The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-03
LIGHTNING ALL ABOUT Us.
THE QUEENS COUNTY COURT HOUSE
STRUCK.

bIfOOh.
Panic In the San Resuits-F1agpoies shat
tered In This City-windows broken by
Haii-stoFn Causes the Tenpernture 20
Ral Twenty Degrees In Thirty Minutes.
Up In his breezy tower. In the first stra-
tum Of clouds, Prophet Dunn calmly declared
yesterday that the city was merely having nor
NAL July weather. The city wiped the accum-
ulntod humidity from its beaded forehead with
its manifold handkerchiefs, and said things UNI
ut for publication. Even on the perch of the
Prophet the temperature was, by tho aerial
thermometer, So ut 1:45 O'Clock in the afternoon.
Then 1t began to-desccnd under tho influence Of
an atmospheric disturbance that did not mani
fest itself to tho Prophet until about 8 o'clock.
Then he saw through his glasses the spirits
Of the air building a rampant Of clouds far away
on the northern horizon. Out Of the blackness
there came o win that sent tho mercury flying
down the tube. 1t was O thunderstorm frapp6,
and that is the reason the temperature tumbled
In such q hurry. Tho cold blast from tho north
struck tho moistened air with q euddenness
that transformed the vapor to solid Ice parti.
cles. Instead Of the usual July 'downpour.
there was a cataract Of hail. 1t was hail Of the
old-fashioned sort, the atoms Of which have been
hkened to the eggs of certain fowl. Skylights,
windows, and tho roofs Of hothouscs above tho
Harlem River were smashed by tho crystal
fusillade.
Tho storm travelled southwark somewhat
slueVishly. letting ont n lot Of lightninS Of n
picturesque and dangerous sort, and got down
to the neighborhood Of the City Hall a little AZ
ter 4 o'clock. There was some hail in 1t then,
but 1t was not Of the hens egg variety, and did
not harm anything or anybody. The lightning
was brilliant, and the rush Of water was like
that of O tropical shower. 1t did not come
Town In drops out IN sheets' cnoking the
mouths OF sewers and flooding some Of the cell
lars of South and West streets;
~" ~ ln mne Se,o .enPo'
T Tna =, affected hs . by the S electrical disturbance O..
~ q a,a ~. ,smno,atnro aranna, naar,r 80
!. = n 'empofa'uio uroppea nea . won
thirty minutes.
Mo-. th.n ZOO ,.r.o,s had ,,,..d ,,rorrh N.
turnstiles at the Polo Grounds yesterday and
the trains on the elevated road were bccomin
crowded with passengers bound for the bali
Harlem. shortly before 5 o'clock a number
OF tho Boston players began their early practice
neid, not mindins the vivid flashes Of lightning
! and the rumbline Of thunder. which became
| When the rain began to fail the players as we'll
as the few spectators not on the grand stand
ran for m iOvss: It Mb had 1 ssi1,, raining I. for , probably ~
twenty.fye-cen pieces came down. rolling across
the grounds like so many marbles.
Every one was watching the storm when sud-
denly there was n flash of lightning. followed
BY q clap Of thunder that made the timid quake
with fear. Bill Clark, who was leaning against
a radiator in the clubhouse. made a Jump and
began rubbing his left leg, while "Ducky"
Holmes made a grab at his feet. The latter COIN
planned Of nnmbness In his toes. while Clark
wanted e know " what hat the singing sensation ii =
the roof OF the clubhouse, and the flag pole was
slightly damaged. Tho downpour Of rain and
\ han did not stop until after 4 o'clock, but 1t had
previously been decided not to play. as right and
Lightning shattered the fagpolo on the roof
of Rahlenbcck's soda and Ice. cream pavilion
at 124th street and Riverside Drive, but did
no further damage there. Bicycle Policeman
felt the effocts Of the shock and was III and
dizzy from 1t for some little time.
AT 4.l0 T. NJ. q cupola on the roof of Ebling's
brewery at st. AIMS avenue and l56th street
was struck by lightning. 1t carried away ono
corner Of the roof Of the cupola, and tho brow
cry employees rang for the dremen. thinking
fire would follow the shock. An engine and
truck responded to tho alarm, but no fire fol-
lowed.
While the storm was at Its worst lightning
struck the brick air shaft on the front of the
home Of the Society for the Relief Of Half Or
phan and Destitute Children at Manhattan ave
nue. and lO4th street. The shaft 10 eight feet
square, and is ten feet higher than the build
Ing. It's sides are perforated by tiles for the
west corner OF the shaft and knocked half a
dozen bricks out. II jumped to the first row
of tiles on the west side, and knocked the ends
OF all the pipes. Then IT gouged some OF tho
on the lightning conductors. All OF the chill,
dren in the institution, 225 in number, were in
tho playrooms on tho ground floor when the