The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-16
A THUNDER ROOM.
Woman Who Fears the Elements
Has Arranged a Secure Retreat.

From the Philadelphia Press.
Thunder Is over, madame" announces
a trim little maid in much the same man.
ner in which she would say luncheon is
ready" And madame, with a smile of
relief on ier face, emerges from the safe
refuge the lightning-proof room and re-
sumes once more her duties as mistress
OF the household.
Yes. a thunder-room is the latest on the
worlds list of ingenious inventions. BY
the beginning Of the next century no mod
ern house VIII be complete without one.
woman's fear of a thunderstorm is
something that find workers among the
inexperienced and warm sympathy among
fe.ow-sufferers. There is nothing like it.
The cold chills that chase each other up
and down your back when lightning darts
its fork-tongUed flashes at you, come
from a terror real and uncomfortable. 1t
is not always mere foolishness." Merry
Gus and eXcitable people are peculiarly
susceptible to the sureharge of electrici-
ty In the atmosphere preceding a thunder
storm As excuse for such be it said that
real physical disturbance is responsible
for their terror at these times.
Most of the sufferers become mono
manacs during shower. Their one idea
is to shut out the flash from sight, since,
for some reason, the fiery apparitions
disturb them much more than do the
crashes of thunder. Many are the means
which they use for this purpose.
4 sofa pillow has been found effectual.
1t has the advantage of serving two mas
tels for If you bury your head in it
sHtIully, you can escape every glimpse
OF lightning, and still have enough pillow
ieIJ to stop up your ears and deaden the
sound of the thunder But a pillow has
me disadvantage of sitting you. To be
sure suHIng is a trifle when questions of
numbers forms are in the balance, and vet
tnere have been some who can not stifie
gracefully and have therefore hit upon
another plan.
Ihey fight like with like They draw
eHe curtains. They illumine the house
WiIn a blaze of glory. Every light in
5ue place is called into play to blaze
og'laHce at The cannonading to the heay-
SIs' Nllhin the magic circle of this ball
I'm orlhancy no splinter of light from
On storm flashes is Neutrality-suspicious.
-uuse VINO have some regard for the
s'ldIh on gas meters or electric batteries
S"ooSe yet another way of ESCAPE. and
.LLyHe INTO dark closet This comes
we, rae nearest TO the idea of the thunder
tTet ," WHich a clever Western woman has
'0el lnVented-and which is best of all.
49," vac very center of her house She
- Had a little room constructed whose
80 80 ana loor and ceiling are made from
o9los' non-conductor. There Is onIv
,br,,upe nihg to the sanctum; that, a door
e, 'io0sn which the madam may make her
l.o i,9 ana her entrances. No heating. no
t ,9l.us apparatus comes near the spot.
nir ,agS II is not made attractive to light
uoo9 III any way. The furniture is placed
ton . 7'5sS slabs as a secondary precau-
, .oI and the room is Illuminated nv tbA
Soio" glare of wax candles which Is suf-
nan. 10 Light the faces of the occu-
r1iser, oI me room, to show them that their
misery I5y has company. '''''
when 4 t-r the thunder refugees. retreat
thai .He watcher in the tower announces
ele1et Iele are signs of disturbance in the
the ra,,a With their feet drawn up on
can wan '.Is OF glass-protected chairs, they
ed bac, ." perfect safety until summond.
bows. "orio Oh sunshine and rain