Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1900-08-31
Struck by Lightning,

The manner in which Mrs. Clifford War
den, OF Washington, was struck by lightniuI
and miraculously escaped death Is describe,
by Mr.. Warden in letter to friend Tn
thrilling Incident occurred at the residence o
Mr.. P Clark at Sligo, this county, wher'
Mr.. and Mrs Warden aud their children
Ethel and Clifford, are spending the summer
Late Wednesday night OF last week (abou
ll;20 o'clock )" said Mr.. Warden, Tau elec
trio storm came up just as we were retiring
for the night. In fact, the light in our room
had been extinguished and we were actually
in bed, when the fury of the increasing storm
| impelled US to close our windows more Sc
curely and guard clothing from possible dash
ing rain. We hastily lighted candle, and,
while my wife was covering some clothing
which hung on clothes rack on the wall,
lightning entered the room, striking her and
throwing her to the floor, stunned and help
less The lightning had penetrated the side
Of our room, about three inches above the
frame of the west window, detected down
ward, shattering portion OF the clothes rack,
and thence striking my wife.
1.-THE explosion OF that bolt was the most
terrific sound ever heard. Ii seemed as
IL the whole house and everything in IL had
been torn to atoms. After horrible though
brilliant fash aud an indescrlbable crash the
room was darkened, filed with sulphurous
smoke and with dust from the pastering
from the wall was at my wife's left side
at the moment OF the occurrence and was
greatly shocked by the terrible explosion,
but was not seriously injured-only shock
ed and temporarily deafened In my right ear
Instantly | called TO my wife aud reached for
her, but she had disappeared. She made no
response. Then | began to grope for her,
when the smoke and dust having cleared
slightly found her, helpless and stunned
lying on her left side neal the window, with
her head damned against the end Of the
bureau. Picking her up-she was limp and
pale and seemingly DYING lifted her TO the
bed, begging her rot TO give up. Her re-
spouse was: i will not give up; but, oh,
God, am paralySed in my right sidep Her
horror of paralysis is greater than her fear
OF death, 80 you may understand the tones
in which she expressed that sentence.
al quickly opened the door ana shouted to
Ethel and Clifford who occupy rooms near
ours, that Mama has been struck 4 In a
moment all Of the occupants Of the house
were in the room, vieing with each other in
efforts to assis, in relieving nv wife, who,
in the meantime, was calm and composed,
seemingly the least excited person in the
house. The paralysis was relieved 10 the
course of an hour or two by the massage pro
cess, but in the meantime It was discovered
that her right arm from near the wrist was
badly blistered, the burn extending down
the right side oil the body, entirely over
the hip and nearly TO the ankle. Under the
Doctors care her wounds are healing, aud
there are no indications of internal injury
nor of serious affection OF the heart but she
is still suffering from the burns and from
bruises and stiffness OF limbs.
1.-THE experience Of that night was more
horrible than any nightmare The escape
from death Is wonderful-miraculous. For
tunately, however, the after effects have been
less serious than might have been reasonably
expected We are hoping that there is truth
in the saying that lightning never strikes
twice in the same place, and that we may
never have another CLOSE cali like that Of
Wednesday night.
"One Of the remarkable things about this
affair 10 that we were in what might be sup
posed to be a place Of safety-In our bed
room, with door and windows securely
closed Where the bolt of yhtning en-
tered the side of the house is a mystery
which may never be solved, for III ere is moth
ing on the root, the caves nor any pc rlion OF
he house, outside OF the lathing and plaster
ing OF the wall OF our room to show the pres
ence or passage OF any unusual substance,
but there is II small round hole, newly made,
as clean as il bored with an auger, in the
wall Of our room, few inches above the
window frame, through which the lightning
entered the room
''The explosion was simply terrific, accom-
panied by binding fash OF fire electric
blue), followed by sulphurOus smoke and
such crashing aud jarring OF the house as !
never before felt. Then, for an instant, Their e
was darkness and glOOm-horrible Inferno,