St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-07-23


and Every One Found in q
Standing Posture, as if Alive.
II was once driving over the Martic
hills. in the lower part of the county,
with nv wife and baby, flying from a
thunderstorm which was coming up
rapidly in the valley" says Pennsyl-
only did not escape the storm,
but ran right into another one
equally as heavy on the very sum-
nit of the ridge. When the two storms,
travelling in opposite direction, met
directly over our heads, streaks and
balls of fire began playing around like
the splitting and exploding offshoots of
a miscellaneous collection Of Fourth Of
July pyrotechnics.
"Lightning danced and flashed on
every bit of metal there was in my
horses harness. whirled around with
the tires on all four of the wheels, an d
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 eXtraOr-
mary electrical display. but the snap
ping, cracking and exploding of the
lightning. like q continuous vOlley of
musket try, that struck us DUMB 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 l could do to
urge him forward.
G.nn a1if cih In nf tho rn06 froo
being splintered and shivered by thun-
derbolts every few feet of the way. and
the terror of the crashing thunder,
glare of the forked lightning and noise
made by the trees as they were riven by
the bolts, was something no one can de-
scribe. 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 both
sides of the road. Neither myself, my
wife nor child suffered 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. The extraordinary electrical
disturbance lasted at least quarter of
an hour.
well, l thought that was little the
queerest sort of an experience with
lightning that any one ever had or was
ever likely 10 have, but l have just
come back from a 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 i'll Ohio
that can beat it.
Take the one, for instance, at Raily-
vile. | got to Bailyville at about noon
one day. A thunder storm had just
passed over that locality, and the clouds
had neary all broken away or rolled to
the southwark. The sun had come
out, and all uneasi ess on account
of the storm had passed away
for tEun Ter storms in that
region are nearly always at
tended by more or less damage-when
the most terrific thunder clap ever heard
there or elsewhere. so close to the earth
that the earth trembled as il from an
earthquake, and which preceded not
lhOre than a second a flash of lightning
of binding sharpness, broke from q
clOudleSS MONDAY sky.
The sudden appearance and terrible
nature OF the startling phenomenon par
alyZed the farming community with
alarm, and it was several minutes be-
fore any one ventured forth 10 see what
NhilOEC ONCn ~ LilC
bolt. Some very amazing things were
discovered. In a field on the edge of
the village large flock of sheep were
pasturing. The sheep had all huddled
together, as sheep will during a
thunder storm, 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 betallen his flock he found
every sheep standing just as they had
huddled i'll the storm, but out of the
forty in the flock eighteen were 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 unhurt. Each dead sheep
had hole in the back of its neck,
around which the wool was burned
away.
ION farm short distance from the
village big flock OF sheep had gathered
in circular bunch during the storm,
and every outside sheep was killed,
twenty in all, and all white-fleeced. On
the same farm, but in another field, was
a small flock of sheep, all white except
one, which was big black ram. The
ewes all hudQled about the ram while
the storm ragged, and when the thun-
OVlCIdp LllC lam w dS hiilS(ts IlO
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 flock.
That was all the damage reported dur
ing the hour L was in Bailyville. but it
was enough to convince lie that Ohio
lightning knew few tricks that Penn
sylvania lightning hadn't learned yet
My fried Simon Frey lives at Big
Oil Valley with his wife and seven
weeks-old baby. One day Simon was
hurrying home from the valley trying
to get there before a big thunder storm
that was coming up caught him. The
rain began falling before he got there,
and was comm down for certain when
ne drove into his barn. Simon stood in
the barn door waiting for the rain to
slack up, when his house was struck
by lightning. 1t seemed to hit both
chimneyS at once, and streak of fire
ran from one Gimme along the peak
of the roof, and midway between
the two chimneyS it met another streak
of fire that was flashing along the peak
IRON the other chimney, or, rather,
where the chimney had been. for both
chimneyS were knocked into brick dust
by the lightning. When the two fiery
currents met in the center of the ridge
pOIO thClC Welo plOSlOu Inv ulo-
charge of cannon, and fountain Of
blush flame, that threw off swapping
and Zigzagging sparks and jets of fire,
Shot up into the air at least ten feet.
Then all was over, the whole exhibition
lasting not more than three seconds.
"SimOn was only three rods away
from the house, but felt not the slightest
effects of the terrible shock. He ran to
the house, not knowing what horrifying
sight might await him there, as it
seemed impossible that his wife and
baby could have escaped death beneath
that terrific electrical bombardment.
But they had, and after the first shock
of his fright was over, Simon couldn't
do anything else but lie down
and almost burst with laughter,
the lightning had brought about so
ludicrous a situation in the house. Mrs.
Frey was sitting on the kitchen table,
her head resting against the wall. In