The New York herald., 1879-07-01
FREAKS OF LIGHTNING.

a RETROSPECT OF FATALITY AND DISASTER
u WROUGHT by ELEcTRICITY-INsrANcEs OF
DEATHS THAT HAVE OCCURRED UNDER THE
SHELTER OF rREEs-rHE DANGEROUS SEASON
OF THE YEAR DEFINED
glance the doinss of lightning and thunder.
bolts will reveal several things not the least impor-
tant of which is that their deadlest touch is given
between the latter part of Nav and the early part OF
September and that there fewer places more
ceptible to their visits dangerous than tho
shelter of trees and door porches OF piazzas.
When persons out IN field caught
in a thunder storm their most natural
movement is toward tree for shelter The few
instances which follow taken from last summers
records and the few weeks Of the present will
explain clearly enough why they should not seek
such shelter. And the death of the little children OF
Mr.. and Mrs wiswall. in Melrose. whose funeral will
take place from their parents residence to-day. only
gives emphasis to the other cases. For instance.
June 81 of last year Isadore Langden. of Montreal
Canada. while standing on the balcony of his house
talking with his wife. was instantly killed by light
ming. while Mrs Langden escaped uninjurei. On
the day and during the storm little girl
named Farrell. ten years OF age. was killed in field
near Martintown, Ont She had probably taken
shelter under a tree.
A PICNIC.
On the last Fourth of July German Lutheran
church, of Pittsburg, Pa. went to Ross Grove Q
picnic, and while party were seated pleasantly
under large oak the tree shattered by light.
ming. FELL and killed ten of the company at and
injured fifteen, five Of whom subsequently, died.
During the same storm hastones large chest
nuts fell rain fell copiously and Touring mill and
stables attached burned in the city of Pitts.
burg; the vesta Oil Works, Negleys Rum together
Nh n Il oil nod
destroyed. and stable at East Liberty. Pa.
tanning three horses. consumed. Taking .
sweep eastward the same storm swept over New Lon
don, Conn.,. and visited Thames Grove, seven miles
north of the city where a temperance picnic party
enjoying themselves. At the approach of the
storm naturally enough, everybody to the shell.
ter Of 1t fatal to mrs. Bridget Maxwell.
for fire ball fell from the clouds and struck the
to crisp and dug hole six feet long and two or
three feet deep and wide into which her lifeless
mains fell The ball exploded in its own made ditch
with report like park of artillery. Two other
women named Harris and Rogers were struck by the
same bolt and paralyzed in their lower limbs. while
lad named Rowe obliged to walk home bare
foot and to patronze his shoemaker.
ELECTRIC FLUID IN CITIES
But the summer storms do not confine themselves
to the country. AS this year also last year resi-
dents of New York were visited by the lightning
stroke and hurried suddenly eternity. While
Edward White and Bernard Gray were working
the of the Central Presbyterian Church of his
CITY on the 10th of last July the former was killed
on scaod and fell sixty feet to the ground receiv
ing abrasion on his forehead. Gray's clothing
was scorched to tinder. and the flesh on his
breast, thighs and abdomen severely burned. Possi
bly, the same storm took southwark and
westward stride and tore down 130 feet Of
the unfinished steepie of the Reformed Church at
Hagerstown Nd; up 500 feet of the track of the
Cleveland and Wheeling Railroad, and killed John
Hancock, herder, and his horse, in field few
miles from Camp Robinson. Neb 1t must also have
visited the North, probably before it came here. for
it killed boy named WILKES IN h saorv b.
Amsterdam, N. Y, burying nine workmen
in the ruins; three of whom were fatally
Hezekiah Shailor, member of the publishing
house Of Sheldon \ Co.. of this city. while on
while 81. 900 barn belonging to Mr.. d. L. Shailor
was burned to the ground Another barn. belonging
to Mrs. Parsons. at Somors Conn. and two horses
stunned. But no one can account for the vagaries
of the electric fluid. Last summer on the 18th OF
July, it splintered the flagstaff the Produce Ex-
change, then ran across the street aud struck
clerk i'll the Office of Hughes Hiscox Co.. slightly
the Fulton ferryboat Union, passed to the engine
room and momentarily stopped the progress OF the
boat, but did no injury.
SUNDAY SCHOOL DISASTER
And as it has no respect for or sex, so neither
has it any for days or occupations. Whiie the sun,
day school children were gathering under gospel
tent in Philadelphia on sunday the 4th of August.
1875 the fatal fluid struck and followed the centre
pole and instantly killed Mary Ann Eltrey. little
girl of ten years. tore the shoes off Willie Adams
feet and left him deaf and otherwise injured.
Other children thrown to the ground and
stunned including Mary AIMS brother Willie and
Willie Burns another lad. who were severely in.
jured. Mr.. H. Conor, teacher, tossed like Q
ball from part of the tent to the opposite and
slightly injured
woRKMES KILLED.
On the 10th of May. this year, John Durnell and
Sias Moran farm hands at work Fredericks-
burg, Ind took shelter from impending storm
under a tree, g usual. Moran was thrown into the
Blue River by and killed. Durnell was found
sitting upright at the base of the tree dead also.
Three other persons killed by the same storm
at Lannside Ind.
On the 3lst of May, this year, Mr.. p p Perry. Of
Stephentown, n Y, was killed by lightning and q
$4,000 barn belonging to Mr.. A. j. whitman
destroyed On Sunday. the LIST of June. William
Putnam, q canal driver, killed at Mechanics.
injured at Castleton, n. Y. the same afternoon.
James Kelly and Barzillia Fenton, painters were
working the cottage OF Rev. George Clark. of
Tarrytown, at Asbury Park ". j., on the 9Th of last
month. when storm came on suddenly. They
took shelter the porch of the cottage, where hey
killed by the fiery fluid Kelly's shoes and
stockings burned clean of his feet and the flesh
of his right shoulder crisped. Carpenters who were
at work inside were stunned and the cottage was
damaged to the amount of $500 to repair 1t.
DESTRUCTION AND DEATH.
On the 11th OF June last storm passed over Ohio.
Indiana and parts of Kentucky. Its force took Q
direction north and south. 1t struck several DWELL
ings in Salem, Ind. and killed Daniel Mitchell, who
had under "A tree for shelter. And couple OK
Sundays ago June Is. at Preakness Village, N. j.,
while Albert Smith and his trying to
spread piece OF the root of extension to
his house to keep the rain out. they were struck by
lightning. The father instantly killed and the
son stunned. When Dir. smith examined it
found that his clothing had been injured in the
least degree and that the onv evidence of injury
his body blue sulphurous streak down his
back, parallel with the spine and close to it.