New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-10-09

AWFUL EFFNcTs OF a THuNDERBoLT The
Peoria (Ill.1 Republican, or the 25th ult rives
the following account Of the terrific havoc made
by stroke of lightning in that town on the
previous night: &C. T
Last night, @ little after - o'clock, those of
our citizens who had retired were startled from
| their slumbers by one Of the most deafening
| peals of thunder that, we candidly believe, ever
reEerberated through the armament. 1t was
| not particularly sharp, but was rather col
lected roaring, if million pieces Of artillery
| had been discharged at once; and the sound
| seemed in no direction or locality, but to fill
all space, in fact, it seemed as if the entire uni
/ verse united in the terrific ttteranoe. The
lightning which preceded the explosion, (strict-
" speaking, although it appeared to be in the
| same instantly was as intensely vivid Us it is
possible to conceive. 1t must have been one Of
! the most voluminous bolts of electricity that
| ever descended, for its effects were amazing and
! almost unprecedented 1t seemed to burst in
! all It's fury upon the residence Of Capt Morri-
son, on Third street, and left in its trace sad
record. The house was q story and "a half
brick. The bolt first struck the east chimney
| and passed down the same to a bar that passed
through the building to secure the wallis where
1t forked, one OF the forks ripping up the roof on
the south side of the building, tearing apart the
east wall, and running along the earth in the
| back yard to the privy; another fork passed
down the dining room, shattering the ceiling,
and finally took the same shoot as the other.
running nearly parallel with it to the privy,
where they met. A third fork passed into the
second story, where it branched in two opposite
directions one branch streaking through the
chambers, shattering into fragments a door
which was closed, and passing out through the
west side of the house, after which it ran over
a md he cIs
manner; and the other branch passed down the
stairs into the hall and out at the front door,
tearing up the outside steps and coursing about
the front yard and tearing up the earth in the
same manner as the other forks did back Of the
house. AT the foot of the stairs two sons of
Capt Morrison 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
senseless and incapable of speech, only giving
utterance TO his sufferings in few feeble groans
Instant efforts were made to restore him, but
they were of no avail and in half an hour life was
extinct. The body, to all appearance, was not
injured in the least, there not being even frao-
ture Of the skin. This morning the face wore
an expression as natural as life, and presented
the appearance of calm slumber. The other
brother was terribly lacerated, both thighs be-
ing furrowed vertically to the bone by a num-
Der of frightful gashes. The physician who is
in attendance upon him has but little hopes of
the sufferers recovery.
Capt. Morrison was sitting in the dining room
at the time of the catastrophe looking out of the
south window, and he describes the impression
produced upon him as similar to being struck
upon the head with q brick But in a moment
he recovered from the shock, and discovering
the room filled with dust and the wreck of the
wall lying around him, he Immediately pro-
ceeded to look after the safety of his family,
who we're uttering frightful shrieks from all
parts of the house, when the sight of his two
sons, one in the last agonies of death and the
other weltering in blood, struck his stout heart
with terror and completely unnamed him. His
daughter, young girl, narrowly escaped in
jury, although she was considerably shocked.
She slept in the chamber, the door of which was
shattered as above stated. She said that her
first idea was 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 serious
ly injured.
The building presented this morning fright |
full appearance, having been completely riddled |
from the roof to the cellar. The steps to the
upper chambers, as we'll as those which led to
the cellar, were thrown some ten inches from
the walls and SO shattered as to render them
unsafe to use. One of the iron rods, used to |
fasten the carpet to the steps, was taken by the
electricity and hurled up through the stairway
with such force that it penetrated one of the |
rafters of the roof to such depth as to require
the weight Of an ordinary sized man to pull it
out. The atmosphere in the vicinity was strong
ly impregnated with sulphur, as if there had
been an immense powder explosion.
In conclusion, we may safely say that this
occurrence is one of the most wonderful and ter
rible phenomena of electricity On record
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