The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-07-30
ALLIANCE OF
The elements
WIND, RAIN AND LIGHTNING
FORM UGLY COMBINE
Nights Storm Was Repeat
ed Yesterday Afternoon Street
Railway Traffic Was Badly Blocked,
Electric Light Companies Serious
ly Hampered, and Telephone Ser
vice Impaired-several Houses
Struck by Lightning-Live Wires
Caused Two Fires Last Night

ternoon, wien at 1.33 o'clock the skies
began to pd lr down their contents and
| continued T. weep until after o'clock
when there was a temporary abate-
ment, followed by resume during the
early evening.
During the afternoon there was a
lively lightning and thunder accom-
paniment and the great flashes which
opened the clouds at irregular intervals
created an unusual amount of alarm
around the city. Bolts struck several
houses. The storm did not do a great
deal of individual damage but proved
| a source of the greatest worrimcnt and
considerable expense to the local tele-
| phone, street railway and electric light
companies. Numerous street cars were
| thrown off their tracks by the accufnu-
| lation of sand and debris washed there
| by the rain, electric light circuits by
| the dozen were broken, and on some of
| the telephone lines the wires We're
tampered with to such an extent that
1t was almost impossible for person
| to hear the party at the other end of
| the circuit
THE RAINFALL.
Observer Clarke, of the weather
bureau declares that the past twenty
| four hours have been exceptionally
moist, and the figures he shows prove
| his assertion. Between 1873 and 4.10
o'clock yesterday afternoon there fell
just 65-1Oo of an inch of rain, which is
on the whole pretty good for this eli
| mate.
| Since 7.55 o'clock Sunday evening
when the heavy downpour started up
to o'clock yesterday afternoon, there
was total fall of 2.41 inches A strong
| wind blew during yesterday afternoons
rain, from the west. attaining a maxi
mum velocity of thirty-one miles an
hour.
| Previous to the rain, the weather was
exceedingly warm. at 10 o'clock the
thermometer standing at % degrees.
The rain had a most cooling effect,
however, and at its finish the mercury
showed 6S degrees in the shade. a
rapid rise followed, however
The most serious damage done by the
lightning occurred Sunday night, when
bolt struck the cupola of the large
frame double building at 73S-74O Mon
roe avenue. owned by Frederick Rich
ards. Mr.. Richards occupies the one
| side and owen Irish and family the
other. The lightning struck shortly
that it could be heard for several
blocks. 1t struck the cupola from the
westerly side, and transformed it inn
mediately into "A mass of shattered tim
| ber.
| Fortunately, it did not set the frame
| work on fire, nor were any of the per-
| sons in the building struck or shocked.
The attics on both sides We're greatly
damaged, the plaster being shaken
from the walls and ceilings in large
quantities. and the woodwork broken.
The entire damage. it is estimated will
come 10 about $500. which is partially
covered by insurance.
IN c. r. SCOTS STORE.
Yesterday afternoon lightning en-
tered the store of c. r. Scott, at ll9
Franklin avenue, about 1,45 o'clock
The bolt of flame ran along "A chande-
lier attached TO the ceiling in the
phonograph department, on the second
floor, and w. d. Langfeld, who was
sitting directly beneath the fixture,
received a shock so sudden and vio-
lent as To stun him.
Fred Eisele, another of the employees
received a severe shock on the arm
and the Office boy sharp shock in the
hand.
Another bolt entered the residence of
DIR. w. NJ. Reedy, on Linden street, be-
tween Clay and Webster avenues, at
almost the same time. a long, thin
flannel leaped, through the window
cutting a hole about two inches in di-
ameter but not damaging in any way
the interior furnishings. William
Reedy, a brother of DR.. Reedy, who
was sitting near the window when the
lightning entered, received a very Sc
we're shock, and was dazed for several
minues.
In South Scranton lightning struck
the new ST. Johns church, now in
course of construction. one of the
stone figures on the tower was shat
tered by the shock and fell through
the roof, breaking several large holes
in the superstructure.
Electric light wires all over the city
were put out of working order and
last night three still alarms were
sounded as result. The first was at
the Philadelphia Cloak and Suit COM
psnya place at 42l LaCkawanna ave-
nue., about 72O o'clock, where a live
wire in the doorway would have caused
good deal of trouble had it not been
panies. About 1890 o'clock the same
wire caused another blaze and the
companies again responded, this time
cutting out the wire.
At II o'clock a still alarm was sound
ed as the result of live wire igniting
the awning in front of Foote &
Shears store on Washington avenue.
The small blaze was easily eXtin-
gushed by the use of chemicals.
| TROUBLE WITH CARS.
During the afternoon two cars on
the Peckville lines were the only ones
on the Scranton Railway company's
lines which We're thrown off by the
blocked condition of the tracks. Dur
; ing the night, however a Laurel Hill
!; car was blocked for over half an hour
! at the No. 6 branch by a small lake of
! water and mud. Cars We're also eff
fectually blocked or run off the tracks
on the Bellevue and Lafayette street
lines, at Petersburg and on North Main
, avenue. The light circuits burned out
in numerous instances and several
cars were disabled DUNG the day by
having their motors struck by light
lining.