New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-19
A LIVELY APRIL STORM.
THE CITY VISITED BY LIGHTNING AND RAIN.
SLIGHT FIRES CAUSED BY THE HIGH wISD-A
BROOKLYN SCHOOL HOUSE STRUCK.

The first thunderstorm OF the season broks
over the city last night. II came first In sheets
of vivid lightning that flashed athwart the cloudy
heavens, throwing objects into bright relief at
one moment and burying them in obscurity the
next. Then the rain came. There was sound
as Of pttering footsteps and then Of the charge
of squadrons of cavalry, and with the charging,
rushing feet of the beating rain the crash Of
thunder and the vivid flashing of lightning. 10
was real thunderstorm of such kind as
makes the down East people" say "spring has
broke" 1t was not of long duration, but while 1t
lasted 1t seemed as II Hendrick Hudson
had transferred that game Of nine-pns which
Rip Van Wrinkle saw omong The Highlands
to position directly over Manhattan Island.
Every flash of lightning illuminated the city, the
encircling rivers and the bays below 1t as II the
electric flashlights Of thousand Italian fleets
were turned on hostile shore, and the booming OK
the thunder as it rolled and reverberated across
the cloud-swathed heavens induced nervous people
to think that Mr.. Blaine's last note had not been
well received at the Court OF Rome and the 0Gton
guns Of the Umberto were, indeed, awaking the
echoes of the defenceess city.
The day began In fog and spring sunshine.
cleaning in golden shafts athwart the dense
masses of vapor, but cloudy battalions mastering
in the west rolled in over the Orange Mountains as
the day drew near its death, and when the peace
and quiet of night had settled down, and the sun.
a ball of fire, had sunk away beyond the jersey
hills, then came the onslaught Of the storm. BY
9:30 O'Clock the storm had passed
away. and all the lights on the great
Bridge and those along the river front
cleaned through that pure air that comes to days
and nations only after a storm. The heavens
were still cloudy, but at the piers the ships lay
with cleaning spars uplifted like crosses Of some
peaceable crusade
At 80 p. M, when the thunderstorm broke
over the city, the fire alarm gong at Police Head
quarters began to ring and before the bell ceased
to vbrate four separate alarms had been told of.
The signals called the engines to the stations nt
Thrd-ave. and Thirty-frst-st., at Eighth-ave. and
Fourteenth-st, at Second-ave and Seventeenth-st.,
and at West and Charles SITS. The operators thought
that lightning had struck buildings in different
parts of the city, but it was soon known that the
high wind that accompanied the storm
had caused three fires. At No. 23l
| East Thirtieth-st lace curtain had been blown
| against o gas-iet; damage $40, in the room OF
| Francis Quinn. similar fire In the home of
Mrs. Rebecca Cleveland, at No. 252 West Four
| teenth-st, had destroyed curtains worth $50.
| curtain in the house of Mrs Louise Biedenheld,
No. 333 East Nineteenth-st, had been burned; loss
| So false alarm had been rung at the box
| ut. West and Charles SITS.
| The storm that swept over Brooklyn carly In
the evening broke over Public School No ~, at
| Haywartl-st and Lee-ave., and bolt OF iiglbinS
struck the flagstaff of the schoohouse. shaterlng
| 1t completely and tearing up part oil the rOoL
| The damage was estimated to be about Slo0.