Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-08-14
FREAKS OF LIGHTNING.
but NO Person Killed-Other Casu-
alSies.

alyleSs
From the Chattanooga Times, Aug. Is.
thermometer So deg. a. 1870 P. M. yes
t5rday. About 1:45 it was apparent that we
were 10 be favored with one of the num-
erous local storms which sold probs" pre-
dicted for this and surrounding States. AL
most in an ipstant after, b,&ckicloud was
noticed III the heavens, and in i've minutes
rain was falling in torrents, accompanied by
heavy thunder and lightning. Rain fell
for about forty minutes, and at the end of
that time the temperature had fallen 16 deg.
the thermometer standing at y deg.
During the storm, about twenty minutes
after the rain began fall, there was fear
ful crash of thunder, and everybody said, as
ever body always does in such cases, "that
must have struck somewhere" and for once
everybody vas right. ....
Tie most serious, and at The same time
the most curious performance of the light
ming VS. at the residence Of mr.. T. G.
Whitesde, corner Of A. aud Gilmer streets.
l. struck post If The porch in rear Of the
house, that was spliDtered by the fluid into
small pieces as straight as they could be
sawed. From this post it leaped about
five feet to the outer wall near the rear of a
pail and bed room; entered the hall
fter tearing off the weather boards on the
outside, and the clustering on the inside.
From the hall it appears to have scattered
in spsrks-hterally spread itself in squads
about the two rooms. In the parlor Mrs.
Whiteside was reclining on bed. An in
FAINT daughter of MIR. and Mrs. Whitsside
and nurse girl were in the same room, on
a mattrass, brought in hastily to protec5 it
from the raio, and thrown on the floor.
In 10th these rooms the plasteing was
knocked off here and there; bracket in
the bedroom was shivered 10 atoms but a
few feet from the head of bed on which
Mr.. Whiteside's sister was reclining. The
plastering on and about large chimney
that stands between the two rooms was
blstered, and is ready TO tumble IRON tho
lath al a touch. The fluid made its exit
down the back stairs leading from the lower
porch to the ground, and down the CHM
ney. 1t shivered the heavy steps Of the
Stairs into splinters, and sent bushels Of
SCOT down the chimney into servants
room in the basement. Strange to say,
neither the ladies, the infant, nor the nurse
girl, experienced anything more than
slight shock followed by nausea.
About hundred yards from Mr.. White
sides residence stands large oak tree, near
Gilmer street, on j. l.. Divine's grounds.
This was struck simultaneously with Mr..
WIS house, and shattered from top to root.
MIR. Charles Manning, who resides within
forty feet of the tree, was slightly shocked;
SAYS he felt IS if an indefinite number Of
needles were "gently tickling him."
We learn that house was struck near
the water reservoir. Nobody hurt.
Altogether it was q day of lucky acct
den S.
Water fell during the storm, forty min
utes, to The depth of 2s inches.
A lad, Abe Splitter, who keeps a candy
tent corner 9Th and Market streets, was
stunned by the lightning, snd "scpeaks not
wort vcr den minutes" So says Daniel
Deutsch, Esq.