True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1855-06-13
Singular Effects..o Lightning

About 6 o'clock, p NJ, the house Of Mr..
David Upton, on Great Chebeague Island
was struck by lightning the effects of which
were fearful.
A neighbor happened to be looking to-
wards Mr. ssUpton's house, and 6rst-perciey-
ed ball Of fire, apparently a foot in diam
eter, with tail some thirty yards in length,
descended upon the chimney, and immcdi-
ately after u volume of smoke began to as
cend, as if the house we're on FIRE. Hast
ening to the house, it wss found wic,k
but not on fire
1t is an9sold-fashioned one story frame
house, built after the manner of the',oid
farm houses of New England, with one
large chimney in the centre. This chin
ney is completely demolished to the oven,
and the materials scattered in every dircc-
ton.
The family, Of six persons, were at sup,
per, and their escape with their lives is
miracle. Old Mrs. Upton's arm is cut to
the bone, above the elbow, and she is 9th
erwise badly bruised. Her granddaughter
Marietta Hamilton, six years old, is 50
bruised as to be purple from the hips; to
the feet, and is in precarious condition
David Upton, Jr., is badly'bruised about
the head and face. His child in bis arus
was unhurt also his wife, standing near,
and old Mr.. Upton, likewise unhurt.
But the effects of the lightning about
the premises are astonishing. Old MIR
Upton was eating bowl of bread and milk,
with one hand upon the bowl, the other
holding the spoon-the bowl was broken
in his hand, and the spoon has not been
found. Old Mrs. Upton had cup Of tea
in her hand, and herself covered with the
wreck Of the chimney, among which was
piece of timber from the front of The frs-
place, eight feet long, with l. fat bar of
iron attached.
The granddaughter was thrown from her
seat at the table near the fireplace, and
was literally covered with bricks and NOR
tar. Nearly every article of crockery in
the house, two clocks, three looking glas-
ses, and two old-fashioned oak tables in
the kitchen were smashed. The chair in
which old Mrs. Upton was sitting, was
broken into twenty pieces-at any rate that
number ofpieces belougingto it were found
every chair in the kitchen was broken,--
Every partition in the house was removed
from its position and more or less shatter-
ed. The fluid seems to have gone through
the bottom of a cooking stove, sitting in
the kitchen fireplace, leaving hole as if
made by shot four inches in diameter ia
, king off one leg Of the stove, then enter
ing the floor, leaving a hole large enough
for any ordinary sized man to pasSthrough.
The hoops on one barrel of moasses,
two soap barrels, and one keg were all cut
off,; stone jar sitting on board over one
of these barrels, was severed horizontally
and the bottom part unmoved, the top be-
ing carried off.
Every window sach in the house was
r completely demolished, excepting one in
n the west chamber. Here there is a square
Of glass with space cut out as if by the
It point Of diamond, just the size Of brick
:. two inches by eight-showing that q
e brick has been projected through it quick
as lightning"
vi Most Of the materials projected from
p the house were in northerly direction
e. pieces of glass and mortar being found six
or ty feet distant. Between the house and
d the barn are dozen Of apple trees--Ope
~ large tree near the house was untouched,
- 20 but two.o'hers, some six rods distant were
Or shattered
is A large tight trunk, filed with fne clo-
thing, &C., was found locked and apparent
y y ly uninjured outward, yet, on being open
pt m ed, the SCOT from the chimney lay half an
j. inch thick over the contents, and sifted
" through in every direction, Tin pans o.
n, milk on shelf in the cellar we're unham-
- - ed, yet some empty pans, one in the 9th
$ er, on the same SHELF were broken up. =
to The fluid passed out through eight differ
ID ent places in the body Of the house, besides
~ u those described. Portland Adptytiscs,
ne A-The cure Of all the ills and wrong
IeI ~