The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-08-23

6;30 z. M, the Mount Pleasant Unitarian
Church at the Highlands was struck by
lightning and set on fire, but the flames
were extinguished without an alarm The
spire was somewhat shattered. At Station
3 the brass work on the telegraphic instru-
ment was melted by the electric fluid, and
Sergeant Wood, who was reading a paper
some ten feet from the machine, was struck
and rendered insensible for a time. Lieut..
Hastings had left his chair, close to the
machine, but a moment previous to the ac-
cident to shut the window of the guard
room. BY this mere accident he probably
escaped death.
APFALLING SCENES.
AT eight o'clock the storm abated, the
lightning ceased its vivid flashes, and all
supposed that the storm was over, but at
midnight the skies were again darkened,
the rain began to fall in sheets, and the
whole armament was lit up with the sud-
den and almost binding flashes of the
| lightning. One popularity of this storm
was the long continuance of the flashes.
Toward the latter part of it's duration the
| flashes would follow each other SO rapidly
that the heavens were illuminated for sew
eral seconds, when the intense light would
be succeeded by Egyptian darkness, while
the heavens were constantly reverberatinS
with the terrific reports of the thunder,
some of them short and quick, like the
continuance, like the distant roar of artil-
lery. Those who were compelled to re-
| mann upon the streets were almost struck
dumb with the near approach of the elcc-
trlct fluid, and the terrifying detonations
( which followed. For nearly an hour the
storm ragged, the elements combining to
make one of the most grand and appalling
scenes ever witnessed in this city.
THE HARBoR ILLUMINATED.
The air was completely full of electrici-
ty, and the fluid passed along the wires
over the houses, driving the night opera
| tors away from their instruments and
compelling all to seek cover. The scene
down the harbor was sublime the sud
den flashes of lightning caused the ship
ping to stand for all instant in bold relief,
when, as it appeared, q cloud of inky
| biackness instantaneously covered the
scene. The waters were lashed into fury,
| and the hoarse cries of the sailors as they
moved about on the alert to avoid the
threatening disasters only served to height
! en the effect. Many of the citizens who
had retired for the night were compelled
! to rise for fear that the fluid would ignite
| the buildings, if the descending bolts
| should strike them. In the suburban
| towns the storm seems to have been as
furious as in the city. From South Bos-
| ton, Chelsea, Cambridge, Maiden, and
!
have been received. Considerable dam
! age was done to property, but as yet no
deaths resulting from the storm have been
reported.-BOstoTa Journal, Aug. 10.
| THREE HUNDRED AND pTHIRTY-oSE FL ASHES
IN SEVEN MINUTES.
A most remarkable exhibition of atmos-
pheric electricity took place in Arlington
| between 12 and o clock Brilliant streams
| frfr f11riA rlo
in every direction, and the thunder which
| followed was constant for a period of thir-
| teen minutes, without the intermission of
! an instant of silence. One flash of light
ming followed another in such rapid sue
ccssion as to excite curiosity to know how
many occurred in a minute. With watch
in hand l counted them for seven minutes
In the first minute there were 81 vivid
! flashes; second minute, AZ &; third, 80 :;
fourth, AZ fifth, 81 sixth, 81 /; seventh, 81 !;
making three hundred and thirty-one dis
| charges of electricity in seven minutes,
| distinctly visible from one point; and
each discharge was followed by loud and
sometimes rattling reports, whose reyer-
beratiOns rolled through the heavens III an
endless procession of majestic and terrific
sounds.
During this scene tho moon, which was
| about half an hour above the western hor-
! izon, was visible, but SO magnified through
| the haze and vapor as to appear like
brilliant flame suspended in the sky. For
! n period of twenty minutes the scene was
one of grandeur and sublimity rarely wit
messed in lifetime.-N. y. Eepress.
THE CONNECTION IN THE HEAVENS.
1t is rare indeed that a more terrible
thunder storm, or of longer duration, is
experienced in this latitude, or, as for that
matter, in any latitude than the one with
which our neighborhood was visited be-
tween II and o'clock last night Awak-
ened from deep sleep by the terrific thun-
| der which shook the earth. and the vivid
lightning which made midnight like mid
| day around him, one could not but realize
! the appropriateness of David's description
of thunder storm, in the xxx Psalm
The God OF glory thundercah
The voice OF the Lord is powerful:
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters:
| The voice OF the Lord is full of majesty:
me voice OF the Lord breaketh the cedars
| or Lebanon;
''rhe voice of the Lord divideth the flames of
fire.; .si;.
ness. ~
The Lord sittith upon the flood.
YES, the Lord sitteth King forever" &c.
The entire Psalm is a most vivid and
sublime description of such a storm as
David often experienced in this vicinity
! last nlght-an experience well adapted
TO impress man with sense of his lit
tleness, and utter helplesness in the hands
OF Him who could thus thunder, and to
! make him feel the desirableness of that
peace, which in the last verso of the
Psalm the Lord promises ''his people. -
Boston Trdreller. -
IEL .o1,D