New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-16
FRANKS OF THE LIGHTNING.
DOZEN MEN SENT TO THE GROUND AT
THE STATE CAMP.
NONE OF THEM HURT. BUT ALL MUCH FRIGHT
ENED-NATURE IN A WILD BUT BEAU

NONE OF THEM HURT BUT ALL MUCH FRIGHT
ENED-NATURE IN WILD BUT BEAU
TIFUL MOOD.
State Camp, PeeksI<ill, " Y. July Is Special
For the fourth time this season lightning made
life decidedly unpleasant at the State Camp this
afternoon. 1t splintered a small saplng within
thirty or forty feet of the guard tent went into
the tent on an electric light wire. and knocked
dozen men off their feet. BESIDES upsetting
mirror into Lieutenant-Colonel Mers lap while
he was having his hair cut in the barber's tent
The storm has been brewing ever since yester-
day forenoon. In fact it hOvered around the camp
nearly all yesterday afternoon, giving those who
were here fine view of the elements on q rampage
1t was one OF those sights to which distance GER
talnly lent enchantment. All day long from l
o'clock until just before sunset, the thunder
growled and grumbled through the mountains
The echoes of the reports would return to camp
after rolling about ,Dunderberg for a few moments
and would mingle with new reports. The noise
was ylceasing. In the southeastern sky great
black bank of clouds looked ominous
Every few seconds bright streak would shoot
out Of this bank and would seem to dart directly
TO the earth The dark mass swung past the camp
once and then returned, but only the edge of the
storm passed over this place. A few ftfu showers
of rain fell. but they were not enough TO cool
tho atmosphere, which was humid and sutry
Shortly after o'clock rare sight was witnessed
by those who were lucky enough to be here The
black bank was still in the southeast. The forked
lightning flashed ever and anon, followed by the
rumbng thunder. The rain, too, began to fall in
camp, and suddenly the sun came out from its
hiding place and shot its hot rays down on the
.-bt Ito toptc no Al
appeared directly over Peellsl.ill and remained
there until the sun disappear I'd at the bidding of
the sunset gun.
The report of the twelve FOUNDER seemed to he
the signal for the elements to declare truce
for the night. and the air became quiet. The
oldest inhabitant" of the tented city could not
remember when thefe had been so hot all evening
before The little green flies which infeSt the
place on warm evenings swarmed about so thclyly
that it was almost impossible to live in a tent
with light in it, The mosquitoes, too, were ex.
ceedingly troublesome, thing almost unknown in
camp.
The air did not seem TO get any cooler as the
night advanced, and when the men turned out TO
answer reveille roll-call this morning the atmos-
phere was close and hot The sun would shine
for few minutes and would then retreat behind
o bank of clouds lie kept up this peek-a-boo
game until nearly O'Clock, and by that time the
clouds over old Dunderberg began to look ugly.
AT :45 the stiff southern breeze which had
been blowing up TO this time suddenly became
hurricane, The tents whipped and snapped the
trees along the bluff bowed and groaned before
the storm and great branches were broken off and
came tumbling In unpleasant proximity to the tents
The thunder, wlIicl had been Teverberating in the
distance, began to approach the camp The re-
,,..,t. To- n.
lightning. Within a few minutes they
seemed TO be almost together. Then there were
binding flashes at every point of the compass for
few minutes, when "bang! crash swishl" the
camp grounds seemed to trembe. The noise of
breaking branches and yell from the direction
of the guard tent was mixed with the noise of
the elements.
Some one is struck" was the cry Of somebody,
and for few minutes there was almost a panic
The thunderbOlt struck a small sapng within
thirty or forty feet Of the guard tent and tore il
in pieces in jify, scattering the branches in
every direction. About dozen men in one Of
the guard tents had hold of the poles to help the
ropes keep the tent from being blown over! There
was an electric light in this tent, which fed
by wire from pole which stood near the
sapling which was struck
The electric current must have branched off
TO this wire, because when the crash came the
men received such shock that their legs wilted
under them and down they all went on the floor
in heap. One man yelled and caused no little
excitement, but they were all more frightened than
hurt.
The barber shop is lighted by the same circuit
that the guard tent is. Lieutenant-Coonel Miller
was sitting in Of the barber's chairs having
his hair cut. When the crash came all those in
fba felt fha ;oI
the sideboard was knocked over by it and dropped
into Lieutenant Colonel AIller's lap. The glass
unbroken, strange to say, but in falling it
knocked over and broke jar containing some
flowers. Over in the mess hall, where there were
a number of electric lights. the lightning came in
and snapped and cracked like pistol shots during
the time that the storm was in the immediate
vicinity of the camp The wire In the little
telegraph Office was cut out and ground wire put
on. but still the lightning came in and made q
great splutterng for a short time.
The storm seemed to have spent its fury after
the lightning struck the sapng and it drew away
to the northward. Shortly after o'clock
landscape looked bright and serene.
This is the fourth time that lightning has paid
its respects to the camp this season. A day or
two before the troops arrived thunderbOlt struck
the fiagpOle in front of State headquarters and
splintered it. a few days afterward another storm
visited the place. One thunderbolt wlted a negro
woman in tie mess hall and another splintered a
tree Just back of Colonel StOry's tent.
Among the visitors at camp to-day were Colonel
George ID. Scott of the Sth Regiment; Captain |
Davi- ilsOn, of the I'd Battery Captain Lorgan,
of the 9th Regiment and Lieutenant Perry, Of
the It'll Separate Company. \ party came up
from New York steam yacht yesterday TO
visit DR.. Charles L. Lindley the assistant surgeon
Of the regiment. They We're Mr.. and Mrs Edward
W. Field, Miss L. Gurnee. Miss Barney. Miss Worth
ingtOn Miss Shepard, Miss Barron, Miss Matthews
Miss Ethel Dodge, Mr.. Barron, j. Rockefeller |
Thomas Nichols and Cyrus Judson.