Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1841-07-20

WONDERFUL BSCAPE.--A more remarkable /
escape from death by lightning than that we now
place on rerord perhaps has occurred in this
country On the Afternoon OF the 30ih ult the chill.
dren from several schools. the number Of up
wards OF four hundred were assembled nj The YES
try Of the Baptist Meeting house. preparatory TO
PIC mic which they attend on The 81 inst
About o'clock.a small cloud came up. from which
heavy clap Of thunder proceeded pparently very
near by. IN consequence of which,a Of other ind
cations Of shower, they were dismissed in the hope
that they would have time reach their homes be-
lore Il sho AID RAIN II is estimated. however that
not more than about one third Of them had left the
room when the building was struck by n heavy dis
charge OF the electric Hui !! which spent Of lie
force in the lower part of the house, particularly in
the vcstry where the children were assembled
The scene which cnsued may be imagined but can
not be described Ofihe $50 children who were
in the room, considerable portion were struck in
SANITY 10 the floor. Fifteen or twenty who were
crowding To the door Were land PROSTATE in heap
piled one upoa anniher. S,me were stunned and
appears TO have been deprived, for timc OF their
reason. Some dozen or fifteen of them were more
or Ies' injured but none ui them dangerously. A
daughter Of the publisher oftis paper, about nine
years old, was blisiered her right wrist, On her
left arm and on the bottoms Of her feet Her shoes
were torn from her feet the upper leather rent To
taiiers. aud hole about large : would he mn dc
by good sizeI buck shot wa. pierced by the cleo
trio nuId. through the sole Of each. When brought
home her feet were swollen and looked red and in
hamed AZ u they had been dipped in water not
quite hot enough TO raise a blister. except on the
soies directly over where the holes wcro burnt IN
the bottom Of the shoes, whers bsiers were raised
She could NOT stand aud complained of numbn, S
from her knees downward, except in her feet which
wer0 exceedingly To the touch. But she recuv.
cred ~ as TO be about the house. apparently well
rs usual, The nexI m1rning. except a slight ameneSs
iom the burn Of her feet child of Lew
- Thayer had her shnes torn frum her feet in sim
liar manner. Other children were burnt on differ
cni paris Of their bodies All Of them, we believe
were IN n good degree recovered the next morning
except daughter OfPeIer Slater. who was more in
yured than the resi hui q vigorously CO.
The damage by the lightning was owing 20 the
unscieniIiic anddefeciive manner IA which the CON
duro' was fitted. In putting il up hole was drill.
led INTO rock sonic three hour feet deep. into
which the lower end inserted aud there fell in.
s'esd of being carried To where il could commnni
cate 10 soine conducting substance. IL might lust
about rs well have been cut off at the surface of the
earth As might have been expected. the luid un.
able To escape at the lower end, exploded, and Ell.
Tered The side Of The house about midway from the
caves To ihc ground, and apparently at some other
plnces lower down IL tore ofTIhe clapboa I'd, and
covering Tor some Kent about The place where q,
iirs entered. Thence il seems To nave spread itself
IN all directions through the lower narl of the house
IImbers we're shiyered and the marks Of The fluid
are TO DC traced with more or less disnctness over
cohsiderabe portion Of the vesiry l1or The chill.
dren which were injured were al The end nj
The room neat &c The cond urior some of them sian.
ding directly under open window. where, il i.
believed. portion ofthe fluid entered The door
Is OF the other end Of the room
The cloud from which this shock proceeded. wa.
a. we have before said. small; but le rain fell from
II at NIL nnd. al the lime the houss was struck. we
b'iievo The sun shone bright. The discharge o.
huid appeared TO be very heavy one, and The e
scnPe may justly be considered most Remarkable.
The occasion will long he memorable TO Ihusc win
were present. and We trust will be remembered
with devout ihankuness for the delivcrcnce mo-
only by them. but by their lriens-l worce Ter Spy