Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-09-22
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.
The Exciting Experience Of an AM
ateur Electrician.


Come out here, this is beautiful
You don't get half view Of it from in
side the house
The time was eleven p N. The scene
was q summer boarding house on a
mountain top in the Berl1shires The
speaker was Mr.. C., q gray haired
man who was seated on the broad piaz-
"a, well sheltered from the wet, while
a storm was in progress that had 50
terrified the whole population of the
house as to keep all Of them out of bed
in spite of the late hour. The lightning
came in flashes of binding vividness,
and the crashes Of thunder that fol-
lowed almost split our ears.
Thank you" I called, in response.
IT am very well satisfied in here. You
are welcome to the nearer and more
perfect view" And l continued to hug
my chimney corner and endeavored to
bury my attention in n book
whats the matter? 1t is dry where
am sitting"
"I dare say. You are an electrician
and don't mind such things. To tell
you the truth, have no fancy for be-
ing struck by lightning-that's all"
The old man laughed. ''You couldn't
find safer place than right here be-
side me" said he.
''Why?"
Because lightning never strikes
twice in the same place, and I've been
struck once"
This was too much of temptation to
resist. Upon his promise to tell mo
the story went out and shared his So
ciety for the rest of the storm.
SIT was when l was about twenty-five
years old, he began, "and telegraphy,
as we know it, was in its infancy.
There was no great Western Union
system spanning the continent, but
dozens of little lines We're in use here,
there an everywhere. l wanted to
learn the art, having taste for elec-
tricity, and being at the time engaged
in experiments to perfect a system
of insulation more adapted to the needs
of the telegraph than any then known.
1 was poor; my collegiate course had
eaten up what little money my father
had left me, and the experiments
was making were too costly for my
purse; but felt that if l could only
keep in food, clothing and shelter long
enough to carry through the work /
was engaged in there was competency
in store for me. To get employment
in connection with the telegraph, where
1 could make applications of my discov-
cries in a small way, was the height of
my desire for the present
7 .f
New York business men, chiefly bank
ers and brokers, had resolved to run
line from the city to New Rochelle, so
as to connect their dwellings in that
suburb with their offices in town, and
enable them, if at home, to be advised
instanter of any information of i'm
portance. The cost of putting up the
wires was considerable, however, and
they were looking for some one to
take care of the New Rochelle office
who would not charge very much for
his services. saw my chance at once,
and volunteered to take the place at a
modest salary if they would hire some
experienced telegrapher to instruct me
in the alphabet and signs. The bar
gain was struck: | obtained my rudi-
mentary lessons for nothing, and IN the
course of a month was duly installed at
the key.
"All went we'll until one hot summer
afternoon-such Il one as this was a
few hours ago-when heavy clouds
gathered in the sky and a greenish hue
pervaded the atmosphere. In those
days so little was known OF insulating
processes that no operator ever at
tempted to stay at his key when
thunderstorm came up. This one APP
preached slowly, and l was warned of
it also by hasty dispatch from the
New York man: Storm coming. Shall
close till it is over / therefore gath
cred up some of my papers and started
to GO into another room in the build
ing till the storm had spent itself. AS
1 was about locking my office door
was addressed by one of the most beau
tiful women l ever saw. She was ap-
parently about twenty years of age.
Her large lustrous eyes were full of
tea D, and her voice was broken as she
spoke.
'''Oh, SIR she cried, you are not go
ing away? l want to send message
&c Il am sorry, madam answered,
but there is storm approaching and
1 am compelled to leave my instru-
ment.'
'''But this is matter of life and
death. 1 must get word to New York
at once
"'That will be impossible, for the
New York operator has left his end of
the line, too
''Is there not some signal by which
you can call him back?'
"'He would not respond if l tried
it. He would be afraid to sit with his
hand on the key while the lightning
played so close
"'But the storm may be over in New
York before this. Won't you make the
effort to call him-for my sake?
"'And then she poured forth her
story. Her brother was dying, and
she was alone with him and the serv-
ants at their home in the village. I'm
less she could get word to their father,
who was in the city, neither he nor
their mother would be able to see the
young man alive.
81 tried to explain to her what risk
it meant for me,-but-well, l was
younger then than nowl 4 look into
those pleading, tear-flled eyes was too
much, and broke down in the midst
of my argument l believe I would
have gone to the stake for her if she
had asked me in that way. Back /
went. The storm had broken mean
WHILE and the thunder crashed as it
does now, while the lightning seemed
almost to dance in at the window. /
called New York. In moment / re-
ceived my return signal The trouble
there was over, and the operator was
no longer fearful of sitting at Misplace.
l got off my message. just as | made
the last stroke of the signature the
whole room turned a brilliant blue. l
felt nothing. had no time tc think.
was simply blotted out of existence
with this last impression on my senses
of the intensity of the color all around
me.
81 have no idea how long a time
elapsed before / began to notice any
| thing again. When / did, l found my
| self on the floor of my Office, my head
in a woman's lap, and two or three
men and a neighboring physician
| standing over me. l looked up to see
who was holding me and applying a
wet handkerchief to my temples. 1t
was the lovely stranger. l concluded |
must be in a dream, and closed my eyes
| I.,rr ,A4 20 /