St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1898-07-20
TUESDAYS STORM.
A Combination Of Lightning, Wind
and Rain that Did Great Damage
in This Village.

in This Village.
The two weeks drouth was broken
yesterday afternoon by the heaviest
shower that ever visited this village and
the effects Of the storm were confined
almost entirely to this village. Aside
from the damage by fire conservativ.
estimate Of the loss to roads, sidewalks,
wires, cellars, ETC., is $500.
Yesterday morning was one Of the
most sultry days Of the summer, the
mercury rising over 80. Soon after din
ner the clouds began to gather and at
Las the storm burst upon the village
with all its fury. high wind prevailed
and it rained for an hour without any
interruption. 1t was during this hour
that the lightning did so much damage
and struck in about adozen places in
this village.
Three successive flashes of lightning
were SO severe that each bolt must have
struck somewhere in this vicinity Light
ming felled big tree in Harry H. Carrs
yard on Main street and struck the pole
at the corner of Main street and Eastern
avenue breaking the cross arm that car
ries the fire alarm wire and burning out
the mechanism Of the box on the pole.
About a minute later a bolt struck the
Grand Army flag pole on the Union block
and scattered splinters all around. About
half dozen people were standing on
the upper piazza of this block and they
realized ct once that the lightning had
struck near them. The bolt tore hole
i'll the tin roof and soon found the ground,
but liz the meantime it had burned out
the instruments in the stock exchange
and in the telegraph Office. Three fire
alarm boxes were burned out during the
storm,
Bragg & Morris shops were struck
twice during the storm and the inside OF
the shops were set on fire in two places.
The men quickly put out the fire with ex-
tinguishers. In Paddock village bolt
struck the house occupied by VIM. Han
cock. In the house at the time were Mrs.
Hancock. daughter and Miss Heyer. All
three ladies received a severe nervous
shock as the plastering fell around them
and some OF the clapboards Of the house
were removed by the bolt. F. Z. War
ners house on the Center road was
struck but no damage done and an elec-
trio light pole in Paddock village was
struck.
The house and barn of Frank La
Course, on the Center road, were struck
and totally destroyed by fire. Four men
were working in the building at the
time, three we're thrown to the floor and
one thrown from the window to the
ground. The house was only partially
completed and will be complete loss, as
there was no insurance.
A bolt struck Leonard Penniman's
barn above the cemetery and did little
damage; another bolt struck the old
pine and splintered it little and third
bolt struck tree near Guyer's ledge near
Observatory Knob.
The railroads received their share of
the damage. There was land slide on
the Lake road near the dry bridge on
the Fair Ground road and freight got
stalled in it and an engine had to be seut
up from the yards to help them out.
There was small washout near Sum-
merville bridge which was quickly re-
paired. The Passumpsic division had
worse time, as there was a washout
about 20 feet wide near the electric
station which was not filled in until 9
o'clock last evening. The rails were left
standing in their usual place and a little
boy discovered the washout Just in time
to flag the air line coming north. All
The trains from the north were stalled
here until evening and the trains from
the south came in about 10 O'Clock in
the evening. There was also a small
washout on the road in Paddock village
which was quickly repaired. The night
rains and todays trains were not in.
'onvenienced by the storm.
The damage caused by the wind was
confined principally to destroying fine
.rees and as the trees fell in the street it
lemoralzed the wires of the telegraph,
telephone, electric light and fire alarm.
DR.. Bullard lost some of his big trees, a
arge branch OF one of the Court House
Inns fell into Eastern avenue, a number
IF trees were blown down in Fairbanks
7illage and in other parts of the village.
The high wind lifted the tin roof from the
de elevator in several places and took
he entire roof from the blacksmith shop
The water did more damage than any
hing else, especially to the highways.
On Hastings hill there is a washout
nearly 100 feet long. Between the scale
'ffice and the shops the whole concrete
sidewalk was taken away in two places
md on Summer street opposite the
Armory and in other parts OF the village
he sidewalk has been undermined. So