Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-08-20
THE GAZETTE.
rp,n.y MORNING, AUGUST 20, 1858,

sINGULAR FREAKS OF ELECTRICITY.
Al Cole, of Newport, (Ky.) furnishes
49,. C;no;nnati Commercial with an interest
inc scooun. Of the freaks of streak of light
,;no in bis house, during violent thunder
storm few nights ago. He says that da-
-;np the thunder storm ball Of electric fuId
struck the chimney of his residence, aud
shattered it from cap to base, aud likewise
split completely the coping of the building
The fluid then lodged down one of the hues,
and entered the front bed-obamber 10 the sec
md story, where . servant sat nursins Mr..
Coles two children. 1t carried with 1t
cloud OF dust and SCOT from the fireplace,
flashed across the room, filling 1t with daz-
cling light. perforated the plaster and lathipg
opposite the fireplace, aud made hole in the
wall more than foot in diameter, but did
not 20 through the bricks; then 1t played
about the apartments an instant, like luml-
nous hand writing ell over the walls; split
the castings, stills and frames of the windows;
naral,seS the nurse and the children, who
we're almost buried in the dust and SCOT; streak-
ed it back to the fireplace through which 1t
had intruded; darted down the chimney and
very upeeremoniously introduced itself into
the parlor, and played some of the most ex-
travagant capers ever entered against the
credit Of electricity. 1t first struck the lender
before the fireplace, and irradiated the apart
ment with fiery and binding brllliance;
glanced to the centre of the parlor, where
Mrs. Cole sat entertaining Mrs. Hallsw, and
struck an iron spittoon between them; LETT
blue streak on the top OF 1t; scorched Mrs.
H.'s garments, and shocked both ladies. But
here tho ball separated, one current flashing
to tho right and the other to the left: the first
ENJOYING itself by hooking the plastering
from the wall, splitting the castings and
frames Of the windows, through which it dis
appeared; the other striking the open doors
between the parlor and the dining-room, which
Il completely shattered; then dashed through
the closed blinds Of tho dining-rOom, which
&c also splintered. Thence it glanced to the
pavement which surrounded the cistern in
the yard; and after tearing up four or i've
bricks and scattering the sand about miracu-
lousy, it disappeared through the pipe which
leads into the cistern, perforating toe pipe
completely, leaving a hole about the diane
tor Of the largest sized buckshot. 1t issuper-
fuous 10 say that the ladies, in the tenement,
were more alarmed than electrified. They
we're blinded by the startling brilliance OF
Of the fluid, and the curse and children were
heavily charged with electricity, and almost
buried in SCOT. ashes. and dust. The phe,.
nomenon Was scarcely more than visible and
sensible before it was gone. TWAS literally
Quick az q clash" The fluid sped down the
chimney and through each apartment like g
cannon ball glowing With white heat. The
children, both under two years of age, seemed
"charged" fully fifteen minutes, being com
ple.ely stupefed. The ladies were affected
but momentarily, and the nurse became con
scious of something astonishing which hac
taken place within five minutes from the Wis
itstion of the intruder. The bed.chamber
parlor, and dining-roon present very shat
tered aspect. The walls in the two former
rooms seem to have been subjected to pull
yerisinp bombardmspt, the artillery of heav
on having left the big imprint of its charge
vghAravcr IL etruck.