It was hot. It was really hot . . . Just how hot was it? It was so hot, Mayor Wilson Goode announced the city was nearing a water emergency as Philadelphia residents opened thousands of fire hydrants to help beat the heat. It was so hot, the Philadelphia Electric Company set record highs for peak usage as tempertures climbed into the upper nineties for four straight days, stopping just shy of the century mark. And it was so hot, University admissions officers broke out the lemonade for prospective freshmen. As the blazing sun baked the city, students and workers across campus devised numerous measures to deal with oppressive heat and humidity which finally began to let up yesterday. In Houston Hall's Bodek Lounge, admissions officers poured lemonade for prospective students and their parents who made it through the roasting heat of a campus tour. College sophomore Debbie Algazy, an admissions tour guide, said the tours have actually become longer in the heat because guides must slow down to help people deal with the sultry temperatures. "Some of them wear jackets, ties and long sleeved shirts, and I feel really sorry for them," Algazy said. In College Hall, Deputy Provost Richard Clelland said administrators are "huddling" around air conditioners, although he said the building kept out the heat in the summer better than it kept heat in during the winter. Workers renovating the Castle building for the incoming Community Service Living-Learning Program have opened up windows throughout the house in an attempt to catch rare breezes coming down Locust Walk. "We've had some really bad days where it really has an effect on your body," carpenter Peter DiGiuscppe said. So what's a worker to do when the steamy, sweaty day is done? "Sit down and have a beer," foreman Carl Cole said. "You got it -- a couple of beers," DiGiuscppe added. Other outdoor workers said they make similar plans. "All I'm good for is a shower and bed," Parking Enforcement Officer Bernadette Smith said. "Sometimes not even dinner." Working against their dark blue uniforms, Smith said parking officials try to drink plenty of liquids to make it through each sultry day. At Gimbel Gym, hoopsters contemplating a pick-up game of basketball shyed away from the scorching pavement outside. Inside, most traffic was confined to those hoping for a cooling dip in the pool, since the building does not have air conditioning. "But then again, you figure most of the students are gone," Wharton sophomore Alex Morua said. "It's only three months out of the year." Morua added that the second floor weight room has also remained fairly empty as the mercury climbed. "Heat rises," he explained. Despite the searing temperatures, local merchants said there has not been any rush for items thought to help beat the heat. Minh Hoanj, a fruit stand worker at the corner of 36th and Walnut Streets, said that although he has been working in the heat for ten to twelve hours each day, business has actually declined. And Baskin Robbins owner Vincent Forgione also said that people probably prefer to stay at home in air conditioned comfort rather than venture out for ice cream. Forecasters predict weekend temperatures will remain in the hot-but-comfortable eighty degree range.
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