The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-28
HARD-HITTING LIGHTNING.
LONG SHOT AT TRACT SOCIETY SKY
sCRAPER AND STEEPLE non.

Top Of the fla gstan Flew on In a Plume Of
spiinters-Bob and Mrs. Bob stayed -Four
Men stunned bv q Bolt In Hsrlem-The
Mercury Was at 81 = Ran Down 10 Degrees.
Some weather got adrift from its aerial
| moorings yesterday. creating several OF the
most spectacular thunder storms Of the sea-
| son and the hottest day OF the year. There
were three distinct electrical displays In the
| afternoon and evening. The first storm reared
its leaden clouds over New Jersey and drew
with incandescent pencil a fine lot Of glittering
| hieroglyphics on the gloomy background.
| Manhattan, from Its windows facing westward.
did not hear the artillery Of the sky. 1t simply
got a view Of the vivid etching. The storm had
had all the electricity squeezed out OF 1t when 1t
| crossed the North River and il merely delivered
a cheerful and windy shower and passed on.
leaving a few rainbows in its wake. The green
leaves OF the City Hall Park sparkled with rain
beads under the glow Of the sun a minute after
| the shower passed. There were only a few dis
| tant rumbles Of thunder.
After an interval OF more than half an hour
another storm, that seemed 10 have been
| brewed over the lower part Of this island. as
| sumed a dim, embryonic shape. The sky was
merely grouty, and there were streaks Of
| brightness In the west. The weather sharps on
| lookout In the top story Of the American Surety
building did not think much would come out OF
| the sullenness aloft. One OF them happened to
be looking out OF a north window when there
descended from a cloud that appeared to be
| above the tall building Of the American Tract
| Society a bolt the like Of which seldom has
been seen hereabouts. 1t came down like 9
| browning the DIG building. There was a shiny.
| hollow, gilded. metal ball more than a loot IN
diameter on the top OF the flagstaff and the
What happened next mey be described by q
reporter who was on the forward deck OF a Full
ton ferryboat on the Brooklyn SIDE. preparing
just after the bolt bit the flagstaff and noted
that il was twenty minutes OF O'Clock The
Weather Bureau timed the event at 1891. The
reporter says that a solitaIy purpie-oiacK o'oHa
and had hardly blotted out the sun, hine when
from its middle a thin streak Of flame that
might have been a mile long shot S Gown n aimos.
rs course. After a distinct interval the top OF
the flagstaff on the Trac! building was seen TO
fly on ~ a plume h Of sp sSa,,nr,1 me os saape cana al a
iats2 dd o iibe gin TO rain. and il rained as Il the
bottom had fallen out OF the SKY. ,u.,hu,,oo.
To many who were In the near neighRorhood
Of the Trac, building and saw the shaft OF
lightning splinter the flagstaff there was not so
R9u C noi % the fn pi StSi :, sns q; ;b iT e q Sis1s1t
ating sounded in the architectural canon, asa
man who stood under the Track building said,
h n the roar SH Of a .5 Tspid;f Gs S sSt'sry Ib., Th pi;.r wps
covered the sidewalk and street In front OF the
Tract building. Some Of the ~splinters were
smHll ana az match at !, ln 5sjGk ar snd { a isS sh as isTse tb a. a
and multitude in Park row and City Hall
Park. large number Of them saw ,he
by byaSA magnet Hundreds Of hands. pointed
10 the pole, about tive : thirds, OF WHICH.
drew from all the streets within. sight OF
City Han Park more than a thousand persons.
In a moment Nassau street within half a block
Of the tall building was iammed. Some folks
who found themselves in the midst Of the rat
Ting shower OF spliniers were Pa,alyzed MN
terror, ;sn .Dr An oi ~ "9 iSs ba siSGa ''of Poli ss1 a,
Howry, who saw her and who did not know
| how long the shower might last. ran TO her and
carried her bodily out Of the danger zone;
every particle OF the splintered pole In me street
had been gathered up. A man in a blue
jumrer got the largest fragment ana began TO
customers. A piece Of. the pole about six feet
long and more than half a foot thick was
hurled across the street on TO the saoied stone
roof Of the Nep York Times building. Its
Jagged end projected from the back OF a iierce-
looking .eurgoyle several ieet into Nassau
looked at the big splinter until II was removed.
The editors desks In the Times Office were lit
tered with bits Of the pole that flew in at the
"SatIraily, there was much CONSERVATION in
the upper floors Of the Tract building and more
out on the roof. where three workmen we're
Stack that towers about twenty feet above the
coping on the south side OF the building. The
man in charge IF. ,h so |oa was NSol Ro6 @S., Merrill Merrill.
es9ue recent task. was fixing the ,spire OF
Trinity Church. Mrs; Steeple Bob. whose hus-
band refers to her as the Kid. - was also on the
his boatswain's chair, which Ia connected with
a patent steel lock block, When the line is
loose the rope rove 1hh5ro s ,he block sdt
pulls on the, line she releases q catch
just seated himself in the chair and Mrs, Bob
v. was , f,Snd Bos! back s.. IssSy to Raj the ri ,Iie n l.ns
Richard Grace, could haul him up to the top
Of the smokestack. There was only one cloud
almost over the building. There had been
a few faint thunderiess flashes OF light
ming, but Bob did not think there was
he had dreamed the night before that his
b%oatswain's chair was tied with Grape and that
he had vainly ,tugged az the Grape and could
not ss sst II sn Sf' ss a. h ssy !oIS MS slm w,'f s sSSs ,s sne
dream something happens, The last time was
ten years ago, and ] had q close shave then"
Mrs. Bob said that 1t might be merely indiees-
ton. But Bob said that he. could not help
thinking about II IA ne swung IN hrs chair,
He had just ~signalled TO be hauled up when
the streak of lightning came down. The flag
pole was only about thirty feet from where Bob
was swinging, to the westward. The gilded
ball Of the pole was only about fifty. feet higher
than his perch. The flash oil the bolt. blinded
and the cracking of the thunder turned their
faces ashen. .Tighe happened to be looking up
at the pole and saw II burst, like a fountain sud-
denly turned on. There was a hail Of splinters
all around Mrs. Bob and the three men. Mrs.
Bob says she saw the streak OF light. after II had
the pole and pass between the smokestack and
the face Of her husband. She thought that. was
the last Of Bob. She saw him collapse and she
pulled on the line and orde red Tiehe and Grace
10 lower away. Tighe could not. as h. had been
knocked down by the shock But Grace was
coping. lie did not sit long. az he had no con-
troll OF himself. although he says he was entirely
conscious, He says he had a gone feeling in
his midrif and his arms and legs might
have belonged to somebody else, he
was surprised to find himself lying on
that he did not happen TO fall the other way;
Mrs. Bob and Grace picked Bob up. He smiled
cheerfully after he found that none OF him was
missing, and reminded Mrs. Bob OF his dream.
Then he went 10 the Nassau street sid OF the
roof and peered down at the crowd, Then he
glanced up a, the broken pole. Only a short
time before he had been at the very top o.. the
pole reaying new halyards for the flag, and Mrs.
Bob looked up also, glad that he had done the
perilous Job before the bolt got ~ Its work.
were on the roof OF the Times Building. Mrs.
Rob lnoked oynr the Darapet from thp Tract