Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-10-07

A TerrIIlc Thunaer Bold.

Terrific Thunder Holt.
Mr. 4. Merriam, who furnishes the meteoro-
logical articles for the Journal Of Commerce,
gives thefollowing astonishing account Of the
doings of the electric flhid:
A correspondent at Peoria, illinois, sends
me an account Of terrific thunder bolt, which
Tell upon a house in that city about midnight
OF the 18th and 18th Of September ultimo, as
follows: Those of our citizens who had retired
were startled from their slumbers by one of the
most deaiening peals of thunder that we can
lidiy believe, ever reverberated through the
armament. II was not particularly sharp, but
was rather collected roaring, as if million
pieces of artillery had been discharged at once;
and the sound seemed in no direction or To-
callty, but to fill all space; in fact, it seemed
as u the entire universe united in the terrific
utterance. The lightning which preceded the
explosion lstrictly speaking, although it APP
peared to be at the same instantly was as in
tensely vivid as 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 unprece-
dented. 1t seemed to burst in all its fury upon
the residence of Captain Morrison, on Third
street, and left in its trace sad record. The
house was story and-a-half brick
The bolt first struck the east chimney, and
passed down the same to bar that passed
through the building to secure the walls, where
1t forked, one Of the forks ripping up the roof
on the north 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, SCATTERING 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 frag-
ments door which was closed, and passing
out throught the west side of the house, after
which it ran over the ground in the adjoining
yard in a singular manner; and the other
branch passed above the stairs into the hall,
and out at the front door, tearing up the ont
side 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 Captain
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, and giving
utterance to his suferings in a few feeble
groans. Instant efforts were made TO restore
him, but they were of no avail--in haitian hour
life was extinct. The body, to all appearance,
was not injured in the least there not being
even fracture of the skin. Next 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 being furrowed vertically, to the bone,
by a number of frightful gashes. The physi-
clan who is in attendance upon him has but
little hope of the sufferers recovery.
Captain 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 npon the head with a brick. But
In moment he recovered from the shock, and
and discovered the room filed with dust and
the wreck of the wall lying around him. He
Immediately proceeded to look after the safety
of his family, who were uttering frightful
shrieks from all parts Of the house, when the
sight Of his two sons, one In the last agonies
of death, and Che other weltering in blood,
struck his stout heart with terror, and com
pletely 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 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 seri-
ously injured.
"The building presented next morning a
frightful appearance, having been completely
riddled from the roof TO the cellar. The steps
TO the upper chambers, as well 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 rafers Of the roof to such depth
as to require ordinary-sized man TO pull it
out The atmosphere in the vicinity was
strongly impregnated with sulphur, as il there
had been an immense powder-explosion.