The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-07-29
A SUPERNATURAL BATTERY.
Electric Projectiles Exploding In the City
CONSERVATION In the Family Circle-Buiid-
ipgs Struck by Ijghtnipg- Terrific Peais OF

CONSERVATION In the Family Circle-Buiid-
iDss Struck by Observation-Disclosures Peais OF
Thunder. Z: "a -.
EsSlk o'clock iast evening wAs Introduced to this
city u sudden, blazing, trembling and vivid light
ming followed by roaring Se,lowing, crumbling and
crashing thunder. The vault OF the heavens became
as an aerial battle field and at the naming Of the
electric fluid the batteries Of the sky discharged re-
peated and deafening brOadsides whose reports
were louder and more defiant than II the Rocky
Mountains were bored out as huge shell guns
discnarging volcanic prolectes from chambers
in the pit OF he'll The crash was terrible. II was
like being mmured in some sunken and gloomy dun
ge0n, when the towers shake, trembe, fail and
splinter into thousand fragments. tearing, plough
ing and ripping up all INTO The shreds OF desruc-
tion. The fierce and intense bolts seemed to be
WEAPONS OF DEATH AND DISASTER.
Apart from their awful majesty, their quick,
cracking rattle, and loud. angry rage they actu-
ally had physical power and the city sn0ok as by
an earthquake The sheets and seas o: flames which
preceded the thunder drove back the confines OF the
sky and seemed to penetrate the deeper depths
beyond. This IS not all bombast, as thou
sands who, with whitened cheeks and
oscillating knees, watched and listened at that
hour can aver. Years have not brought to America
such noise and crash as that OF last night. and
years have never brought such clouds OF electric fire.
Soemnity was induced by the supernatural artillery
Every one stood as before lannon's mouth. The
city stopped its accustomed thinking. All distracted
their minds 10 the most painful emergency on EARTH
No one knew who might be felled. None could tell
WHERE THE ELECTRIC WRATH MIGHT FALL.
great tempest at sea-lhe ship going down-fre
near the magazine, scarcely as startling the
jars of the sky. Had planet lallen on the earth
the impact would not have made more noise; were
the stars converted blazing gas the light could
not nave been lnenser Were the crust of the globe
smashed the sound would have been dull IN compare
son: me AR was highly charged with magnetic
fiuids; telegraph wires and instruments cracked,
ana that mysterious agent electricity, came in TO
disturb the equipose OF matter
FRIGHT RESULTED.
Women quailed They dropped hoop skirts and
fell on feathers; LETT the toilet stand and bOudor for
the straw mattress and woOllen blanket; said. ''Oh
ON on p then, even. often mortgaged their judy
ment.
Few made Jokes on sthe weather overhead
They were afraid. Men were not brave, though they
thought they were. Thunder and lightning flashed
from every conference.-the thunder Of cOnsterna-
t0n the lightning OF an inward fear. Quill drivers
paused at their editorials, critics at their criticisms
lovers on an unfinished cOupet. For ten minutes
the ferment con linued. Sashes went down, blinds
were closed, windows Shut bars put up lights put
out, courage put down. just as II these evOutiOns
could barrlcade the on-marchlng thunder Some
SAID 1t was presage OF the great battle on the
Rhine; Others that It was a duel between Mars and
Jupiter, and Others again that IL was only the trans
formation scene TO the heated term. Last week the
same phenomena swept over Great Britain. 1t may
nave been the boots Of the same storm.
Just In the midst of ali this crashing and slashing
right and left Kerosene lamp exploded in the
saloon No. 40 Pearl street causing the widest con-
sternation Imaginable among the Inmates OF the
house, who thought one OF the fearful bursts OF cleo
trlcity had struck the building and that they were
about TO be buried beneath It's ruins. In an instant
the alarm was gwen, which brought out the Fire
Department, who were naturally, at such a
tlme, on the an rice for calamity OF some
sort, and in moment half dozen en-
gines and ladder trucks came dashing, tear
ing, whirling down Broadway at a lrgntiu
warning BEL changing Changing, while the lightning
seemed TO play all manner or fantastic tricks about
their sm0kestacks and the horses heads--the thun
der the while keeping up continuous and awful
roll, as though bent upon
CRUSHING EVERYTHING
before and round about It with its frightful
roar. The passengers in the street cars were
seized with horror, and many OF them, the
ladies In particular, rushed lranticay out into
the street. screaming TIL their voices could almost
be heard above the frlghtul uDrOar, and forgetting
Tor Inc time the torrents OF rain which were descend
ing like a Mood, threatening to whri them through
the streets into the river.
The wonder IS that during this storm little real
damage was done. Indeed. ltlseems almost miracu
lous that half Of the lower portion OF the CITY, at
least should escape destruction. The only
case OF the lightning having struck anything
was at me corner OF Broadway and John street,
where 1t tore up and scattered about the streets a
considerable portion OF the woodwork the roof OF
the North American Fire Insurance building.
the hre occasoned by the lamp explosion
much damage, and the persons who beat
such preclpitate retreat when the accident
occurred returned three four hours later
having run nearly to Harlem-greatly surprised at
not finding the building heap OF crushed and
mangleu ruins from the effects Of the lightning
which they supposed had struck 1t. One OF them
said that he never IN all his life mad such an awful
sense or "gOneness'' as that which he experienced
when the accident first occurred, and that in spite
of all his eXerti0ns 10 the contrary his legs would
run away with him.