The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-08-08
Queer Sort of Storm.

81 witnessed a thunderstorm once
said an Observant travelling man,
(which was accompanied by COM
bination Of meteorological phenomena
that made il most wonderful ex-
hibitiOn of what the elements can do
when they find the conditions right
The time Of the year, in the first place,
was enough to have made the thunder
storm notable without any other
unusual happenings Ii was early in
February, lssG. was in Hammonds-
port, MY, where there are many wine
cellars. HammOndsport Is on the west
shore Of Lake Keuka. This particular
day had been cloudy and unseasonably
warm and close.
''The clouds grew denser in the
evening and faint FLASHES Of lightning
were frequent. About 10 O'Clock the
clouds began to clear away and they
disappeared 80 rapidly that in few
minutes the stars were shining brightly
all over the sky, not cloud being
visible anywhere. Between 10 and IL
o'clock the western sky began to grow
black with heavy clouds that rolled
rapidly up from behind the hills.
With them came sharp flashes of
lightning, followed quickly by terrific
thunder claps. a popularity Of the
lightning was the long duration Of its
flashes, the black clouds being il
Illuminated several seconds at time
''While the inky clouds We're forming
in the west and rolling up toward the
zenith, with the accompaniment of
glaring lightning and crashing thunder,
the moon appeared above the SUBMITS
of the high hills in the east and bathed
them and the smooth waters Of Lake
Keuka, which stretch away from their
feet, in a food Of mellow light. The
contrast between the fierce and tumul-
tuous aspect of the western heavens
and the calm and beautiful appearance
Of the mOOnlit eastern portion made
the unwOnted scene awesOme in its
grandeur. As the march of the storm
vapors brought them near the zenith a
furious gale of wind was hurled from
them eastward This gale brought
with il a torrent Of rain in advance Of
the approaching clouds, and swept out
upon the lake with fury that lashed
the moOnlit and quiet waters into
tumult Of angry waves Thus "A howl
ing tempest, with rain falling IN sheets,
in the full light Of the moon, became
another rare and startling phenomenon
attending this night of strange met
eorological conditions.
"'rhe moon shining brightly on the
falling rain had it, natural sequence
the casting upon the ebony front Ofthe
advancing storm clouds Of lunar rain
bow of singular vividness and bril-
lianey. The bow had grand sweep
Of almost the entire front of the black
background, and its frequent disap-
pearance before the more intense light
of the electrical flashes, and its sudden
reappearance when the flashes ceased,
seemingly more vivid than ever against
the inky blackness, formed kaleidO-
scopie picture in the heavens such a
the elements seldom combine to
present
''rhe black clouds rolled ON, with
fiercer lightning and louder thunder.
Before they had advanced far enough
To obscure the moon and the eastern
sky their western extremity had swept
clear Of the sky in that direction, and
there the stars shone out brightly upon
the retreating clouds. Then appeared
the probably unhearl-Of sight Of
bright starry sky in the west: the SKY
overload hidden by clouds Of the
blacllest hue, in fierce electrical COM
motion, and spanned by nany-color-
ed midnight rainbow; in the east the
moon shining brightly in a eloudless
sky, Illuminating tempest-tOssed lake,
and "a torrent OF winter rain from SUM
mer clouds.
''The sweeping tumult Of clouds soon
took possession Of the glowing east,
and for long time the terrific thunder
storm ragged, dying away AT last i'm
distant runblings behind the hills,
leaving the lake ~ calm and golden in
the light Of the moon u it was before
the strange storm had come down upon
il in it, sudden wintry wrath-"-Nety