Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1854-10-13
Terrible Ensots Of L,rh,n,ng.


The Peoria Republican gives the following account
OF the terrible effects of lightning stroke in that
city on Sunday night week:
Last night little after twelve O'Clock those of
citizens who had retired were startled from their
slumbers by one OF the most deafenng peals of thun
der that we candidly believe, ever reverberated
through the armament. 1t not particularly
sharp, but rather a collected roaring, as if a
million pieces of artillery had been discharged at
once and the sound seemed tn no direction or local..
ty, but to fill all space; in fact, it seemed as if the
entire universe united in the terrific utterance The
lightning which preceded the explosion (strictly
speaking although it appeared TO be in the same in
stant) was as intensely vivid as it is possible to con-
ceIVe 1t must have been one of the most voumi-
nous bolts OF electricity that descended for IFS
effects were amazing and almost unprecedented. 1t
seemed to burst in all its fury upon the residence of
Capt. Morrison, Third street, and left in its trace
a sad record. The house was q story-and- a. half
brick. The bolt first struck the east chimney aud
passed down The same to a bar that passed through
the building TO secure the walls, where it forked one
OF the forks ripping up the roof the south side of
the building, tearing apart the wall and running
along the earth In the back yard to the privy.-
Another fork passed down the dining room, shatter.
ing the ceiling, and finally took the same shoot as
the other running nearly parallel with it to the
prvy, where they met. third fork Dassed into the
second story, where it branched in two opposite di-
rectlons; one branch sreaking through the cham
bers, shatterlng into fragments door which was
closed, and passing out through the west side of the
house. after which 1t ran the ground in the ad-
joining yard In singular manner and the other
branch passed down the stairs into the hall and out
at the front door, tearing up the outside steps and
coursng about the front yard and tearing up the
earth In the the other forks did back
of the house.
At the foot of the stairs two sons of Capt. Morri
son were lying in the hall, having chosen that place
on account of the warmth of the night. The Oldest
OF these received the whole force of the electric stream
and was rendered senseess and incapable of Speech
only giving utterance to his suferings in few fee
pie groans Instant efforts were made to restore him,
J but they were of no avail in half an hour life was
extinct The body, TO all appearance, not in
Jured IN the least there not being fracture of
the skin. This morning the face an expression
as natural life and presented the appearance of
| calm sumber The other brother was terribly LAGER
ated, both thighs being furrowed vertically to the
bone by number of frightful gashes The physi-
clan who is in attendance upon him has but little
hopes OF the sufferers recovery. Capt. Morrison was
sitting In the dining at the time OF the caasro-
phe looking out of the south window, and he describes
the impression produced upon him similar 10 being
struck upon the head with brick. But in moment
he recovered from the shock, and, discovering the
| room fill ed with dust and the wreck of the wall ly-
ing around him. he Immediately proceeded TO look af
ter the safety of his family, who uttering fright
full shrieks from all parts of the house, when the
sight of his two sons in the last agones OF death
and the other weltering in blood, struck his stout
heart with terror and completely unnamed him
His daughter, young girl narrowly escaped injury,
although she was considerably shocked She slept in
| the chamber, the door of which was shattered as
above stated She said her first idea that the
house had been blown up with powder. There were
two other ladies sleeping in the house at the time,
neither of whom was seriously injured.
The building presented this morning frightful
appearance, having been completely ridded from the
roof to the cellar. The steps of the upper chambers
as we'll as those which led to the cellar thrown
ten inches from the walls and shattered to
render them unsafe to One of the iron rods,
the electricity and hurled up through the stairway
with such force that it penetrated of the raters
of the roof to such depth to require the weight Of
an ordinary sized man to pull it out The atmos-
phere in the vicinity was strongly impregnated with
phur, if there had been an immense powder ex
poson. In conclusion, we may safely say that this
occurrence is of the most wonderful and terrible
phenomena of electricity on record.''