Bridgeport, CT Fall from Fire Escape, Jun 1923

INTENSE SUMMER WEATHER CAUSES DEATH OF CHILD

Mildred Bender, Five Years Old, Falls from Fire-Escape and Dies from Fracture of Skull.

STREETS OF CITY GET INITIAL SPRINKLING

Crowds Swarm Beaches and Parks as Hottest Day of Year Is Recorded - Many in Swimming

Unheralded and unsung, King Summer with all his fiery regalia swooped down upon Bridgeport yesterday, taking a toll of one death and driving many from sweltering homes and offices to cooler atmosphere along the sea shores. Out on the landing of a fire-escape in the rear of her home at 2450 Main Street early yesterday afternoon, to get relief from the heat, five year old Mildred Bender lost her balance and fell a distance of two stories to the ground. Her skull was fractured and she died several hours later in St. Vincent's hospital. This was the first death reported caused by the heat this year. Judging from the reading of the thermometers yesterday was the hottest day in this city so far this summer. Blazed by the rays of a strong sun the intense heat drove the mercury up to 85 degrees where it hovered throughout the afternoon. With night for the first time this year a cool light breeze, began to drop, and at midnight last night registered 75 degrees. Weather observers report fair conditions for today. The Department of Public Works sprinkling trucks sprinkled the streets in the center of the city last night for the first time this year. The work will continue until the summer has elapsed.

The Bridgeport Telegram, Bridgeport, CT 20 Jun 1923
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Transcribed by Cora Clear. Thank you, Cora!