The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-11-29
IN a pELr'No or rruxpsnso|



sAssnsg Experssss - vvc uusoe.,
pspssyivHsa> lake.
"Societ.mss t5iLk hsvcrt ro> q
ny scare yes," said Fred Mallau, the
nlalss-, "fcr every time think sbout
evea.ng spcSt on Rosc lake ono suro
up in northern Pennsylvania, near
s:eahoa county border. ca, feel shc
Ger so through rnc. QEo tbirx 1o kpo
Iwlll never take sny cer.rori sgsia eci|
o2t Jsckins for cser. wax In casap ~
aloesl hunter and fisherman named Hqu
Ne.srn Deer asa E@:sgrg scarce IN tsat
gion, Rat one day in g,dn2 to che crts&t p
Eoee lake, ontae shore OF whsch We NJ
camping, Nelson discovered tns tracks ~
drer IN TIE soft margin Of fhs watsr. III
ue.r had been to the like rile eight tc{u{
70 drink and ssemp among tHs lsis rad
and we made up our U,irds cc .nck FOR Il. /
We went o'u that ,esy night. WIFI
we Were lying in cur boat ncsr the outlo
which wGs on me opposite side Of the Ian
from our cGbin, Asif a nile away, a fAun<lo
storm. which We had supposed wAa sn hot
away from us yet, broke upon IA with q
tonishins suddenhsss, apo wc started bac(
Tor camp The rSin film sheess, aud III
thunder and lightning wee si1opiy "a
palling. Before we had gore hrndrSl
yards lightning ssrsck in esuht d,fsarou|
Places around the lake, and eikAt Lig d<o1
pine trees we're aS'aze. The play Of e1oI
trlcity was so ccntiEco-s that the lake NJ
wrapped IN an almost stceay blazc OF lieh&
Which, terrible 40 IL was, proved q co.
thing for us, for our tcrcn OF Mroh bxS1
nad been sxtSnguished by the rain, ana ej@
chances ore. that II darkness had prcvni1~
We woald not have reached the shore. m
rain fell in such torrents thst it was fillt
our boat, and it's swanlping with us wou<
have only been question of TINA.
Almost Immediately following =
eighth stroke Of lightning on the shofo. r
clap OF thunder that seemed to be direct<
over our heads broke with report like
cannon, and a ball Of fire shot out from tlI(
inky blackness of the clouds and WEI
swiftly down into the lake quarter AZ
mile away. This report was followed g.
quick succession by two others, and eo6{
was accompanied by simultaneous flanS
and the shooting into the lake Of balls q
fire like the first.
Both Nelson and myself were terrc
stricken, for not only were we in the mido6
OF this awful electrical bombardment. bg1
Our boat was almost half full of water anx
rapidly taking in more. We bent all ou
energies TO reach the shore, which was STAN
nearly quarter of o mile distant. The
startling play of the lightning continued
and we were guided by it straight for cam5
rs clearly as If we had been on the lake II
midday. We had got 20 within 100 yar14
of the shanty, which was near the shoreS
when there came another terrible thunder1
clap and a fash of lightning that blindoA
and for few seconds stunned as. Whon
we recovered from or dazed condition ~
saw that the bolt had been hurled aRainfj
a big tree at one end Of the shanty, and n
regular pillar Of fire marked where the tro6
stood.
'We were now In shallow water, and W.
ran the boat as far on land as we could and
then waded out into the lake up to our
necks, believing that we were safer thero|
than among the trees on shore. We stool
there nearly half an hour before the fury o<
the storm had passed. In that time Light.
ming struck five times within an area OF ~
hundred yards Of our shanty and innumer-
able times at more distant places and ~
the lake. When we at last waded ashorc. (
1t was all that either of us could do to dra0
our steps to the cabin, SO unstrung were NJ N
by the appalling scenes we had witnessed
and the dangers we had escaped. We were 80
annerved, In fact, that we broke camp early
next day and returned home. That deer -
probably looking about Rose lake yet--if Il
wasn't killed by some one of those thunder-
bolts that were hurled about so promiscu
'usly that fearful night. New York Sun.