The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1901-03-15
FEARFUL WORK
OF THE LIGHTNING.
House Struck in Five PIaces-Bay
Window Shattered and Scattered
Fifty Yards-Run across
A Dogs Bach.

A Dogs Bach.
One OF the most miraculous escapes
from death that it has ever been our
pleasure to note occurred just outside
the incorporate limits of Union last
Sunday. 1t will be remembered that
there were a great many flashes of
lightning about the time preaching was
going on, just before the rain. About
this time Mr.. l.. L: Hodge was standing
i'm his front piazza leaning against the
wall with one foot on the balisters, look
ing out at the threatening skies. His
wife, his son. in-law, Mr.. Fletcher Horn
and his wife were standing in the hack
porch at the vel. This porch being very
small, they were necr ssarily close to the
walls of the house. There was suddenly
deaf-ning crash of lightning that blinded
and stunned this whole household for
few minutes, Ii seemed that the current
separated into five different sections
One Of them struck the boxing under
the cOuIb of the house, ran down and
switched off on nail that was half
driven into the wall two feet above Mr.
Hodges head, this nail which it partially
melted saving his life, but the shock
seemed to strike him sledgc hammer
blow on the top Of his head. He had
the peculiar sensation of being forced up
wards, however, instead Of downward.
He sank aginst a large chair and re-
mained in semi-cOnscious state some
moments. When he recovered he stag
CARED to the door to look for his family
Mrs. Hodge, Mr.. aud Mrs. Horn also
had an escape chat was very little short
of a miracle. One of the currents struck
the top of the house and ran down the
pe lor
shattering the heavy framing, tore off
a quantity of weather boarding just in
front of them, melted another nail head,
then shattered the heavy sill of the cook
room, also within few feet of these peo-
ple 1t then dropped to the ground
where it plowed its way some distance
making trench, in the meantime it had
struck the back of the little dog under
the house and plowed a furrow in its
hair for six inches along its back and
scorching the skin, the dog was totally
deaf for a whole day. The three persons
mentioned, as soon as they recovered
from the fearful shock. found they were
unipjured and started to look for Mr..
Hodge and they all met in the hall with
q feeling of thankfulneSs for their deliv-
erence from such a terrible danger. The
current that came near doing Mr. Hodge
followed the nail to tie inside where it
demolished the plastering, leaving a
burnt mark along the lathes showing
that it had ran down in a zig Gag course
to an iron ram rod which was standing
in the corner, this served as a cOndu :tur
and the lightning followed it, and finally
passed through crack i'm the Il ,or to
the ground without further damage.
Another bolt struck the buy window
and knocked one side of it into kindling
wood ard scattered the pieces for So to
75 yards away in the field, while the
plasteling was injured OH the inside.
Another struck the top of the house and
tearing up "a big strip of shingles, came
down the chimney breaking the plaster
ing along its course until IT, reach, d The
top of large old-iashoned clock which
it went through, literally demolishlng it,
thence to the mantle upon which it sat.
tearing the mantle loose aud ssndiDg it
several feet out into the floor. Another,
the fifth stroke, struck the top of the
house and tearing up the shingles en-
tered and flew around the garrett teari ig
rafters loose and humping up against the
roof here and there. knocking up the
shingles at various places until it finally
got out and went somewhere. All of
this, Of course, happened in a moment,
and it is the most remarkable occurrence
we have ever seen or heard of. The
family certainly owe debt of everlast-
ipg gratitude to a kind and merciful
providence that they are alive today.
We understand that the lightning
seems to have proclivitY for this i'm
mediate neighborhood. 1t was only "A
few hundred yards from here that the
man and his team were killed in the road
by lightning The trees are frequently
struck by lightning. A hole was found
In the ground in the shape of a funnel
which was made by the lightning We
are led by these circumstances to believe
that there is some kind Of natural at
traction in the shape of ore that brings
the lightning SO frequently to this neigh
borhood, and it might pay to prospect
for 1t.