Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1881-05-24
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.


for the Maine Farmer.
The family OF the agricultural edltor
of this paper had an experience on Weu-
nesday evening OF last week, through
which but few are ever called to pass, an
experience so dreadful that single triai
il enough for lifetime, and those VINO
suffer IL are likely to pray most earnestly
TO be exempt from a repetition OF IL. Inc
agricultural editor was out OF town ior the
evening, leaving early In the AFTERNOON
when the weather was beautliui anu
there were no signs OF what occusreu
few hours afterwafd. His family CONSIST
ing of his wife and three children were
nj their home which is situated on tue
corner OF Hospital street and the 1oSus
road. IN this city. Towards evening,
threatening clouds began to show theiii-
selves above the horizon and the sun SET
rs IL were, In sea OF inky blackness. ~
was not a narrow belt of cloud such as
usually betokens n local shower out
very broad, extending along the entiIe
western horizon, or nearly one huhureu
and eighty degrees Few In this vicinity
will soon forget the grand ana 10 some
minds, awful display OF electricaI pheno.n'
ena which were witnessed on that night
We heard one person say that ne never
saw IT, equal except on the plains oil the
far west. and another who had lived III
Florida which Is noted for It's thunder
storms. that he never witnessed It's parai-
lei there. The entire atmosphere seemed
IN he charged with electric fluid. the
flashes Of lightning being almost continue
Gus and dcafen!ng peals of thunder follow
ing each other in rapid succession: IL
was terrible and awe-inspiriHs beyond tue
power Of pen To describe.
Rut while others saw the electric light,
heard the loud thunder and watched from
a distance the fiery shafts travelling earth
ward with the speed of thought, the family
IN which we have referred were des-
tined To be broguht into closer relation
shin with the dagrrous fluid. 4 neighbors
daughters had come in 20 spend an hour
and all were seated around the table IN
the dining room. but rs the ills hes became
more frequent and the thunder seemed
nearer the neighbor's girl felt that she
must run home TO her parents, and boy
OF the family aged eleven, one OF the three
children spoken OF went with her. The
othe- inmates retired To the rear Oh tue
room, the mother taking tAe smaller chiid
I'm her arms. Several loud peals OF thun-
der had quickly followed each other, the
whole heavens being filed with II lurid
light In the intervals, when there was
brief cessation, "a moments calm, ana the
family became aware o. strange lntru-
sion The intruder was globe %! IRE,
foot or more IN diameter, and nrst appear
ed nj the window at the north side oil ana
within the room II entered noiselessly
and must have passed between the upper
and lower sash, which having been taken
out for cleaning and not properly secured,
there was "A space between the TWO sash
OF nearly n quarter or an inch, ana
draught OF air. Co lfrontcd by such
visitor. the q, cupauts OF the room were
filled with fear and dread. The children hid
their faces, but the mother gazcd upon 1t
and realized fully the situation and the
danger.
But of course she had not mpch time to
think or To fear, for ball-lighting i rest
less A. well ~ resistlcSS, aud Goes not
s,op 20 allow itself 10 be inspected II
pnSsed nom the window describing the
arc of a circle. the nearest approach 70 the
occupants OF he room being two or three
feet. and then. still describing circlo, IL
nqsccd across the table aud toward 4he
kitchen door through which IL went and
and was lost 10 sight. In All instant after.
there was q fearful crash and then all was
still lamp burning on the kitchen table
had been blown out, and still circllng
around. the first object with which the
electric fluid came in contact, was cased
post in the corner Of the kitchen. lie re-
sult OF this collision is briefly a follows
The casing was stripped from the post aud
plasterlng aud lathing torn of in the yicin-
ity. The fluid then passed through into the
pantry. where shelves were shaken andsplit
up. glass Jars thrown upon the hoor and tin
blackened aud the tin melted oil. Precise
ly where the fluid left the room could not
be determined. but IL probably passed out
AZ the pantry window the same a. II came
In. Shortly after the noise In the pantry
had subsidized. there was another crash,
and the eletric huld entered the corner Of
the stable where II Joins the shed that cX
tends from this TO the house, and tearing
off shingles aud shivering boards, IL passed
into the earth This bolt was plainly seen
as IL descended, by persons who were
watching from their windows on the west
side OF the river. and the report of the
thunder Is reported As terrible. Ball light
ming usually occurs during an extremely
intense discharge. and often moves hori-
zontally for a considerable distance. 1t
has often been seen moving along railroad
tracks and the case OF man who was
killed by such n ball In this city j. well
remembered The Grant ball which en-
tered the dining room as we have describ-
ed, was passing horizontally when II came
In contact with the window, aud a glass
is perfect non-eonductor the nuid was
so compressed rs 10 pass into the room,
where IL Immediately expanded into It's
previous form and size. This Is the only
explanation we can give. Had it come In
contact with the walls of the house, 1t
would have torn its way through as II did
through the post and plastering from the
kitchen into the pantry. The report which
followed the discharge OF this fire ball APP
peared TO be simultaneous with the crash
OF boards and crockery made by the ball In
the house, and the two together made a
most deafening noise 10 the occupants OF
the dining room.
The boy who went home with the neigh
bors' daughter was returning, ana was OPP
posite the house on the sidewalk, when the
awful explosion occurred, and was thrown
PROSTATE and nearly stunned from the con-
cussion. He had reached the Others and
was with the rest of the family in the dining
room when the stable was struck. The
rooms through which the lightning passed
were filed with sulphurous smoke. The
stable was struck little after half past
eight O'Clock, and though there are near
neighbors, none of them knew what had
occurred until the next morning. They
heard the report and felt that the lightning
must have struck in the vicinity, but as no
fire followed they concluded no buildings
had been hit. The mother remained alone
with the children until her husband re-
turned at half past eleven, and the three