Three thermometers, valued at $2.50 each, were broken by the heat during the past week at the Hindert Hardware store here. The thermometers were in a display case in the front of the store and the sun shining through the front window and the glass of the display case produced extreme heat, causing the thermometers to burst.
"Doc" Morse, who operates the Royal theatre here, has been using about 300 pounds of ice each evening to cool the building. Sunday, 600 pounds were required.
Many of the churches are scheduling their services earlier in the morning and some of them are planning to hold their worship periods in the basements to avoid the excess heat.
Remember that no one had air conditioning in 1936 except for the Royal Theatre and the Princess Sweet Shop. My parents did not have electricity and, therefore, did not even have a fan available for cooling off. My father told me he cultivated the corn field at night since it was too hot during the day to even be outside. People slept with wed sheets covering them on porches or even outside on the lawn.
People today do not cope very well in heat. I can't imagine how we could survive today without air conditioning or fans like our forefathers did in 1936 in heat far worse than what we experienced this summer.