every major city affected by the heatwave that the temperatures had been driving people insane and causing suicides. One such example reported by The New London Day, was of an elderly Boston man named Jacob Seegar who reportedly was driven so insane by the heat that he killed himself with a revolver in order to escape it. Due to the excessive heat rail lines had become melted and bent. The death toll continued to rise until finally a sudden thunderstorm brought a wave of relief, soon after which temperatures returned to their normal levels for good. The 1911 heat wave is considered the most deadly weather related disaster in the history of New England. In Philadelphia alone, 158 people were reported to have died from the heatwave and across the north east 200 people were reported to have drowned while swimming in an attempt to escape the heat. See also Ice famine 1896 Eastern North America heat wave References External links Heat waves in the United States Eastern North America heat wave Eastern North America Eastern North America heat wave Eastern North America heat wave Eastern North America heat wave