Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-08-13
HAPS AND MISHAPS.

A little girl was lately killed at
Bridgewater, Pa, by being struck in the
head by stone thrown out by blast 5Oo
yards away.
An elevator in a tobacco factory at
Alton, H., fell, the other day, and pre-
cipitated six workmen from the third
story to the cellar. One man was killed
and the others were dangerously injured.
A. G. Roberts, a prominent lawyer of
Louisville, KY, was killed the other
night by being run over by an engine that
was running through the streets of that
city to reach an incipient fire.
"A little son of Henry Sallzman, of
Bloomington, III, was recently acct
dentally pushed from a bridge over d
slough into the water, and directly upon
the end of a waste steam-pipe, through
which the steam was being blown off. He
was terribly burned by the hot steam.
A romantic York girl thought to
Maud Mullerize and "rake the meadows
sweet with hay" She stood over yell
low Jackets nest as she swung her little
rake. First Jump from the score, eleven
feet. Distance to the house, half mile.
| Time, two minutes.-HarShdN (IU.) Hes
senger.
While some men were grinding
| scythes beneath two immense chestnut
trees in Orange, Conn, during recent
| thunderstorm, lightning struck the trees
shivered them into many pieces, darted
| against the grindStone, which one man
was turning and upon which another
man was holding scythe, snatched the
| implement from his hand and hurled it
into the air with noise resembling that
of a buzz-saw, landing it some fifty feet
away. The men were rather startled by
the incident, but were not hurt
"A rather sudden and singular death
occurred in the town of Homer, Mich
one morning recently. A Mrs. Wells
arose from her bed to close the house
against the coming thunderstorm, and
| stepped to or out Of the door. AT that
instant there was d flash of lightning,
followed by terrific peal of thunder
She was heard to groan and she then
stepped in, sat down in chair, eX-
claimed ooh, l shall die" and expired
Immediately. She was very large and
tieshy woman, weighing nearly 800
pounds, and always considered very
healthy. 1t was thought that her death
was caused by the effects of the light
ming.
AT Fond du Lac, Wis, a singular &C
cident occurred lately. An old gentle
man, seventy-siX years old, had been dig
ging a well. 1t was fourteen feet deep
In the bottom was small hole for the
water to rest in, so as not to hinder the
digging When the old gentleman com
menced carrying stone to the well to
stone it up with, by a misStep he fell
headlOng into the well. The stone he
had in his hand fell into the receptacle
for water and his head wedged in with it.
The strangest part of all is, the old gen
tleman was in no way injured. How he
escaped death, falling so far and in such
a manner, is the wonder of all who have
| witnessed the scene of the fall.
An attempt was recently made to
assassinate Bishop Whippie, of Mime
the announcements for the week, at the
morning service, young divinity stu
dent named George W. Minis rushed up
the aisle and pointed loaded pistol at
the Bishop; but his reverence was too
quick for him. Noticing the boy and
perceiving his murderous intentions he
stepped forward from the chancel, and,
graphing with the wouldbe assassin,
threw him to the floor and took away the
pistol. The young man was laboring I'M
| der mental alteration. He has desired
for some time to be ordained but had
been refused and, it is supposed, har-
bored malice against the Bishop.
"A singular phenomenon was wit
messed by people living near the Mineral
Spring Cemetery, Central Falls, X. l., re
Gently A dense volume of dust from the
Spring pike was suddenly seen to rise in
to the air and, assuming a conical shape
was borne to very high altitude, SO
high, indeed, that the top seemed to
dwindle to a mere speck against the
clouds. The sight is described by those
who witnessed it as wonderful although
of short duration, the cloud or spout
being soon broken and falling in showers
of dust in the vicinity. Its formation
was doubtless owing to causes similar to
those producing water-spouts at sea, but
some declared that it was only the
tail of Coggia's comet which had de-
scended to the earth. At the place
where the base of the column rested on
the road the dust was removed as COM
pletely as if it had been swept away.