The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-06

the surface Of the earth Considering
Which the escape of the city from disas-
trous results in loss of life and prop
erty was remarka BILE.
The weather conditions were remark
able in more respects than in the e-cape
from damage by lightning. The culml-
nation Of the series of storms, between
5 and o'clock in the afternoon, was
almost cyclonic in its fierceness, but the
winds were wasted in the upper strata
of air currents It was such a storm
as might result from the sudden for
nation of a storm center by a rapid
fall in temperature after great heat. In
this respect the heaviest of the series
Of storms upset all precedent in the
philosophy Of the weatherWise, for the
temperature had been very mild all day
and the safety valve of the surcharged
clouds had been open at intervals near
Iy all day.
The first storm of the series was be-
tween 2:30 and a. M, and that re-
suited in the precipitation of nearly
an inch of rain. During the forenoon
there were numerous showers, but the
heavenly artillery had been reduced to
very Slldl1 UdlleTy. AZ AoU Ill lllS
afternoon the big guns opened up
again, but it was not until just after
o'clock that the thirteen-inch rifles
were brought into play. From 5:15 to
5:3C the bcmbardment of st. Paul from
above was tremendous, and it was all
at very close range. For fifteen min
utes the darkness that hung over the
city was denser than at midnight of a
summer night, and much more terrify-
ing. A pail of almost inky blackness
seemed to descend upon the city, COM
ing from no general direction, but set
ting close down until the most in
different had begun to think Of the cy
clone cellar as a pretty good thing. The
great buildings down town were pack
ed with people, and the motormen, who
have generally become accustomed to
the vagaries of the storm king, were
driving in the darkness with blanched
faces. They were not scared without
cause, for some dozens of them were
made to feel that it was a very good
thing that electricity is sufficiently un-
Ger control to make trolley car
comparatively safe place in a storm,
even if it is liable to the blowing out
OF fuses and other minor disasters.
It is safe to assume that during
those fifteen minutes there was less
business transacted in this town than
there has been In many a day during
working hours. The play of the light
ring was so fierce, the crashing of the
thunder SO oppressive, that the tinid
ores took refuge in prayer-or the cell
lar, as their trend of mind led them.
The cellar was very popular.
CITY HALL JARRED.
So was the city hall. By the time
the storm was at it's height there were
200 or 800 people in the corridors of the
big building, shivering with apprehen-
sion, and when, at $780, the steeple was
Jared by an explosion that forced a
solitary Stroke Of the chime, good
many of them thought that the bell
had started to toll the knell of DOOM
Most of them felt good deal of relief
when they found that the only damage
done was to shock Anderson, the cigar
man, into a state bordering on insensi-
bility-from which he presently recov-
cred, having suffered no great damage.
The comparative insignificance of the
damage done was due entirely to the
great number of wires strung through
the business portions of the city. The
storm was at it's worst in the down
town districts, but the suburbs showed
the worst results in tangible form. The
electrical discharges were generally
taken up by the wires, and the conse-
quence was general arrangement of