Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1858-08-31
NO. XXXVIII.
singular Freaks of Electricity.

A. Fl. Cole, of Newport, (Ky.) furnishes the
Cincinnati Commercial with an interesting &C.
count of the freaks of a streak of lightning in
his house, during violent thunder storm, few
nights ago. He says that during the thunder
storm ball of electric fluid struck the chimney
of his residence, and shattered it from cap to
base, and likewise split completely the coping
of the building The fluid then lodged down
one of the hues, and entered the front bed.chsm.
Der in the second story, where servant sat nurf.
ing Mr. Coles two children. 1t carried with it
cloud Of dust and SCOT from the fireplace,
flashed across the room, filing it with dazzling
light, perforated the plaster and lathiDg oppo-
site the fireplace, and made hole 10 the wall
more than foot in diameter, bnt did not 60
through the bricks; then 1t played about the a.
partments and instant like luminous hsnd
writing all over the walls; split the castings,
sills and frames of the windows; paralyzed tbs
nurse and the children, who were almost buried
in the dust and SCOT; streaked it back to the
fireplace through which it had intruded; dart
ed down the chimney and very uncerimoni-
ousy introduced itself into the parlor, and play
ed some of the most extravagant capers ever en-
tered against the credit of electricity. 1t first
struck the fender before the fireplace, ard ir-
radated the apartment with fiery and binding
brilliance; glanced to the centre Of the parlor,
where Mrs. Cole sat entertaining Mrs. Hallam,
and struck an iron spittoon between them; left
O blue streak on the top of it; scorched Mrs.
H. .'s garments, and shocked both ladies. But
here the ball separated, one current flashing to
the right and the other to the left: the first en-
ioying itself by knocking the plastering from
the wall, splitting the castings and frames OF the
windows, through which it disappeared: the
other striking the open doors between the par
lor and the dining-r room, which it completely
shattered; then dashed through the closed blinds
Of the dining-room, which it also splintered.-
Thence it glanced to the pavement which SUR
rounded the cistern in the yard; and after
tearing up four or five bricks and scattering the
sand about miraculously, it disappeared through
the pipe which leads to the cistern, perforstiDg
the pipe completely, leaving a hole about the
diameter of the largest sized buckshot. 1t is su.
perfuous to say that the ladies, in the tenement,
were more alarmed than electrified. They were
blinded by the startling brilance of the fluid,
and the nurse and children were heavily charg-
ed with electricity, and almost buried in SCOT
ashes and dust. The phenomenon was scarcely
more than visible and sensible before it was
gone. 1t was literally quick as ''aash.'" The
fluid sped down the chimney and through each
apartment like cannon ball glowing with white
heat. The children, both under two years of
age, seemed charged" fully fifteen minutes, be-
ing completely stupefed. The ladies were af-
fected but momentarily, and the nurse became
conscious Of something astonishing which had
taken place within FIVE minutes from the vista
ton of the intruder. The bed-chamber, parlor
and dining-ro present very shattering ap-
pearance. The walls in the two former rooms
seem to have been subjected TO pulverizing
the artillery of heaven having
left the big imprint of its charge wherever IL
struck