ENGLANDS HEAT WAVE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 32, 22 September 1911, Page 7

ENGLANDS HEAT WAVE.

English papers show that the “heat wave” was very severe and very long. On August 9tn the sun temperature in London rose to 131, and the shade temperature to 97. According to the ‘•Daily Express,” this was the hottest day on record, the previous highest Doing 92.3 in iS'/G, hut the “Daily Mail” stated that 97 had been touched once oeforc in 1331. The heat in the city was unbearable, and there were scenes such as mention had rarely witnessed. In many places business was almost at a standstill. Men sat in cafes and resturants in shirt-sleeves, with their coats hung over the back •ji their ciiairs. Dali mo maie passengers on tho trains were also in their o..irc-sleevcs. Every sheet of water round London, no matter how dirty', was full of bathers whether bathing was allowed or not. Even the canals through the East End,' which aie ■thick with oil and dirt, were lined with men and boys whose on’y thought was to get cool. ;Tho heat was responiblo for many curious circumstances. A number of the members of Standing Committee B of the House of Commons discussed the Coal Mines Bill in their shirtsleeves. ilie chairman ol one of the Lor Ld Committees allowed counsel to aiscat 1 their w.gu Work had to be abandon.! on the loof of Lincoln Cathedral because tlie lead was too hot to touch. The demand for mineral waters was tremendous. One linn sent out 1,009,000 bottles in a week. The factory was going night and day, and 400 extra hands and 60 extra, vans were being employed. 'lhe favourite beverage was the do-Cush-ioned ginger-boer. Yet Loudon w,«g not so bad as Belgium, which one day suffered under a temperature c*. U 3 deg., and was no w.us* 1 t mil Pails wiiere people fought for slv- ly 'fdace: , or spent ail day in ii.e unrlci ground stations. Asked lor tho r -asoils fjr the abnormal heat, an English expert could not give a very satisfactory answer. “It would bo hard to say why it is so hot, because our weather is governed by such a variety of causes. But on the top of a high’ mountain in America constant observations are being kept fb determine whether tho heat given’. out by' tho sun varies from time to time on account, as is believed, of periods of more energetic corabustipiT,, the “cause' of which is unknown. We may ffnd that the sun’s rays were hotter than usual this summer, but ( . tljipre may be a variety of other causes, 1 atmospheric and otherwise.” But even when this is ascertained, people will bo no/ nearer a remedy for ther sufferng. (.