SHRINERS & SPECTATORS STRICKEN BY OPPRESSIVE HEAT
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On June 5, 1923, 40 heat prostrations occurred during the Shriner's Parade here in the Nation's Capital before half of the marchers had passed President Warren G. Harding's reviewing stand on Pennsylvania Avenue.
32 were whisked off to hospitals while 8 others were treated at nearby drug stores. Hundreds of spectators fainted due to the crowded conditions and oppressive Washington heat.
President Harding welcomed his fellow Shriners in what is described by The Indianapolis Times as "the greatest civilian parade the capital has ever witnessed."
JFK+50 NOTE
The annual convention, known as Shrine Week, was held June 3 through June 7 in 1923. There were two parades on June 5th, one in the morning and one later in the evening. Pennsylvania Avenue was strung with 35,000 electric lights. John Philip Sousa, a Mason, led a massed band.
SOURCE
"Heat Overcomes Shrine Paraders," The Indianapolis Times, June 5, 1923, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
"In June 1923, Washington was transformed into the Middle East," by John Kelly, February 25, 2023, The Washington Post, www.washingtonpost.com/
