The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1895-05-04
ANTICS OF LIGHTNING
SOME OF IT'S QUEER FREAKS IN
Pennsylvania AND OHIO.
Lancaster sIan Ran Across Some Expert
ences In the buckeye State That Beat
Anything He Had Seen at Home-H.voe
Among the sheep-In Big OiI valley.

Anything Tic n&a seen NJ t1@"-~
Among the sheep-In Big OIL valley.
was once driving over the Martic hills,
IN the lower part OF this county. with my
wife and baby, flying from a 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 on
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 aud zigzagged everywhere
about the buggy frame. until we were lit
orally sitting In fiery chariot drawn by
horse incased in flaming harness
Neither myself. my wife nor child suffered
the slightest physical injury or iDconven-
fence from that awful play Of electricity /
about us. and the horse seemed to be i'm
proved by IL. but the nervous strain on US j
all was terrible That extraordinary cleo
trical disturbance lasted at least quarter /
Of an hour.
Well. I thought that a little the queerest !
! SORT OF an experience VIII lightning ludA
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 Il isn't any more | ran
across some others in Ohio that can beat H.
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. 80 close to the
earth that the earth trembled as II from an
/ earthquake. and preceded not more than
second By fash 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 il was several minutes before any one
i ventured forth TO see what damage had been
done by the thunderbolt.
Some very amazing things were discov-
. cred. In field on the edge Of the village
. a large flock Of sheep were pasturing- The
I 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 10 the
: field to see il anything had befallen his
! flock, he found every sheep standing just as
they had huddled in the storm. but out
Of the 40 in the flock Is 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
sheen had hole in the back of its neck
arourd which the wool was burned away.
a On a farm a short distance from the vii
lage big flock Of sheep had gathered in a
circular bunch during the storm, and every
&c outside sheep WAS killed. % in all. and all
4 white heeced- 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-
i derclap came the ram was killed. no harm
e Detailing one OF the other sheep. More than
IL that. the rams fleece had been turned by
re the shock as white as that Of any othei
sheen in the aock That was all the dam
q age that was reported during the hour
~ was in Bailyville. but il was enough TO con
III vince me that Ohio lightning knew few
ne tricks that Pennsylvania lightning hadn'
lg learned yet.
u NY friend Simon Frey lives at Big OF
" Valley with his wife and 7-weeks-old baby
ly One DAY Simon was hurrying home from
os the valley trying TO get there before
big thunderstorm that WAS coming NJ
ne caught him The rain began falling befor
he got there. and was coming down for Ger
o. tain when he drove into his barn. Simo
'r. stood in the barn door waiting for the raj
&C to slack up, when his house was struck b
'er lightning Ii seemed 10 hit both chimney
"a, At once. and streak Of fire ran from on
~ chimney along the peak Of the roof. an
at midway between the two chimneys II me
d., another streak Of fire that was fashin
d. along the peak from the other chimney Of
d. rather. where the chimney had been, fC
both chimneys had been knocked into brio
dust by the lightning. When the two fer
currents met in the center OF the ridge pol
r. there was an explosion like the discharl
~. Of a cannon, anda fountain Of blush fam
y that threw of swapping and zigzaggir
II sparks and jets OF fire, shot up into the a
~ AT least 10 feet Then all was over, Il
- whole exhibition lasting not more tia
-" three seconds.
'as Simon was only three rods away from q
ro- house. but felt not the slightest effects
my the terrible shock. He ran TO the hous
Idy not knowing what horrifying sight mig
the await him there, as il seemed impossit
The that his wife and baby could have eScap
- death beneath that terrible electrical boz
- bardment. But they had. and after {
n' first shock Of his fright was over sim
us couldn't do anything else but lie down a
or almost burst with laughter, the lightni
ual had brought about so ludicrous a situati
by in the house. Mrs. Frey was sitting on 1
hat kitchen table. her head resting against {
wall In one hand she held a rolling p
A.. while the other was buried TO the wrist
a roll Of dough. She was covered with fio
i1H from head To foot. The baby lay in
70 basket OF newly washed clothes in
DRY corner Of the kitchen. yelling at the top
my its lungs The babys cradle was turn
on upside down in the center o. the TOO
was Aside from a severe nausea that troub
10 Mrs. Frey all the rest Of the day, neitl
she nor the baby suffered any III efe
from their extraordinary experience L
o caster pa Letter in New York sun
rOuf A Bit Of Realistic Acting.
Henry Irving's story Of Charlotte Gu
ces. man gives You a better idea Of the meth
-. e. =.