THE HEAT WAVE TV AMERICA.

Otago Witness, Issue 2683, 16 August 1905, Page 35

THE HEAT WAVE TV AMERICA.

Advices from New York dated July 18 state: "An era of oppressive heat that brings to mind with unpleasant vividness the record-breaking summer of 1901 has settled down over the Eastern and New England States, already numbering hundreds amongst its victims, • and ■ causing "Indescribable suffering- -to thousands in this and other cities. To-day *all rocords* for fetunmer were broken in point of high temperature, but anereifully "the humidity was correspondingly less. Only for this the .total prostrations and deaths must have been doubled. In New York the suffering was intense, especially in' the crowded tenement districts, where scarcely a breath of air relieved^ the stifling atmosphere. It was a busy day for theMiospitals, and ambulances were continually on the streets. Jake Cook, keeper of the* 1 monkey-house at Central Park, famous as an infant trainer, and the Sdol of the children who frequent the zoo, Was among to-day's victims." A report on July 19 states : " The cumulative effect of Ihe .continued torridity of these days was painfully evident in the enormous increase of the number of deaths in New York. While the death roll of yeserday was only 26, that of to-day reached the appalling total of 75, being nearly half of those prostrated. This was almost entirely due to the collapse of young children and aged people, -whose exhausted vitality wae unequal to the strain of further suffering. At 3 o'clock in Jhe afternoon came the long-prayed-for jrelief, when a terrific thunderstorm and a deluge of rain burst over Brooklyn and the lower part of Manhattan and section of JsTew Jereey. In Brooklyn two men were struck by lightning and seriously hurt, and an Jersey City one man was killed. While the storm lasted only a few minutes and left the upper wart of the city untouched the relief was almost instantaneous, and from then on the mercury fell steadily, and a cool breeze springing up sundown gave .en assurance of a comfortable night.

.The Victorian Closer Settlement Board lias decided to recommend to Cabinet the [purchase of two estates in Gippsland. The Valuers were directed by the board to report «n two more Gippsland properties*