Birmingham age-herald., 1894-08-03
A VERY CURIOUS STORM.
Showing What the Elements Can Do When
 Conditions Favor Them.

Conditions Favor Them.
 q witnessed thunderstorm once," said an observant travelling man, "which was accompanied by q combination of me. neurological phenomena that mado it most wonderful exhibition of what the el ements can do when they find the condi- tions right The time of year, in the first place. was enough to have made the thun- derstorm notable without any other unu- sual happenings It was early in Febru- ary 1890. 1 was in Hammondsport, N. Y, where there arc many wine cellars. Hammondsport is on the west shoro of Lake Keuka. This particular day had been cloudy and unseasonably warm and close.
 1.-The clouds grew denser in the evening, and faint flashes of lightning were ire quent. About 10 o'clock the clouds began to clear away, and they disappeared so rapidly that in few minutes tho stars were shining brightly all over the sky, not a cloud being visible anywhere. Between 10 and II o'clock the western sky began to grow black with heavy clouds that roll cd rapidly up from behind the hills. With them came sharp flashes of lightning, fol- lowed quickly by terrific thunderclaps A peculiarity of tho lightning was the long duration of it's flashes, the black clouds being illumined several seconds at q time
 While the inky clouds were forming in the west and rolling up toward tho zenith, with tho accompaniment of glaring light ming and crashing thunder, the moon ap- peared above the summits of the high hills in the east and bathed them and tho smooth waters of Lake Keuka, which stretch away from their feet, in flood of mellow light The contrast between the fierce and tumultuous aspect of the west ern heavens and tho 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 furious gale of wind was hurled from them eastward. This gale brought with it torrent of rain in advance of the approach ing clouds and swept out upon the lake with fury that lashed the moonlit and quiet waters into tumult of angry waves. Thus bowling tempest, with rain falling in sheets in the full light of the moon, became another rare and startling phe nomenon attending this night of strange meteorological conditions.
 "The moon shining brightly on the fall ing rain had it's natural sequence-the casting upon the ebony front of the ad- vancing stormclouds of lunar rainbow of singular vividness and brilliancy Tho bow had grand sweep of almost the en- tire front of the black background, and its frequent disappearance before the more intense light of the electrical flashes and its sudden rcappearance when the flashes ceased. seemingly more vivid than ever against tho inky blackness, formed ka. leidoscopic picture in the heavens such as the elements seldom combine to present.
 The black clouds rolled on with flercer lightning and louder thunder. Before they had advanced far enough to obscure the moon and the eastern sky their west. ern extremity had swept clear of the sky in that direction and then the stars shone out brightly upon the retreating clouds. Then appeared the probably unheard of sight of a bright, starry sky in the west; the sky overhead hidden by clouds of the blackest hue, in fierce electrical commo- tion, and spanned by many colored mid night rainbow; in the east the moon shin- ing brightly in cloudless sky illuminat- ing tempest tossed lake, and torrent of winter rain from summer clouds
 1.-The sweeping tumult of clouds soon took possession of the glowing cast, and for long time the terrific thunderstorm ragged, dying away at last in distant run- blings behind the hills, leaving the lake as calm and golden in the light of the moon as it was before the strange storm had come down upon it in it's sudden win try wrath. "-New York Sun.