The Penn's Grove record., 1897-07-09
LIGHTNING PLAYS HAVOC.
Damage Done in New York, New
Jersey and Connecticut.
BOMBARDED BY THUNDERBOLTS.

Fierce and Fiery Storms. with High
winds, Heavy Rainfall, Disastrous
Bolts From the Sky and Enormous
Haiistones-One of the Most Remark
able Electric Storms Ever Experienced.
NEw York Cry (Special).-New York end
vicinity were visited by one of the most re-
markable and widely devastating electric
storms that was ever experienced. 1t was
preceded by the peculiar effects which are
usually the precursor of cyclones, and gave
much uneasiness In those places which have
had experience with the funnel-shaped
cloud and its following Of destruction. 1t
was accompanied by heavy rain and in
places enormous h~ailstones fell. Light
ming fell right and left. 1t knocked the
top off the big fiagpole beside Grants tomb
and shattered several other poles in differ
emit parts of the city.
At about 8 o'clock p. m. the clouds which
had been hanging over tho city seemed to
be gathering to a head, and sweltering
New Workers looked expectantly up at
them for q cooling rain. 1t came soon
after A O'Clock, accompanied by thunder
and lightning and beginning with q ter
rifle crash, which made people in the
streets scatter for shelter in considerable
alarm. TIL lightning struck in a number
OF places.
The seven story malt house tower Of Eb-
iingis brewery, at st.. AIMS avenue and
10th street, was struck while Mr.. Ebling,
the proprietor of the brewery, aud a party
of friends were In q detached building.
They were startled by the terrific crash,
which was almost Immediately ollowed by
another, and all jumped from their chairs.
Mr.. Ebling saw a dense cloud of smoke COM
ing out of the malt house tower, and also
from the windows Of the fifth and sixth
floors, He turned In an alarm, and Engine
Company No. Al responded. A force OF
policemen from the Morrisania station also
answered the summons. While the fire.
men were attaching the hose, and getting
their engines in place tho clond OF smoke
lifted, and they saw there was no fire. Au
investigation was made, but no trace of
where the electric current entered could be
ound. Five panes of glass on the west side OF
the tower, near the top, had been shattered.
Anfty-four-foot pole on the roof of the
eight-story Curtis Building was split for
one-half its length by a bolt Of lightning.
The superintendent Of the Curtis Building
was sitting In the window of his office
watching the storm when the pole was
struck. He saw a shower Of splinter5 and
chips fall to the Stone street sidewalk, and
saw the people looking toward the roof OF
his building. He said he also felt the
shock. The superintendent hurried to the
ROOF and found that the copper ball q
foot or two OF iron rod holding the ball
above the tip Of the pole had disappeared.
Tenafy, N. J., suffered more from the
storm than any other place near New York.
The storm amounted almost to q cyclone In
its first fury, and then it was followed by
q downfall Of hailstones Of largo size.
M z., - kEn-1 ry0ra NO I0r1a ad small 1,onto
eggs. The storm appeared to meet direct
ly over the village, and In a moment 1t
became almost as dark as night. There
was an outburst Of lightning and thunder
which was terrifying. People fed to their
cellars for safety. Within a few
moments things were in a frightful
state. Roofs were blown off, trees uproot-
ed and wires OF all kinds blown down. The
wind lasted perhaps q minute and a hall.
The air was filed with flying objects.
Sticks and limbs Of trees were carried along
In the air and dashed against houses. From
one end Of the yillage to the other, in a
strip about two miles broad, there was
hardly q pane Of glass left whole on the
north and west sides Of buildings. Hail
stones picked up half an hour later
measured an inch and O half in
diameter. Late at night the ice had
not all melted. The hail was fol-
lowed by a downpour of rain that flooded
| everything and caused mucn Damage OWING
to the ruined condition of windows. The
big window-shade factory owned by L,
Richter was one Of the places to suffer.
Every pane of glass in the northwest front
OF the big building was driven in by the
wind and hail. The windows on one side
OF the Presbyterian Church were crushed
In, and the church flooded with water,
lightning also struck the church. The
wind ~up-rooted trees in all directions, and
Washington avenue Is completely blocked
by the fallen trees.
The storm visited Long Island City.
where the lightning was particularly active
and struck in many places. When the
storm centred over Long Island City tue
lightning struck the fiagpole which sur
mounts the County Court House, and the
jail was also hit. The bolt spllntered the
fagpole and ente red the building, causing
much excitement. When the bolt struck
the Court House the women In the jail were
already almost hysterical, and one woman
prisoner tainted.
All through Connecticut great damage
was done by the storm, and in Torrington
the cellars OF the houses in all the principa
streets were flooded INT about $4,000 worth
OF property destroyed. In Cheshire the
storm assumed almost cyclonic fury. Trees
were uprooted, fences leyeled, roofs lifted
from several barns and immense damage
was lone to crops from hailstones. II
Waterbury the rain storm was one of the
severest that has visited the city for years
The storm wa confined to limited area