The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1830-09-29
LIGHTNING
Eatract Of a letter to the editor of the Hudson
Gazette, dated AusTkRLIrz, n. Y, Aug. 25.

Gazette, dated AusTKRLIrz, N. Y, Aug. 25.
Yesterday about o'clock in the afternoon,
shower passed over, when vivid streak of
lightning, attended with tremendous clap of
thunder that deafened every ear and darkened
every eye, struck the district school house,
standing little more than one mile east of the
village OF Spencertown, with lightning, and
seriously injured it. But what affords cause of
astonishmcnt and thank fulness, is, that no lives
were lost notwithstanding the lightning ap
pears to have first struck the stove pipe Chin
ney, passed down the pipe upon the stove
entered the lower floor and sleepers, broke up
Tie floor, and tore several of the boards in
pieces
About twenty-five scholars were in the house
sitting near and circlng round the stove
when the thunder and lightning of heaven broke
upon them. Several of the rafters and other
large pieces of timber were torn to shivers, nd
some pieces thrown fifteen or twenty rods
one quarter of the roof was entirely removed,
and every part of it badly shattered. Nearly
half OF the floor over head was blown to atoms
the ceiling and wall of the house in every part
bro ken and thrown down, quarter of the
sciapboards torn from each end of the building
Vayia several of the boards were thrown entirely
off from the whole length of the front side
and many others shattered on the back side of
the building the whole of the chimney and
stove pipe were thrown to the floor, and many
of the children literally buried in bricks, stones,
plaster, ceiling, broken timbers, and shivered
boards, and floor broken up under them the
shattered house filled with smoke, dust, and
sulphur. Almost every scholar was benumbed
with the shock, Frustrated, and one half of
tsiem buried in the ruins-and the silence Of
death for several minutes added to the horror
Of the scene.
A gentleman not far distant from the house
who saw The scene, says that the whole Top of
the house appeared TO be in one common blaze,
4, l, A.
relieve his children and the children of his
neighbors, if any of them could be yet alive
but, as he advanced towards the spot, his spirit
and strength failed him, and he was forced to
stop by the way. The school mistress, recover
ing from the shock, was seen TO spring out of
window, pass round and enter the door of the
house saw every child upon the floor, and
apparently dead, and part Of them buried in
the ruins With great deliberation and pres.
ence of mind, she Immediately proceeded to
relieve the unfortunate children of her charge,
and had taken them from the rubbish and car.
Tied them nearly all to the door, before other
assistance came. No lives were lost and hopes
are entertained that all who were injured will
yet recover. The number injured is about
eight or ten; some of them wounded with
falling timber, with bricks, and flying shivers,
and some We're badly burnt. Among the num-
Der that were burnt, are two of the Rev. Ar
mold Sedfeld's children, girls. One of them
is burned very bad; she sat near the stove on
which the lightning struck, and passed into the
floor directly under her feet Her fIock and
Under garments were literally torn into strings.
MELANCHOLY AID SISGuLAR OccURREEcE.
The family Of Mr.. William Hofiin, in the vicn
ity of Rock Run, Hartford county, had been af
aicted with the typhus, for some time. On
Monday morning, the Both ult., his daughter.
young woman, fell victim to it. In the after
ha a ID 4 Il
ic, which terminated his mortal career ere the
setting of the sun. They were both inferred
together. Two of the neighboring young men,
brothers, of the name Of Hawkins, undertook to
dig the graves; mattocks were the first imple-
'nent used whilst digging one made an unwa-
ry blow, smote the other on the head and in.
illcted dreadful wound. In state of terror
he dropped his mattock, mounted his horse and
rode post haste for doctor, to relieve his broth
er, who was bleeding prefuseiy A doctor was
procured, who rode at full speed and left him
behind, and just arrived in time to save life.
The other rode his horse at a common gait,
when suddenly the animal took alright, threw
him whilst his foot being in the stlrrup, and in
this predicament he was dragged some distance
some transient person stopped the horse, and
he was 10 all appearance lifeless. He was car
ried into Mrs. Smiths tavern, for dead, where
his brother had been conveyed; but after ap-
plying some restoratives .4e revived His coat
brothers are under the doctors hands-and il
has not been found practicable to remove them
to their fathers. How doleful to rehect-two
amiable young men making the necessary pre-.
parations to consign two of their fellow beings
To their kindred clay, whilst in the very act, BY
mysterious fate are hurled to the verge of an
eternal world ELTON (.fd) Press.
ERUPTION OF MoUSr ErSA The Journal Of
Commerce gives the following translation from
Bordeaux paper, describing a terrible eruption
OF Mount Etna, which occurred in the month
of May:
The terrible explosion, which opened seven
craters OF the volcano at once, has destroy ed
eight villages in the neighborhood of the noun
tain, to which neither the lava nor the FIRE ever
extended before. All the buildings have dis
appeared under the heaps of calcined stones
aud burning cinders, which were thrown from
these new openings of Etna Northumberland.
ing the f5ightful detonations which announced
beforehand the approach Of the catastrophe
ahe inhabitants of these villages remained qui.
city IN their dwellings, considering themselves
safe on account of the distance, which had
preserved them in all the preceding eruptions,
however violent. In the destruction of these
villages and the neighborng hamlets, persisted
great many victims, both men and animals
On the gath of May the consumed edfces
were still smoking, and these unhappy places
were inaccessible on account Of the heat which
was given out from the cinders, sto1es, and
lava, with which they were covered Ii was
not until the eighth day AFTER the disaster, that
u was possible to approach for ths purpose Of
atfording any succor. But the search was en-
tirely useless. Never a calamity more ter.
Jiole, more unexpected, or more general. The
shores OF Calabria, and some parts of Italy. ".
ing in the current of the wind which blew on
that disastrous night, were covered with the
same kind Of ashes under which the places in
The vicinity of Etna were buried Sicily will
long remember this disaster which has devas
lated the richest and most fertile country in the
world.
CAMEL's RUuP, GREEN MoUETAIYs On Che
bnfI sl.f q