land in
sight, they gave up hope, and concluded that it
was time to pray, which one of them is said TO
have done in this fashion:-


30 Lord! look down with an eve of compass
sion upon two poor devils ahoat We're not like
the land lubbers that worry you every day; we
never bothered you before since we were babbies
and you'll never hear 4 from us again if you only
save US lust this once, o Lord J"


Never for moment venturing to hint that
there is any such moral obliquity in this Chris
tian community, it is true withal that this hot
spell brought quantity OF prayers out of people
not addicted to that kind OF elocution. Whether
q result of this eleventh-hour repentance or
not, the comforting breeze which heralded in
the morning yesterday was the most welcome
visitor New York has known for many years.


Indeed it might be sad without fear of con-
Tadiction, that its presence gave more universal
JOY than did any great OF long-talked-ot event
in our memory, not excepting the visit of the
Prince of Wales, when, as a marrageabe young
man, be awoke the palpitatlons of fair bosoms
In Fifth avenue, or as q young person of very
small brains he stirred to eulogistc depths our
city sages and men OF science, or as Prince he
reused the loyalty which ME hi have starved at
home had it not come here to be better fed, or
as sensation when he occasioned the sponta-
Ieous combustion OF the crowd generally.


1t was glorious breeze, and everybody
congratulated every other body when they met
on the stairs or on the street. Windows were
thrown open and Venetian blinds flung to the
wall; carpets might fade or curtains swallow the
dust, but the breeze must have les way.
Such was the immense relief, although the
Thermometer had not vet got under 80 degrees
in the shade, that we even saw grave business
men shake each other convulsively by the hand
IN crooks bar:room, eXclaimlng, 81 say, old
fellow, this is Jolly; let's have another" This
conversation was overheard on passing through
from Nassau to Printing House square. 1t is
convenient to pass that way sometimes. 1t is O
near cut. This explanation may be considered
superfuous, but everybody does not know rhat
reporters never drink in business hours. Let
the whole wolld grow wise,


So, even with the thermometer at 80 degrees,
such was the change from the fearfully oppres-
sive atmosphere which preceded it, that people
felt comparatively satisfied with temperature
under which they bad groaned but a week
before. Some thought thai the hot spell would
blow quietly away in this fashion, and that the
wind would edge round eastwise aud bring us
rain. But the weather-wise they thought other
wise. They said (that is the old people, not the
phllosophers) that none OF your summer zephyrs
are going to restore the atmospheric equili-
brium. You are in for blow, and a big one.
Whereupon more of the nervous people began
to support themselves against the coming blow.


e." THE TORNADO.


About noon huge piles OF clouds began to rear
themselves to wind ward in fantastic shapes
along the horizon from east to west. AS they
approached the zenith The breeze freshened con-
sideraby until near o'clock, when there was
sudden lull, followed by vivid stream of light
the first flash OF the impending battle. The
thunder peal had scarcely rolled away when the
wind came down with terrible energy, doing
more sweeping in breathing time than the
Board of Health have been able to screw out OF
the Commissioners of Streets in month. Up
town the sight was truly startling. From the
Park gate, at which the writer stood when the
tornado first struck the island, 1t seemed tina
our Empire City had suddenly met the fate
Sodom and GomorTah-which God forbid
whether she deserve it or no. The electric fire
seemed veritabiy, to rain down upon her, so in
cessant were the flashes rushing in forked lines
from zenith to nadir, and as the wind tore north
ward the dust arose in dense brown clouds,
wheeling and towering like the smoke Of con.
hagration.


On il came, as If wall of cloud which might
at any moment burst and disclose within its
boundaries a burning city. On came the tor
nado, wrenching of window-Shutters, rolling
over ash-barrels, whirling up awnings, wrench
ing the roofs of plebelan shanties when it
caught hold of the vulgar things, chasing human
nature IN every direction in search of shelter
and causing state OF commotion along the
avenues generally that would bave been highly
edifylng to professors of dancing and calisthe-
MICS, or TO the witty person who said lately that
since the last Improvement in hoopskirts we
saw much more of polite society.


BALLOON IN ITS DEATH FURRY.


The writer had been invited to partake of a
few mouthfuls of fresh air with some friends in
the car of loves balloon, thousand feet or so
amphltheatre early in the afternoon, in time as
he supposed, for his aeIated lunch. He found,
however, that owing to certain eccentricities of
the conveyance which was 20 bring him 10 the
skyparlor, il was thought prudent 10 postpone
the trip, and to be contented with Doyle's bal.
loon-punch and another popularity of that per-
son which develops itself in pie. There had
been three ascents before the writer arr we'd, in
one OF whlch-the last one of the morning
Miss Maggie Mitchell had distinguished herself
in detEa Temps with Harry Lesie-not on the
tight rope, by any means She went up with
him, accompanied by an old lady relative
Things in the upper air, however, got even too
stirring for Maggie, as the premonitory svmp-
toms OF the coming hurricane began to show
themselves.


Leslie, who is a skilful eronaut gave the
signal for return and the cables were hauled in
and the balloon landed in safety not however.
before taking the top of a flagstaff at one end nj