Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1884-10-11

'"S "hS ~ thS W.
A letter from MatanorGs, Pa, says:
While Seymour Caykendall and his fam
lily were sitting quietly at dinner, on
Tuesday, during 2 terrible thunder
storm, three excited neighbors burt
into the house and wanted t. know If
any Of the family were hurt or killed.
That was the first the Caykendalls knew
that lightning had struck their hence,
and tia: the find lad been pkving all
over and about it. The bolt hal struck
The roof near the chimney. tearing a
hole through IT As big as a tai. It did
not enter the house, but dividing III
three parts, coursed in different direc-
tions over it. One portion Of the cur
rent flashed along the roof to the south
md OF the house, another Travelled
north, and the third took AZ eastward
course along the r~idgepolc Of sn extern
nion. The current tia. went south slid
down q veranda post, which it scattered
- y - bAt Ntl "2t
the ground. The divla5aepf the current
1hich took the opposite.direction also
"tarted for the ground on ayerandap post.
out, when half way down, met the end
Of "A wire clothcsllne which was fastened
70 the post. Switching off on to this
Zinc the fluid was conducted to y tall
post at the other end ofothe wire. This
post il made short work Of. ard then
Icared to the ground at the side Of o coal
house in an adjoining yard twelve feet
%Way.
Flowing n channel for itself in under
Chs coal house from one side to the
other, the iiuid turned upward and
struck q chicken coop. ut @ spot where
another wire clOtheslinb was fastened
Tearing away a portion Of the siding on
the hen house, the current followed the
wire to its terminus on an outhouse.
which it scattered about the garden
and then burial itself in the ground.
Still another wire ran parallel with the
one en- winch this portion Of the Original
bolt made its last journey and five feet
distant. A linen handkerchief was hang
lng on this liue. and as the current
passed 1t On the other wire the handkcr-
chief parted III q zigzag tear ascending
from the bottom to the top. That por-
ton Of the fluid which had passed along
tho ridgepole Of the extension left the
roof at one corner, and III passing down
also came in contact with a wire clothes
line, followed it to another yard, where
it tore an clubhouse to pieces and disap-
pearcd III the ground.
The electrical display at Caykendall's
house was hardly over when lightning
struck a tall pole in Charles Leppert's
yard, on the same street. There the
partlaiity of Matamoras people for wire
clotheslines came in good play again for
the lightning. One WAS attached 10 the
pole, whence it extended to the corner
of the house, and then to q hen house
Mt the lower end of the garden. Nextt TO
the hen house was q hop vine, next to
that a furnishing grape vine, and near
the two a gav-coiorcd bed Of bowers.
The fluid ran Along tie wire 10 the cor
ncr of the mouse. and tore of 4 portion
of tic siding. 1t then passed along 10
the hen hou>r, where ii did but little
damage, playing simultaneously about
the hop vine, grape vine, and Aowtr
"
he'd. and then disappeared. The vines
and plants-lcavcs, stalks. blowers and
all were here changed to j coal black
III the tNiukliug Of IN eve. At the NC
ment the lightning struck the corner Of
the dwelling Mrs. Ieppcrt was in a
room IN the second story. She felt a
severe blow "a the right side Ct her
head, which stunned her Tor an instant.
Then n peculiar ~numbuess passed over
her left side and leg. This soon passed
away, and Wa followed by n burning
sensation III two spots on The hip. Mrs.
I"ppert found two back and blue spot
the size OF Il dime where she hal fell
the burning.
The play Of electricity aboat the I'll
laee during the storm ww am I IN
broken for twenty minutes, bat 10 other
damage was done.