The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-06-28
FURIOUS ELECTRIC STORM
ITS PARALLEL NEVER WITNESSED BE-
FORE IN WILMINGTON.
Mr.. j. L. Kerr's Stable Struck by
Lightning and Destroyed with Two
Mules, a Cow and a Large Quantity
of Oats and Fodder.

The greatest and most fearful electric
storm ever witnessed in Wilmington
passed over the city Sunday night
about 9 O'Clock. There was neal after
peal and long rumblings of thunder
and fierce zigzags Of lightning rended
the We at all points Of the COM
pass. AT times the heavens were so
continuously lurid, it seemed for miles
around. one could almost read a paper.
There was a heavy down pour of rain
fWnen the storm first broke and rain
Tell at intervals and the lightning kept
up till between . and 3 o'clock yester-
day morning when there was another
sublime electric display and deafening
thunder. The rain came down in tor
rents and there was also a considerable
fall OF hail.
In the city the streets were flooded.
and in various sections of the city con-
siderable damage was lone by the Tiv
ulets that tore up the streets and side
walks. The approaches to Sixth street
bridge. over the Atlantic Coast Line
tracks. were undermined by the floods
of water that poured over the railroad
embankment, and as the bridge was
dangerous for crossing, Mayor Wadden
ordered it to be closed until it can be
repaired or replaced with an iron
bridge.
At the beaches the storm was wit
messed in all it's grandeur. There was
a strong wind from the north, and
timid folks didn't feel comfortable but
no damage was done, except the snap
ping of a few telegraph poles.
BURNED BY LIGHTNING.
During the storm which again broke
out with tremendous fury between 2 and
8 o'clock yesterday morning, Mr.. J. T.
KorrSc Gro hIoo of ANarn Pronnh four
miles east of the city, were struck by
lightning and were totally destroyed,
together with two mules, a valuable
COW and three stacks of fodder and a
crop of oats that he had just housed
from eight to ten acres of land. Three
other mules broke out of the stable in
some unexplainable way but they were
badly burned before they made their
escape. The stable was a two-story
building, the second story being stored
with oats and fodder.
Mr.. Kerr was in the city yesterday to
purchase additional stock with which
to continue work on his farm. He says
the three mules that escaped are so
badly burned that he cannot work
them for some time, and that in fact
one is so severely burned about the
head that he has no hopes of it's recov-
cry. He states that he was asleep
when the second storm came on but
IIS lSll1l1C pCdlo vi L oAAA "fiNA
flashes of lightning awoke him and his
family. He was sleeping down stairs
and the children up stairs. The chill
dren first noticed the glare from the
burning stables and informed him, as
he could not see out from his room.
He rushed out in his night clothes in
torrents of rain but the burning build
ing was such a seething mass of flames
he could not go near it. Lightning
struck several places in the nelghpor-
hood.
While here yesterday, Mr.. Kerr pur-
chased lumber to rebuild his stables.
His loss amounts to about 5000 n he
had no insurance. He is one OF our
most enterprising trucker and his
friends regret to learn of his misfor-
tune. ,
Mr.. Kerr axe his loss with GOOD
cheer and seems to regret the loss or
one of his mules more than anything
else. 1t was 81 years old and was a
family pet.