Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-06-17
Two Horses Instantly Killed in
East Ottumwa.
\. N. c. A. BUILDING DAMAGED
Most Severe Storm Strikes City Yes
terday Afternoon-Much Damage
Done-severai Windows blown in
Two Runaways Caused by Blow.
GFrom Fridays Daily.l

i
With a resounding peal of thunder
anu binding flash, two horses were
struck and instantly killed by light
ming yesterday afternoon about
O'Clock near ]. d. Grays bottling
works in East Ottumwa. The horses
We're owned by Mr.. Bloodgood of Viii
lisca, who had driven into the city
about III o'clock yesterday morning in
a covered wagon and had tied the
horses to tree in pasture in that vi
cinity when the lightning which prov
ed SO disastrous struck and caused in
stantly the death of both animals.
Several other accidents resulting
from the storm are reported from diff
ferent parts of the city, among them
being the breaking of two large VIM
dow glasses on the third floor and the
heavy plate glass in the door at the
front entrance to the Y. M. G. A. build
ing. The demolishing of the clock dial
on the west side of the court house,
and breaking loose of a smoke stack
at the Iowa Steam Laundry, was also
the work OF the heavy wind.
Came Up Suddenly.
The storm yesterday came up with
r
ter at 2 o'clock registered SO degrees,
and the sky was clear but about 2:45
o'clock the western sky became over
cast and dark clouds moving rapidly
We're seen approaching. About fifteen
minutes later the storm broke with
much violence and the nearest ap-
proach to cyclone seen in this city
for years, was on The wind blew a
gale. Awnings were blown down, and
signs and branches of trees were flying
in the air, while above the roar of the
storm could be heard the crash of fall
ing glass. The wind lasted but a few
minutes and was followed by a terrific
hail and rain storm accompanied by
rolls of thunder and vivid flashes of
lightning. The storm was soon over
and fifteen minutes later the sun was
shining brightly.
Lightning Strikes.
The lightning which preceded the
wind struck and killed simultaneously
two horses which were tied to a tree
in pasture lot on Vernon avenue near
the Jas. d. Gray bottling works Tele-
phone wires passed through the
branches of the tree under which the
iioi oCS. sWOiS ploIuiu5, anu IL 40 SuppOS-
ed that these acted as conductor to
the lightning. The horses were own
ed by a Mr.. Bloodgood who resides in
Villisca, and in company with his wife
and two children arrived in the city
yesterday morning at IL o'clock in a
covered wagon, in which they started
q few days ago on three months
pleasure trip, carrying tents and the
necessary equipments to camp out
along the road The party had as its
objective point Spirit Lake, and came
to Ottumwa to visit relatives who live
in this vicinity.
Y. M. C. A. Feels Storm.
The wind caused considerable dam
age at the Y. NJ. G. A. building The
large partition at the head of the
stairs in the arehed entrance way was
split by the force of the storm and
the glasses in both doors, which were
a quarter of an inch in thickness, were
blown out and broken. Two windows
in the third story of the building were
also broken by the wind, and frag.
ments of glass were scattered through
the rooms.
At the Mile Track.
Stalls and sheds were piled in a
heap by the force of the hurricane at
the old mile race track on the South
Side. The grandstand was also de
molished and the place is almost in
ruins today. None of the horses who
in tho CT d,,ri,, +lo Oh