Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-11-27
m 4 psLTiNo or rHuNosRsolTa



Peunsylvania Lake.
..Scrsetines think l haven't got over
nv care ret said Fred Mullen. the gun
49, .4far every time think about tne
sr..,,;,,y spent on Rose lake one summer
y, in northern Peunsyivania, near me
S,spbrn county border, I can feel a shaa-
a. -, through me. One thing do know.
Vii never take any comfort again going
~ ;,cs;nr for deer. Twas in camp with
a t,eal banter and fisherman named Henry
Nelson. Deer are getting scarce In ina. -
eion. bat one day ia going 10 tne ou'ies =.
Rose lake, on the shore OF which we W.
ranaping, Nelson discovered the TRACKS vi =, I"
deer in the soft margin OF the waser nv
deer had been TO the lake the nignt oeivte
10 drink and stamp among the my pa's'
and we made up our minds TO 1asA ios =,
I'VE went out that very night VS.
ne were lying in our boat near 1ne QUITE,
which was on the opposite SIDE OF the iaAe
rom our cabin. half mile away, u 'h",'oei-
storm, which we had supposed was an h'ur
away from US yet, broke upon US Win rs
tenishing suddenness, and we started oasA
for camp. The rain fell in sheets anu 'iie
thunder and lightning were Simply ap
mailing. Before we had gone huhoreu
wards lightning struck in eight dine,eh.
places around the lake, and eight org DEAD
nine trees were ahlaze. The play OF eiec-
triclty was 50 continuous that the lake was
wrapped in an almost steady blaze Oh hsn',
which, terrible as 1t was, proved soou
thing for us, for our torch OF birch oarA
had been extinguished by the rain, ana .he
chances are that if darkness had preValieu
sve would not have reached the shore. me
ram fell la such torrents that it was Mining
our boat, and its swapping with us wouiu
| have only been question oil Tune.
"Alnust immediately following the
eighth stroke OF lightning on the SHORE
lap OF thunder that seemed TO De uiree'i.
,.y,r cur heads broke with report IKE
cannon, and IA hall Of fire shot out from the
| inky bl4ckncss of the clouds ana went
swiftly down iato the lake quarter OF u
mile away. This report was follower III
cuick succession by two others, anu eaen
was accompanicd by a simultaneous nash
sp,l the shootin. into the lake OF balls OF
Ire ike the first. ..
| ..;;o.h Nelson and myself were terror
| stricken, for no, only were we III the midst
| If this awful electrical bombardment, but
cur boat was almost half full OF water ana
| RAPIDLY takiug in more. We bent an gu.
| puer.d,, to reach the shore, which was sui
| nearly a quarter of "A mile distant. Inc
| startling ulsy of the lightning continued,
and we we're guided by it straight for CAM
| rs clearly ~ if we had been on the lake IN
midday. We had got to within 100 yards
of the shanty, which was near the shore'
| when there came another terrible thuhuer
| elan and u flash of lightning that blinded
| and for A few seconds stunned us. men
we recovered from our dazed condition we
saw that the bolt had been hurled against
a Iii, tree at one end of the shanty, and a
| regular pillar of fire marked where the tree
| stood.
| 1--WE were now in shallow water, and we
| ran the boat as far on land as we couiu anu
| then waded out into the lake up TO our
| upcks. believing that we were safer there
| than among the trees on shore. We stood
| there nearly half an hour before the fury oil
| the storm had passed. In that time light
| rip,, struck five times within an area OF Il
| hundred yards of our shanty and innumer
| able times at more distant places and Ill
| the lake When we at last waded ashore
| il was all that either of us could do to drag
| any stems to the cabin so unstrung were we
by the appalling scenes we had witnessed
| and the dangers we had escaped. Wewere sc
uuperyeti, in fact, that we broke camp early
| next day and returned home. That deer l.
| nrohably looking about Rose lake yeti II
| wasn't Killed By some one of those thunder
| bolts that were hurled about so promiscu
ously that fearful night. New York sun