Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1893-09-21
VAGARIES OF LIGHTNING.
Queer Freaks in Pennsylvania and
Quoerer Yet in Ohio.

II was once driving over the Myrtle
hills, in the lower part of this county,
with my wife and baby, flying from a
thunderstorm that was coming up rap
idly In the valley" said resident Of
Lancaster, Pa, but | only did not cs-
cape from the storm, but ran right into
another one equally rs heavy on the
very summit of the ridge. When the
two storms, travelling in opposite di-
rections, met directly over our heads,
strenks and balls of fire began playing
around like the splitting and exploding
offshoots of miscellaneous collection
of Fourth of July pyrotechnics. Light
ming danced and fla shed on every bit of
metal there was In my horses har-
ness, whirlcd around with the tires on
all four Of the wheels. and ran
about and zigzagged everywhere
around the buggy frame, until
we were literally sitting in
fiery chariot drawn by horse encased
IN flaming harness. 1t was not only
the sight of this most extraordinary
electrical display, but the swapping,
cracking and exPlo ding of the light
ming, like n continuous volley of mus
kerry, that struck us d umb with terror.
The POOR horse was too much scared
to run away, the fire and noise seeming
to have just the contrary effect upon
him, and it was all that could do to
urge him forward. On each side of the
road trees were being splintercd and
shivered 10y thunderbolts every few feet
of the way, and the terror OF the crash
ing thunder, glare of the forlscd light
ming and noise made by the trees as
they were riven by the bolts was some
thing no one can describe. In going a
mile, where we reached house, we
saw six cows, seven pigs, two horses
and eighteen sheep killed by lightning
In fields on DO tn sides OF the road
Neither myself, my wife, or child suf-
fered the slightest physical injury or
Inconvenience from that awful play OF
electricity about us, and the horse
seemed TO be improved by it; but the
nervous strain ON US all was terrible.
That extraordinary electrical disturb
ancc lasted ut least quarter of an
hour.
well, thought that was u little the
queerest sort of an experience with
lightning that anyone ever had or was
ever likely to have; but have just
come back from n visit to Ohio, and /
want to say that that experience Of
mine might have been the boss queer
one up to this summer, but it isn't any
more. | ran across some others in Ohio
that can beat it.
Take the one, for instance. at
Bailyville. got to Bailyville at about
noon one day. A thunderstorm had
just passed OVER that locality, and the
clouds had nearly all broken away or
rolled to the southwark. The sun had
come out, and all uucusincss on ac-
count Of the storm had passed away
for thunderstorms in that region are
nearly always attended by more or less
damage-when the most terrific thun-
der clap ever heard there or elsewhere.
SO close to the earth that the earth
trembled as If from an earthquake, and
preceded not more than second by
II flash Of lightning eff blind
ing sharpness, broke from the
cloudless MONDAY sky The sudden
appearance and terrible nature of the
startling phenomenon paralyzed the
farming community with alarm, and il
was several minutes before anyone
ventured forth TO see what damage had
been done by the thunderbolt Some
very amazing things were discovered.
In field on the edge of the village a
large flock of sheep were pasturing
The sheep had all huddled together, as
sheep will during thunderstorm, and
were still huddled when the surprising
clap came. When the owner of the
sheep went TO the field to see If any
thing had befallen his flock he found
every sheep standing just as they had
huddled In the storm, but out of the
forty in the flock eighteen We're dead.
Not one of the dead sheep had fallen TO
the ground That was strange enough,
but the eighteen dead sheep were black
sheep, all the Others in the flock being
white, and unhuTt. Each dead sheep
had a hole in the back of its neck,
around which the wool was burned
away
ION the farm n short distance from
the village n big flock of sheep had
gathered in II circular bunch during the
storm, and every outside sheep was
killed, twenty in all, and all white
1eeced On that same farm, but in an
other field, was small flock OF sheep,
all white except one, which was a big
black ram The ewes all hlddled about
the ram while the storm ragged and
when the thunder clap came the ram
was killed, no harm Detailing one Of
the other sheep More than that, the
rams fleece had been turned by the
shock as white as that Of any other
sheep In the hocli. That was all the
damage that was reported during the
hour ! was in Bailyvillc. but It was
enough 20 convince mo that Ohio light
ning knew few tricks that Peunsyl-
yania lightning hadn't learned yet
My friend Simon Trey lives ut Big
Oil valley with his wife and seven
weeks old baby. One day Simon was
hurrying home from the valley trying
10 get there before big thunderstorm
that was coming up caught him. The
rain began falling before he got there,
and was coming down orcertain when
he drove into his barn. Simon stood in
the barn door waiting for the rain to
slack up, when his house was struck
by lightning II seemed 10 hit both
chimneys Ut once. and q streak Of aza