The Western advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1872-1874, 1874-05-30
THE ADYAN(yE


II must congratulate you on the
great Improvement you have made in
the ADVANCE. Under the new man.
agement it is the best country paper !
know of, and if the people of the Ma.
tional Colony do not give it a liberal
support they will prove unworthy of
their wide reputation for liberality and
a progressive spirit. Such paper as
you are making of the ADVANCE is of
incalculable value to any community
indeed it's value cannot be estimated in
dollars and cents. And this is espe-
cially true of a community like yours,
founded upon the great principles of
Morality, Education, Temperance and
Industry. If you are supported in
your work as you deserve to be, you
will soon be rich and famous"
And what can we more say, for time
and space would fail us to tell of how
we shall work wonders, subdue king
doms, and give our readers several
times the worth of their money when
we get our enlarged edition.
STR UCK BY LIGHTNING.
On Saturday evening last, about dark,
a heavy thunder cloud passed southeast
of Worthington, discharging some very
sharp lightning. After one of the dis
charges, parties in town noticed that
almost instantly large, bright light
shone up from the prairie i'll the direc-
ton of Captain Miners residence on
Prof. Humiston's Ocheeda Farm, and
for time it was thought that this house
had been struck and fired by lightning.
Several persons assembled to the obser-
vatory on the Worthington Hotel and
after looking for some time at the light
concluded that it was caused by the fir
ing of 4 straw stack.
On Sunday afternoon the light was
accounted for. Word was brought to
town that the house OF Mr.. Hendrick
Solomonson, a Swede, living across
Ocheeda Lake, about six miles south
east of Worthington, had been struck
! 10y lightning and burned, and that Mr.
Solomonson's body was burned with the
house. The family, consisting of six
persons, (Mr. s., wife, and three chill
dren and the father of Mr.. S. J had fin
ished supper only a short time before
the house was struck. Mr.. S. and the
Oldest boy were sitting near the window
both reading the Bible; Mrs. s. was in
the act of descending into the cellar
with some articles from the table, the
smaller boy holding light, and the
father of Mr.. S. was outside of the
house preparing to wash. The young
est child lay in the cradle near the par
tition wall. Near this partition also
stood the stove. The lightning struck
the chimney, broke the stove to pieces
/ and scattered it about the house, knock
ed out the partition and one end of the
house and let the roof and the ceiling
down. The lightning passed into the
earth in one corner of the cellar making
a hole III the ground some five inches
in diameter and SO deep that the work
men who cleared away the debris were
unable to find the bottom. The house
took fire Immediately. Mrs. Solomon
son was hurt about the head by pieces
of the stove, but she recovered in time
to make her escape from under the fall
len building. One of the boys escaped
with his mother and the other one es-
capped through the window in the end
wall. The ceiling rested upon the era
die, but the infant child was unhurt,
and the mother succeeded in drawing
it out just in time to save it from the
flames. Mr.. Solomonson, it seems, was
caught where lie sat and held fast by
the demolished building, being appa-
rently dead. The oldest boy succeeded
in getting hold of his fathers hand by
reaching through the window in the
fallen wall, and, with the assistance of
a neighbor who had arrived, every ef-
fort was made to extricate the body.
The flames, however, drove them away
in few minutes and the family could
only look Oh in helpless agony while the
body was consumed. The floor soon
gave way and the body fell through in
to the cellar and for some time could
be seen leaning against the cellar wall.
The flesh was burned from the bones
and a portion of the bones was also con-
sumed.
The house and all the contents were
consumed and the loss is estimated at
about $1,000. Lumber to rebuild the
house has been donated and quite a sum
of money has been raised for the relief
of the distressed family.
We acknowledge the receipt Of an in.
vitation from the editors of the Spirit
Lake Beacon to attend the Editorial
Convention for Northwestern Iowa, to
be held at that place on the 18th of
June. Unless we shall have rush of
job work like that Which has over
whelmed the Jackson Republic, we
hope to attend.
We intended last week to announce
that Prof. Bagley proposes to give a
Concert of Vocal and Instrumental
music, but the slip containing the an.
nouncement was mislaid. He will be
assisted by his brother.
Mr.. Amos Smith and family will
leave for New York on Monday next
We regret to lose them from our midst
IL