St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-27
WILD FRANKS
Played by the Lightning In Penn
sylvania,

SyIVan1us
New York Sun.
Some curious freaks of lightning and
electrical displays attended recent
thunderstorms in this section. On
George Willis: farm, near the Polly
Corners, thirty head of young cattle
We're huddled close together under a
large maple tree in a field, a few yards
FROM the farm house. Farmer Willis
stood on his porch looking in the di-
rection of the cattle. Suddenly there
came fash of lightning, and a bolt
descended on the tree. Willis saw a
number OF his cattle fall to the ground.
Those that remained standing did not
move out of their tracks. When the
storm ceased the farmer went into the
field and found seventeen of the cattle
dead. The lightning, after killing one
of the animals had apparently not
disturbed three or four that had stood
between that one and another one in
the group but had picked out the lat
ter, and i'm a similar way had selected
the seventeen victims.
There were no marks on any of the
dead animals. The bark was torn
from the tree in spot not more than
three inches square, and no other evil
dence existed that the tree had been
struck. In field on a farm adjoining
the Willis place lightning struck
large tree under which some COWS
We're standing. The tree was shattered
into splinters from top to bottom, and
set on fire, but not one of the cows re-
ceived the slightest injury
Phineas Grey was working in a hay
field on the Brotherson farm, near Col
lingwood's mill. The sky suddenly be-
came very suddenly clouded, but Grey
heard only low rumbling of thunder
in the defiance, with faint flashes of
lightning. Suddenly there came a
greenish glare over the field, and,
looking up, Grey saw ball of fire, so
brilliant that it almost blinded him,
descending. The fiery globe struck the
ground not more than ten rods from
where he stood. 1t seemed to him to
be several feet in diameter, but he
ascribes its large appearance to it's in
tense glow. The ball moved slowly
along the ground, and as it passed
Grey, who had pitchfork in his hands,
he felt a shock that knocked him
down. The sensation following the
shock was exactly as if his body was
being pricked all over with needles. 1t
was a long time before the feeling left
him.
The ball of fire rolled along the
ground with a gyrating motion for
more than 100 feet. Then it came to
an oak tree that stood in its course.
Contact with the tree was followed by
the tree being instantly enveloped il,
fire from the ground to the topmost
every leaf and twig. They rose in the
air, uniting with one another, like the
meeting of groups of soap bubbles.
For at least minute this amazing
| phenomenon continued until the eX-
| ira ordinary charge of electricity in the
tree was exhausted, leaving the tree
in oscillating shapes until it vanished
in the air. The grass Stubble in the
path of the ball of fire was burned in
a strip eight feet wide, growing mar
tree itself was Shriveled and withered,
and seems dead.
John Brown, of Tallman's, was driv-
ing, home with a team and buggy and
was caught in thunder shower. He
drove on, and when he reached his
| barn and before he had alighted from
his wagon lightning struck the wagon
shed. not ten feet, away. Both horses
stripped from them. One of the horses
| got to its feet and began running in a
circle, apparently unable. to go
straight ahead. The other horse lay
stunned Tor a lew SECONDS, ana chen
got up. Both of its ears hung limp,
/ but no other mark of injury was any
where upon it. The horse that ran
in a circle was uncomfortable, except
when allowed to move in that way. 1t
continued to whirl about in the road
! for more than an hour, and then fell
from sheer exhaustion. After lying
I apparently lifeIesS for a quarter of an
hour, it got up again, and resumed its
running in circle. At the end of
another hour, it being evident that the
horse could not be induced to do any
thing else, it was shot. Mr.. Brown
was in no way affected by the shock
of the lightning. After. the. storm six
horses that were running in pasture
on the farm were found dead under a
tree