The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-16
CONNECTICUT B0MBARDED
HER PEOPLE KEPT Busy FOR 4 WEEK
DODGING THUNDERBOLTS

Capers Never Cut by Lightning Before.
NORWICH. June 15.-The past week has been
remarkable for more thunder storms than
were ever recorded for a similar period
In the history Of New England. They were all
extraordinary onos too, and the mischief
wrought by zigzag lightning is not exceeded
by that engendered by the Jersey kind Five
and six thunder showers traversed the welkln
daily, and dwellers In the Land OF Steady
Habits have been In tho unsteady posture Of
lodging aerial bolts pretty much all the time.
At night flash after fash painted the land
scare in blush unearthly colors. and the
ouick-coming thunder beloved and rumbled
in the earths shell. Houses reoed with the
ponderous reverberations, windows were
shaken, crockery ratified, and no end OF
cream in old-fashioned farmhouses or
big country creameries was soured. For
FIVE days the big black showers chased each
other up and down Connecticut. forward and
back, eight hands around. all chaussGe; vast
scaris OF fog were trailed along the sodden
valleys among the hills, and last night rain
was still falling the sky still blanket OF black
cloud. ard lightning blazing away at the I'M
happy Nutmeg State. Everybody is discour-
aged. and thousands have the rheumatism
Also Crops are rotting in the fields the straw
berry harvest is sour and generally rotten, and
the only thing that seems to thrive is the tent
caterpillar. which has encamped in vast host
and woven his hdeous web over forests and
orchards. Last night the State OF Connecticut
asked itself seriously. will this dreadful
weather ever end ?" and the far echoinG thun-
der growled a dismal and bodinG reply.
Nevertheless. there is a comical feature in
the situation. SO many and so odd and fan
tastic capers were never cut by lightning bolts
before. There ia hardly a neiGbborhood in
A. 4, HYv ole
trio lance. and incompatible is the damage
therefrom. Trees have been splintered whole
herds Of cattle speared. the ground has been
plouGhed In ziGzug burrows barns have been
burned and houses riddled, scaped or de-
molished. Many farmers are still picking out
fotsam from ravaged barns and corn cribs. or
sorting over the ruins OF their households.
In all parts OF the State the telephone. and
telegraph lines are dilapdated, for almost as
fast as circuit is repaired after one whitening
bolt. another catches hold Of the wire and
an inquiTiug citizen could talk five inmates
over a .telephone wire without, getting his
crude electricity. The lightning has done most
Of the telephone talking for ten days past. and
the telephone girl at central, when l2-24 or
l7-62 is "rung in" is BY no means confident
whether it is John Henry smith that sent the
call or amalignant thunderbolt.
Many notable freaks have been reported In
all parts Of the State on the part of the light
ming. At,New Haven John Helcher Of Hodge
two ee eaTthTuakes had ciinched Just above his
house tree and the big one had fallen on the
little one on the ridge pole: and when th the
head he found that a thunderbolt had smooth
y pared OF bic chimney top and then Slid down
boards. lath. and plaster in path five ieet
wide. after doing which it went on into the
opposite the Elm Tree Inn, was burned by
lightning in the same shower. and almost at
be bel s to Samuel Colt in East farminston'
were killed under a tree. Another barn was
burned at WINCHESTER Ia the same hour. and
and and KIN Knocked al the teeth out Of the church
organ. which was still ,chatterinG however,
In New Britain one bolt exploded just like
Socialists bomb In the centre OF the town.
thSpS t Anohse pS eq a
Robert Coo, in AnsoniR. doing slight injury
and at the same moment an audacioqs ball OF
lightning plouRhed a hole. through Krauss l.
the stufhnG out OF 800 worth Of corsets. Hart
ford was In darkness Tor long time one even.
the armatures in the electric lighting plant.
wood tree into sP,Iintersl y,} Of bark and
was on
BY tightening. and at the same moment John
we're burned. jay Knowles's fine house in
GAINESVILLE was totally destroyed 10 the same
thunder storm. several icy, other buildings in the
rooted or twisted into gigantic and fantastic
snarlS In the same shower Charles Meachin's
OF other buildings were struck. Thomas Row
ans saloon In Dambpry was set on fire, ana
James Marnock al Westport.
In Birmingham. in later shower. all the ar
ery S Pluto seemed e6 TO hRVe been s6 Sc
Oak street as he was going, home from work
and he fell dead on the roadbed. Blush marks
showed where the lightning entered ard quit
ted his body. Bis remains were not found un-
ckesInuts rained In showers on the ,hopso
roofs. and people fed into the street as Il they
were, crazed. The fire alarms tangled con
gonGs and factory bells tolled. untouched by
human hands. Two young women in the
with the Ice Grapne and blood followed each
singing shot The ground was strewn with
Out Of The y o SGs arc rRts and M the nrRt
blush flame. ike MeTGist opheles.
grand enough, Mr.. Beebe lost his chimney !
top top, and his parlor carpet was rnped IN; and
4 bolt .ploughea burrows in the ground at Mr.. |
Conklin,s residence. Ny. Ieobe's house was |
lightning never strikes twice in the same spot
In Ansonia one physician was called to at
tend three persons suffering from fright on ac-
them had strange nausea that was Ike sea
sickness which continued all day. In Port
land a lot Of trees were sIlinterei and the side
walk scored with long criss-cross crack marks
whore the fuId had blazed its way through the
town. T.. Beach had Il cali killed in TrumbnlL
In New Britain thunderous peal stopped a
clock on bureau in. the middle Of The evening
duIpm, which ttlheresupSWp, !, .waggod on rs
Winchester was burned by lightning
fash: loss $1,000. A tree on Hunting
Hill was struck for the third time. At New
Britain the telephone girl Miss Steele. had
Just taken a telephone receiver from her ear
the wire and burst with a loud report in tho
middle OF the office. filling the room with
smoke and an odor OF birthstone Miss Steele
was shocked, but not much hurt, though she
felt dizzy for q day.
can flag on Loomiss Temple OF Music, ripped
IL into shreds, and then slid upward to the
Rilded stan bal and vanished It with a play
ful blue electric halo for second. Big hall;
stones pounded the pavements Two hundred
telephone wires were knocked out OF service
One flash OF, electricity made every one OF the
800 drops on the big switch board fall with a
sharp metallic clack. Another bolt as big as a
sugar bowl broke on an iron.capped hitching
N straat. and Ono MACE flew and pOupad n