100 years ago: Week of record heat not slowing picnic plans

From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for July 16, 1913:

  • “CRASH! AND ANOTHER WEATHER RECORD FALLS — Yesterday Robbed the Day Before of Its Honors. — The weather record established on Sunday lasted no longer than the one hung up on Sunday. Yesterday, July 15, at present claims all of the honors that attach to being the hottest day of the year. The official thermometer on the hill yesterday recorded a temperature of 103 degrees thus besting the Monday high figure by one point. And today was but a half a degree cooler…. The continued heat has caused considerable suffering, especially down town where the temperatures have been much higher than those recorded as official. And there is no relief in sight…. The electric fan, and soda fountain, and the swimming pool are the only hope of the suffering humanity.”
  • “Get your groceries and meat today for you may not get a chance to get more until Friday as tomorrow is the official day set for the Grocers and Butchers to hold their annual jollification and if nothing unforeseen happens between now and tomorrow the plans will be carried out…. The 17th of July has been set aside by the Butchers and Grocers of Lawrence as the one day during the year when all cares will be forgotten, all rivalry overlooked and everybody will be friends with everybody else. The usual stunts that go to make up a real first class picnic will be in vogue and the day will be one scream after another…. Nubb Hill, who has charge of the Grocers end of the ball game, claims he has the champion team of the state in its ‘line’ and is thoroughly convinced that the game this year will go to the vegetable dispensers instead of the Butchers as it has heretofore. Of course this is the right spirit but the trouble is Roy Lawrence who is managing the Butchers team is also confident of his team and it is only logical to suppose that someone is going to get fooled, anyway that will all be settled tomorrow afternoon when the big doings come off at Woodland Park…. All are invited to attend the Butchers and Grocers picnic tomorrow afternoon and it is expected that about half the town will be out there to watch where the profits of the high cost of living go.”
  • “A daylight robbery was committed this noon at the old R. L. Patten farm a few miles northeast of Clinton. The robbery occurred while the family were out feeding the stock. Sheriff Cummings received a call about one o’clock this afternoon to the effect that a large quantity of jewelry had been stolen and that the men had been seen running through the corn field.”
  • “S. M. Tabler was assessed the regular $6.50 this morning in police court on a charge of drunkenness. Tabler was short on cash and went back to the city jail.”
  • “The Lawrence papers daily contain notices from the city authorities that the water is dangerous and not fit to drink without boiling. Yet Lawrence invites 2500 young men and women to come there nine months in the year with frequent outbreaks of typhoid causing deaths in their ranks. Lawrence ought to be ashamed of itself for not taking a club and going after the water proposition until it is settled right. (Reprinted from the Abilene Reflector.)”