Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-08-30
RECORD-BREAKING STORM.

Tremendous Electrical Disturbances Last
Night-seyeral Places Struck One Child
Hurt, &
The ssyerest electrical storm of the
, season Visited Wilmington about lao
o'clock Friday evening. The storm was
introduced with good deal of wind
and the heavy clouds that accompanied
it caused some apprehension. When
the storm broke. it made Wilmington
its centre for a long time, Purple
flashes Of lightning filed the streets.
Heavy crashes of thunder indicated the
cioseness OF the electrical disturbance.
Occasionally. the crash seemed 10 indi-
cate that lightning had struck near
by, and there were snaps due to tho
passage of the current over wires.
Numerous telephones were thrown out
of service, and the linemen were busy
Saturday repairing the damage. The
telegraph ollices felt the storm but had
no particular damage as result Of
| it, The trolley cars stopped running.
Electric lights we're badly affected. For
a time the downpour of rain was very
heavy,
| The storm came nearly causing a
casualty on Lowering avenue, whore
| lightning struck the residences Of John
Haggefty, No. 1876. and John N.
SurrioS, No. 1918. The bolt followed
n rain spout at Surriok's and passed
| into the Haggerty kitchen, boring a
| hole as large as baseball through the
wall. Mary Haggerty, aged 10 years.
was in the kitchen talking to her
parents. The lightning singed her hair
and dress and temporarily paralyzed
her right arm. The sinks in both
kitchens were torn from their fasten
| ings and furniture was upset. The
occupants Of both houses were more or
/ less shocked.
AT the house Of @, ". Diggins, No.
303 West Seventh street, several FER
SONS were shocked but not seriously
hurt. The Electric Laundry, Seventh
and Tatnall, was struck but not
| The storm was very heavy on this
river. Both the steamers Republic and
| the City of Chester were in II.
| Reports from country districts adj
| iauent to Wilmington are that the
storm was very heavy, but caused no
| especial damage.
Such storm as Friday nights is a
terror to electric light companies, SO
great is tho possibility of immense
damage. Under some circumstances, /,
whole electric plant might be wiped
| out in less than q minute. As q usual
thing, in severe electrical storm, the
| wires become overcharged and tho
current PUSHES back to the electric
station and burns out machinery there.
Although Fridays storm was ey.
certionally heavy, it did little damage
at the station of the Wilmington City
Electric 10, 1t did. however, much
damage throughout town among the
compsny's wires and lights. Patrolman
Combs had a busy and exciting night
in his efforts to repair damage, He
drove out to Van Buren, street and was
repairing break thsre when his hors
received shock and fell down, and he
had lot of trouble in getting 1t ON It's
| feet again. In response to word from
the police that a wire was broken ID
South Wilmington, he drove over there
and when no saw police Office who
was on guard to prevent accident from
| tho wire, jumped from his wagon and
accidentally ran against the wire, For i
tunately, it was insulated where it
came into epntaot with him and he was
not hurt,
| Damage to electii 10 wires arises from
the oyerohargipg caused by the addition
of natures electric leurrept to the
artificial supply from the station,
Although the company uses wires to
ground the current and prevent too
great supply, in such storn 1t is i'm
possible to accommodate Ill the current,
and as consequence wires burn out.
The plant must however continue in
operation and take the chances on
accident to 1t. For private residences,
plugs are provided which burn out
when the current bacomes TOO heavy,
and thus prevent its entrance into The
/ buildings.