Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-06-29
FREAK or LIGHTNING

" Il IN
The Brunswick Telegraph gives an account
of the shines cut by bolt Of electricity in
that town last Tuesday evening, about six
o'clock 1t struck the house of Mr.. James
Wyman on Cleveland street. The Telegraph
says "the house is provided with rods Ground
iron but not very large but whether the con-
nections were good, or the rod descended to
moist earth is not known. The bolt appar-
emily fell upon the rod attached to the CHM
ney of the L.; portion passed along the roof,
tearing up the saddle board, and a part down
the roof, tearing up the shingles, perhaps to
the ground of Mr.. Grows livery stable. He
was seated in his office at the time and des
cribes the scene as almost terrific. From the
L the electricity followed the road leading to
the main house on the east side and down it
to within 10 or II feet of the ground; here
the connection Cat a coupling) was broken,
and the electricity passed into the main house
tearing up the clapboards lit evide atty sought
the bell wire and passed over it and out at the
front door, leaving its crooked tail in dis
colored paint on both sides of the bell handle,
on the right side looking outward; it struck
and tore off quite piece of the garden fence.
Mrs. Wyman and her daughters were seat
ed upon the front door sill, with little Stet-
son girl standing by them. Mrs. Wyman was
thrown over backwards and rendered insens-
BILE for short time, but recovered. She des
cribed to us her last sensation as that of an
immense and crushing weight suddenly de-
scendipg upon her head. The electricity left
its imprint upon one of her limbs looking as
if it had been badly burned, and when we saw
Mrs. W., at Z o'clock, she said the smart of a
burn was quite severe.
The little Wyman girl escaped all injury
except that one boot was perforated on the
tip and side, quite large holes being made;
the foot upon which this boot was worn at the
time of our visit was smartng as if it burned,
and the boots itself gave the unmistakable
odor of burned leather. The little Stetson
girl escaped injury.
The electricity from the L passed down 1--WE
say SO for we don't know how else to describe
iD the trough between the L and woodshed,
and took to the water conductor, the solder of
which it melted and virtually used it up.
Four feet from the ground, it took a clapboard
nail leaving its imprint on the paint as of
burned powder, in a circle of three or four
inches in diameter; on the nail it passed into
the shed, hitting cask of soft soap tearing
out the bottom and distributing the soap over
the floor; panes of glass were broken in win
dows on both the south and north side of the
shed; its last manifestation was in tearing up
the prvy floor, rod or two distant from the
shed, at the further end of the barn.
There are at least three places where the
earth was disturbed by the passages of the
electricity, one on the left side of the front
door-at the spot where it took the tail
through the south side of the shetland where
the rod terminates on the north side of the l..
Parties who visited the house after it was
struck, spoke of the strong odor of sulphur.
The probability is that the rod was imper
fectly set up or not of sufficient size to dis