The Heat Wave of 1911 That Caused Hundreds of Deaths

In July 1911, temperatures along the east coast of the United States had reached 40 degrees Celsius. The heat wave, which felt its effect for days, caused 211 people to die in New York alone. Historical documents from that period clearly reveal the seriousness of the situation. A young man from lower Manhattan had jumped from the pier into the water after standing in the shade for hours. While jumping, he said, "I can't stand this any longer," and died a short time later. Similarly, a worker in Harlem, overwhelmed by the extreme heat, tried to throw himself in front of the train. After the incident, the police took the worker away from the scene by wearing sleeveless shirts. Perhaps one of the most extraordinary weather events in history took place that year.

In a period when air conditioners and fans were not widespread yet, heat waves were one of the important weather events that people had to deal with.

On the day of the heatwave, temperatures in Rhode Island rose 11 degrees in just half an hour. Railroad tracks bent all over New England as New York and Philadelphia became centers of sweltering temperatures. Postal services were suspended and people almost perished in the sun. The total death toll is estimated to have exceeded 2000 within a few weeks. But historians think there were also unrecorded deaths.

In the first week of July in New York, temperatures approached 40 degrees. Everything on the streets began to melt, people began to lose their lives rapidly

No part of the city was equipped to handle the hot air and the humidity that came with it. Inadequate ventilation and cramped living quarters exacerbated the problem. As a result, the elderly and young children could not stand this extraordinary situation any longer.

In the days when the heat wave was effective, people left their homes and started to live in parks.

By the first half of July, the entire city was in Central Park, or Battery Park. People could not stay at home and risk suffocating from the heat. For this reason, they did not go to home or work for about two weeks. After a short time, an atmosphere of anarchy began to blow in the streets. People were very angry because of the hot weather. This is why violence has escalated like never before.

Temperatures had reached 40 degrees in Boston and 41 degrees in New Hampshire.

People were dying not only from heatstroke but also from escaping the sweltering weather. Only 200 people drowned after entering the ocean, pond, river and lakes. Officials still on duty in the country did everything they could to cope with the hot weather. Streets were washed regularly with fire hoses. Ferry and tram lines were running for free so people could catch the breeze. At the same time, free water and soft drinks were brought to the parks. However, there were problems in transportation and distribution. Because the asphalt had melted and the tar was boiling under the sun.

Heat wave ends with big storm in Boston

However, this storm, too, was blowing away everything in its path, killing everyone in its path. When the temperatures finally dropped to habitable levels, five more people were killed by lightning strikes. Finally, when all the extreme weather events were over, the authorities began to rebuild the cities and the people began to lick their wounds.