St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1893-10-07
OF LIGHTNING.

-Katharine Festeiiss, in Youths Companiol
IVAGARIES OF LIGHTNING
Queer Freaks In Pennsylvania ant
/ Queorer Yet In Ohio.
II was once driving over the Myrtl,
hills, in the lower part of this county
with my wife and baby, flying from
thunderstorm that was coming mp rap
idly in the valley" said Z resident o
Lancaster, Pa, but only did not Is
cape from the storm, but ran right int
another one equally Is heavy on tn,
very summit Of the ridge. When tn,
two storms, travelling in opposite di
rections. met directly over our heads
streaks and balls of fire began playing
around like the spit ting and exploding
offshoots Of miscellaneous collection
Of Fourth of July pyrotechnics- Light
ming danced and flashed 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 a
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 . continuous volley Of mrs
kerry, that struck rs d umb with terror.
The EoOr horse was too much scared
to run away, the fire and noise seeming
to have just the contrary effect upon
him, and it was al that could do to
urge him forward. On each side of the
road trees were being splintered and
shivered by thunderbolts every few feet
Of the way, and the terror OF the crash
ing thunder, glare Of the forked light
ming and noise made BY the trees n
they were riven by the bolts was some
thing no one can describe In going
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 M, and the horse
seemed TO be improved by it; but the
nervous strain on us all was terrible.
That extraordinary electrical disturb
ancc lasted 1t least . quarter OF an
hour.
well, thought that was . little the
queerest sort of an experience with
that anyone ever had or was
ever likely to have: but /, have Just
come back from visit to Ohio, and
want to say that that experience of
mfh6 might have been the boss queer
Dne mp to this summer, but il isn't any
more. 4hh across some others in Ohio
that can beat it.
Take the one. for instance, It
8nilEYi!ls,a3 GQt to Bailyville 1t about
201Re qhs adeYss A thunderstorm had
NO pe91f0 6sr that locality, and the
:l8ddS ll1d 4eariy all broken away or
'aaaeR toqA&'Southward. The sun had
,ome cut, and all uneasiness on &C
,ount'0f.the storm had passed away
or thunderstorms in that region are
nearly always attended by more or less |
the most terrific thun-
Ter clap ever heard there or elsewhere.
% close to the earth that the earth
rembled - ii from IN earthquake, and
preceded not more than . second by
! flash Of lightning Of blind
nR sharpness, broke from the
.loudless MONDAY sky. The sudden
appearance and terrible nature Of the
phenomenon paralyzed the
arming community with alarm, and IL
vas several minutes before anyone
forth TO see what damage had
zen done by the thunderbolt Some
cry amazing things were discovered.
q field on the edge Of the village 4
arge flock Of sheep were pasturinr.
he sheep had al huddled together, Is
heep will during thunderstorm, and
vere still huddled when the surprising
lap came. When the owner Of the
heep went to the field to see IL any
hing had befallen his flock he found
very sheep standing just Is they had
uddled in the storm, but out Of the
,rty in the nock eighteen were dead.
lot one Of the dead sheep had fallen 10
ne ground That was strange enough,
ut the eighteen dead sheep were black
1eep. all the others in the nock being
'hite, and unhurt Each dead sheen ,
nd = hole in the back Of its neck.
round which the wool was burned
way. |.
ION the farm = short distance from
le village . big flock OF sheep had ,
in = circular bunch during the
orm. and every outside sheep was /
lied, twenty in al, and all white
eeced. On that same farm. but in an !
her field, was . small flock Of sheep,
l white except one, which was big ,
ack ram. The ewes al huddled about i
e ram while the storm ragged. and !
hen the thunder clap came the ram =
Is killed. no harm befallhg one Of
e other sheep. More than that, the 4
ms fleece had been turned BY the /
ock as white as that Of any other /
eep IN the flock. That was al the 4
image that was reported during the :
'ur was in Bailyville, but It was
'ough 10 convince ne that Ohio light :
ng knew = few .txicks that Pennsyl- !
mia lightning hadn't learned yet
MY friend Simon Frey lives q Biz +
| valley with his wife and seven :
seks' old baby. One day Simon was ]
trying home from the valley trying =
get there before'a big thanderstor4I 4
It was coming up caught him. The .
IN began falling before be rot there, Z
d was coming down for certain when =