Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-05-16
Rig Thfue ON Ice.

The following paragraph has been go
ing the rounds OF our exchanges for some
time past:
"During a recent storm in the State of
Wisconsin the lightning was seen TO
strike into the lake in the vicinity Of Madi-
son, and masses of ice, two feet in thick
ness, were hurled hundreds of feet in the
air, and the latent heat, set free by the
change of vapor to liquid, was SO great as
to raise the temperature from below the
freezing point to that in summer seventy
tive degrees and preserve it there for
nearly twenty-four hours"
Being anxious to know whether or not
the above wonderful circumstance was as
related, says the Cincinnati Times we sent
our veracious correspondent 'Gris' TO
Madison to ascertain about it, and from
his account, which we give below, it will
be seen that not the half had been told:
MIR. EDIToR:-The wonderful results
of that streak of lightning which struck
in Lake Montona, near this city, last win
ter, have been but family portrayed. 1t
was, emphatically, the biggest thing ''on
ice' hat ever occurred in Wisconsin.
The storm came on one of the coolest.
days last winter. Lake Monona lay tran
gully sleeping beneath four feet of ice.
When the lightning struck in the lake,
cakes of ice as big as a school lot, were
hurled high in the air. The Oldest house
wives in Madison say they never knew so
much "rising" put in cakes before. One
| cake, that was dropped in the vicinity of
the Capitol House, was found to contain
all acre and three quarters, by actual sur
yeys, made by an exceedingly civil en-
| gineers named Bate, in the School Land
| Department. A shed has been built over
this enormous cake, which will keep the
Capital House in ice during the entire
season. Cakes are falling occasionally
now. They fell two cents a pound yes
terday.
Did it warm EN-! You bet. The Their
mometer rose from below zero to hun
dred in the shade. People had TO put
their summer clothes on, and little boys
were running around barefoot; street
sprlnklers were got out to lay the dust
awnings were stretched over the sidewalks;
idlers lolled on benches in theState House
park, and the Daily Capitol urged that the
dogs be muzzled to guard against hydro
phobia.
The heat boiled the water in the boiler
of a little pleasure steamer, the "Scutana-
bequon," and away she scooted to Picnic
grove, all by herself, to the intense con-
sternation of her bold commander, Gap
Barnes, who viewed her departure from
the upper window of his " barraeoon.'
Soda fountains began to play, and cider
began to work. There we're several cases
OF sun-stroke, while the summer com
plant made fearful ravages.
Bathers plunged into the lake, but they
couldn't remain long, the water was SO
hot-one man who stayed in too long was
taken out thoroughly boiled. His orphan
children, mourning the loss Of their "par,"
erected a tombstone to his memory, on
which was this simple and touching in
scription: "PAR-BoILED."
Great excitement was created, of course,
by such an unusual state of affairs. Meet
ings were held in the Park for the pur-
pose of demonstrating. One speaker,
whose emphatic language was excusable
under the circumstances, said he wa:
never before put in such a fever, by light
ming. Another sweat himself nearly &c
death urging the people to keep cool.
The rival Base Ball Clubs went out or
the Common TO play 2 match game, but
they mad 10 give II up Iney couldn
run to the bases-they only run to pers-
piration. The trees began " wearing o.
the green;" vegetation put forth, and the
farmers got ready for haying it.
This extraordinary condition of affair
didn't continue very long, of courfe, but il
gave the Madisonians a great deal of in
convenience while it did list. 1t is evil
dent from the above that lightning ISM
good with ice in it.