The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-21
RECORD or A LIGHTNING STUDENT.
Curious Franks Observed by "a
Weather Bureau Attache for Four
teen Years.
From the washington Star.

An ohiCAal attached to the weather
bureau has kept. during the past four
teen years, all OF the best authenticated
accounts coming under his eye of the
pranks of lightning throughout the world.
One of the facts to ~ deducted from the
great mass of stories about the electricity
of the heavens, is that lightning cannot
be lodged or avoided. There are many
accounts of lightning striking and killing
timid women who had taken refuge under
beds and in closets. In most Of these
cases it is shown that the persons who
have remained in the rooms abandoned
by the victims thus killed while seeking
safety have escaped unframed. The state
of Kansas seems to have the palm FOR
the fierceness of its electrical storms, with
all of the states of the Missouri and Mis-
siSsippi valleys following close b2hinG.
An army officer riding from LeaVenwortn
10 Fort LeaVenworth, Kan, in August,
1899, was shocked three times by bolts
striking near him. He saw nine huge
trees raven by separate bolts. HIS horse
died late from the electrical shocks, while
the officer himself suffered no injury of
any Importance, There are stories of three
women, one in Kansas, one in Arkansas
struck by lightning While carrying an
fantS in their arms, the young ones es-
Gaping unframed in each case. A young
man in Central Illinois was foolng with
a mastif dog during the progress of
thunderstorm. The dog was struck dead
by a bolt, nearly all of the hair being
man was only mildly shocked. A farmer
was kissing his wife goodbye before start
ing for the county fair, when he was
struck dead by a bolt of lightning. His
wfe's hair was consumed by the same,
but she was otherwise uninjured. Three
drunken farmhands returning from
dance all arm-in-arm. In Eastern Nebras-
ka, were oyertaken by an electrical storm
on the road. The man in the middle was
killed by a bolt. His two companions
were knocked senseless, but quickly re-
They found themselves
pletely sober when they came to-
A letter carrier in Kansas City was
handing a woman servant a letter at the
basement door when bolt of hghtnins
struck between them. They were both
rendered unconscious by the shock, but
both were brought around all right. The
letter was consumed. Two farm hands
engaged in ploughing In a l60-acre plot in
South Dakota were killed by lightning
tens playing i'm q back yard in Independ-
ence, Mo, were struck by lightning. One
of them was killed. the other, two being
only singed. A German named Bitten
(Which means lightning in our language
was struck and killed by bolt while talk
ing about his queer name with party
of friends in a tavern in Central Arkan-
sas. The shop of "a bird fancier in Chi
cago was struck by bolt. Of Two par
Tots in one cage one was killed and thS
other permanently blinded, besides beins
rendered deaf and dumb. A gang of cir
Gus hands were trying TO roundup an es-
capped tiger in a Missouri town. when the
tiger was struck ueds DN HButiAiBs OuI-
ing a running race at an Illinois county
fair, in which eleven horses were COM
| peting for the purse the winning horse was
| struck dead instantly after having won
| the race by head on the wire. None
| of the other horses, most OF which were
| close up at the finish, was hurt at all.
An Indiana fiddler was playing at coun-
| try dance, having a seat on the porch for
the sake of the GOODNESS thereof. His Vio-
lin was knocked into kindling wood by n
| bolt of lightning, while he himself was
| only mildly shocked. chicken hawH
was struck dead while Just in the act OF
swooping upon a flock of hens on an Iowa
| farm None of the hens was hurt. A To-
| connective engineer was struck dead while
| seated i'm his cab making a short freight
run in Colorado. his fireman not even be-
| ing shocked. A dozen girls in an Ohio
| seminary were shocked by a bolt of light
ming while seated In the parlor. The same
! bolt killed one of the teachers at the other
| end of the building. A Tennessee farmer
! was feeding his hogs, standing in the mid
die of the pen, when he was hit by bolt
of lightning and instantly kill
ed The hogs were not injured
| at all An elderly woman praying all
| alone in a little chapel in small Ken
! lucky town was struck dead by Aght,
ming The chapel was set on fire and
| consumed.
| A Memphis woman was curling her hair
with curling irons when a bolt of lightning
came through the window and knocked
! the curling irons out of her hand. She
! was rendered unconscious. Nhen. sue
| came to she found the curling irons at the
]
/ red hot and had burned hole in the car
| pet where they rested. A bolt OF lightning
! penetrated a cyclone cellar in Kansas IN
which a family of four had taken refuge,
and all were killed. A captive balloon,
/ the largest ever manufactured, was struck
\ by lightning in Chicago about eight years
! ago and two of the aeronauts were killed.
| Circus tents have been hit by lightning
/ bolts on numerous occasions, generally
| with a comparatively small loss of life,
considering the size of the assemblage
| under the tents. A man who was struck
| by lightning i'm Western New York state
while walking through forest had the
! outlines of two perfect trees indeilibly
! stamped in red on his back, but he was
4 not seriously hurt, To all intents and
| purposes the lightning branded him A
/ pressnan employed by job printing house
/ in Omaha was stuck by lightning and
/ knocked into a mass of machinery which
mangled him to death. A gang OF boys
/ were playing ball on a field in an Ohio
! town when an electrical storm came up
! The boy at the bat was knocked down by
/ the shock of a bolt that struck near but
not seriously hurt Tne boy VINO was
! catching was taking them off the bat
/ right back of the boy at the bat, but he
was not even shocked.
/ A Russian oil steamer was struck three
/ times in succession Within seven minutes
on the Baltic sea and was burned. None
of the crew was hurt. wheat ship on
! Lake Huron was struck twice, amidshipS
/ almost In the same scot, the bolts coming
/ within three minutes of each other. The
| second bolt set the ship on fire and she
1
/ Thirteenth street near II was struck by
! lightning while sitting ct sewing ms
/ chine a good many years ago. The ma
chine was paced at a low window and the
/ girl was knocked out Of the window. She
| was not seriously hurt. Another Washing
! ton woman was shocked by bolt Of light
| ming while welding pair Of scissors She
! found that the bolt had so dulled the scis-
! sors that they would not cut. A bolt OF
| lightning struck a small house over in
| Falls Church. n completely tore away
| partition separating two Of the rooms
! broke the rockers Of an easy chair on
| vrIch young woman was seated and
! made big cash in the floor Ia passing into
! The ground. None of the occupants OF the
! house WAS so much as shocked. A man in
| Mississippi vas cutting a chew Of tobacco
! VIXEN a bolt of lightning struck his hands
] They were so badly burned that they had
| 10 he amputated. Two quarrylnen were
/ nreuarjng a fuse in a Georgia marble quar-
| ~ when lightning struck the charge aud
| thsv were both Blown to fragments The
| MAZE OF an Atlantic cossting schooner was
| drllnkenly inviting a sailor alOft engaged
! in Shortening sail TO come below and be
| eut 20 PIECES. when bolt Of lightning
! struck the mote dead. A boy seated in a
| small boat that was attached 20 and trail
| ;ne, from a sail ng Yacht off he South Car
! alma cnaet was XII ed by a bort OF nght-