Bridgeton pioneer., 1892-08-04
A terrible STORM.
A Terrific StOrna Passes over the
ity sbOnG MEdnf+ lAa ana
NNpS Nsucfl Damage.

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freehing breeze. passed over the city
from the north, and the mercury
dropped rapidly, aud people enjoyed
the brief cool respite. 49, ~.--s-
Then the hot wave again took pos
session, and continued until about
eleven O'Clock, when miniature whirl
wind swept over the town, the sire eets
being cloud OF dust, and signs and
branches of trees being blown and
several fences leYesled
Binding flashes of lightning accom-
panied the under sizad tornado, light
ing up the night, the air seemingly
being most heavily charged with cleo
tricity About midnight thunder
roiied long and loud, and then came a
bliuding flash, and g. terrific crash of
thunder, and the rain poured in tor
rents. The electrical storm then ragged
with all its fury, the lightning and
thunder peals being the most severe
in several years The cutters were
flooded and wind continued blowing
hard.
Over In the Third ward the storm
seemed to rage in all its fury. The
first terrific peal of thunder did con-
siderable damage. 1t struck the
double house on Broad street, Nos.
IA and 146. Occupied by the families
of Edward Hetzell and Edward Bois.
A PIONEER reporter called at the
two dwellings and saw the dam
age done, and heard narrated the
experiences of those in the houses. APP
parently the lightning bolt struck a
lightning rod on the house of Mr..
Hetzell, and ran down the spire with
in about ten or fifteen feet of the
ground. There it left the rod, and en-
tered the weather boarding, tearing
good sized hole in them. The bolt
passed through on the bottom shelf of
dish cupboard in the north
east corner of the room breaking
many dishes and glassware and hurl-
ing them upon the floor. The bolt
tore through the frame work Of the
cupboard and intomthe frame, tear
ing portion of that off, and pull
ing the entire curtain from the win
dow. Leaping across the window it
entered into the plastering of the wall,
making a long cash, and disappeared.
It must have continued on over the
other half of the house in which MIR.
Bois lives.
Mr.. Bois, his wife, daughter and
mother were sitting in the front room.
they bad just closed all of the windows,
but the door was left open. The bolt
seemed to have appeared first near
the centre OF the ceiling and ran across
on the outside, the paper showing two
jagged marked places, and then it
went through the ceiling in the corner
of thereon, out through weather
board, and down q tin water conduc-
tor, until it reached the stone founda-
tions, where it bursted, tearing great
hole in the stone.
None Of the family sitting in the
house can tell the story very clearly.
The bolt lighted the room as if it was
in blaze. Then everyone of the oc-
cupants were pitched forward from
their chairs and they fell unconscious
to the floor. Mr.. Bois said he does
not remember anything until he found
himself in the kitchen, with the other
members of the family. None of them
knew, however, how they got out of
the room. Mrs. Sarah Boies, the
mother, felt considerably burned
about the neck and arms, while Mrs.
Edward Boies' jaws were fixed, and
she could not move them. The child
was completely prostrated, suffering
most of all. Mr.. Boies soon recovered
from the shock.
Neighbors heard screams and saw
the bursting of the bolt. and thew soon
came In the house, and DIR. nj. K. Ell.
mer was summoned, and gave the
shocked family relief. Each one de-
clared this morning that they could
give no adequate explanation of their
feelings.
The house of V. d. Fisher, on New
street, was struck, the fluid entering
the room in which John Fisher occu.
pied, and passed on into the room oc-
cupied by Mrs. V. d. Fisher, and
passed on into the bath room, doirg &
considerable damage. Mrs. Fisher
was greatly shocked, but fortunately
suffered no serious consequences.
The new house of Kuhlman BOYS on
South avenue. at Potter's Pines was
struck by a bolt, some weather board
ing was knocked off, and the roof of
the shed was raised. No one in the
house was injured, but cow tied un-
der tree in the yard was killed by
the fluid.
A large barn belonging to Brooks
Brothers, stock dealers at Newbold,
was struck, and the building des-
troyed.
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