Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1895-03-08

Among the sheep-In big oil Valley.
Twas once driving over the Martic hills,
In the lower part of this county, with my
wife and baby, flying from thunderstorm
that was coming up rapidly in the valley,
but only did not escape from the storm,
but ran right into another one equally
heavy on the very summit of the ridge,
When the two storms travelling in opposite
directions met directly over our heads,
streaks and balls of fire began playing
around like the splitting and exploding off
shoots 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 wheels
and ran about and zigzagged everywhere
about the buggy frame, until we were lit
orally sitting in fiery chariot drawn by a
horse incased in flaming harness.
Neither myself, my wife nor child suffered
the slightest physical injury or inconven-
fence from that awful play of electricity
about us, and the horse seemed to be i'm
proved by it, but the nervous strain on us
all was terrible. That extraordinary cleo
trical disturbance lasted at least quarter
of an hour.
Well, thought that little the queerest
sort of an experience with lightning that
any one ever had or was likely to have, butt
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 in Ohio that can beat it.
Take the one, for instance, at Bailyville.
got to Bailyville at about noon one day.
A thunderstorm had just passed over that
locality, and the clouds had nearly all
broken away or rolled to the southwark.
The sun had come out and all uneasiness on
account of the storm had passed away-for
thunderstorms in that region are nearly al
ways attended by more or less damage
when the most terrific thunderclap ever
heard there or elsewhere, so close to the
earth that the earth trembled as if from an
earthquake, and preceded not more than a
second by a flash of lightning of binding
sharpness, broke from the 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 before any one
ventured forth to see what damage had been
done by the thunderbolt.
Some very amazing things were discov
ered 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 thunderstorm, and were still
huddled when the surprising clap came.
When the owner of the sheep went to the
field to see if anything had befallen his
flock, he found every sheep standing just as
they had huddled in the storm, but out
of the 10 in the flock ls were dead. Not
one of the dead sheep had fallen to the
ground. That was strange enough, but the
IS dead sheep were black sheep, all the 9th
ers being white and unhurt. Each dead
sheep had hole in the back of its neck
arouLd which the wool was burned away.
| On farm short distance from the vii
lage big flock of sheep had gathered in a
circular bunch during the storm, and every
outside sheep was killed, 20 in all, and all
white feeced On that same farm, but in
another field, was a small flock of sheep,
| all white except one, which was big black
ram. The ewes all huddled about the ram
while the storm ragged, and when the thun-
| derclap came the ram was killed, no 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 dam.
age that was reported during the hour ]
was in Bailyville, but it was enough to con.
vince me that Ohio lightning knew few
tricks that Pennsylvania lightning hadn't
learned yet.
My friend Simon Frey lives at Big Oil
Valley with his wife and 7-weeks-old baby.
One day Simon was hurrying home from
the valley trying to get there before 2
big thunderstorm that was comir . -
caught him The rain began fallir
he got there, and was coming do
tain when he drove into his
stood in the barn door watt
to slack up, when his houY
lightning. 1t seemed toF
at once, and streak q
chimney along the b
midway between tn
another streak q
along the peak
rather, where
both chimneys
dust by the ligf
currents met in \
there was an expl
of cannon, and
that threw off S..
sparks and jets of
at least 10 feet
whole exhibition
three seconds.
Simon was onlyt
house, but felt not
the terrible shock.
not knowing what /
await him there, as
that his wife and ba.
death beneath that tt
bardment. But they
first shock of his frie
couldn't do anything e
almost burst with laul
had brought about so lu,l
in the house. Mrs, Frey
kitchen table, her head reN
wall. In one hand she held
while the other was buried
a roll of dough. She was col
from head to foot The
basket Of newly washed c
corner of the kitchen, yelling
its lungs The baby's cradl
| Il 4 4 ~.