The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-06-02
SHOT FROM THE SKY
Bolt of Lightning Strikes
Athletic Club Building
|IT CAME WITHOUT WARNING
Tore Hole in Roof and Narrowly
Missed Manager Bettman, Asleep
on the Second Floor.

Shooting out of an apparently clear
sky, stray bolt of lightning struck
the flag pole on top of the Walla
Walla athletic club building in West
Alder at 7 o'clock this morning, tore
a huge hole in the roof and ranging
downward passed within a few inches
Of S. S. Bettman, manager of the club
who was asleep on the second floor.
Except for rude awakening by the
binding flash and report and the
sound of splntered timbers, Mr.. Bett-
man was uninjured but considers he
had a narrow escape from serious in
jury and possibly death.
The damage to the building is abOut
$50 and consists of badly splintered
flag pole, the hole in the roof and the
destruction Of the window next to
the sleeping man where the bolt APP
parently shot into space. Every light
in the window was broken and about
one half of the sash was torn off and
brown into the street.
big American flag which was
floating from the flag staff was torn
loose and taken down through the
hole in the rOOi and was found half
suspended from the shattered window
together with tho ropes.
Eye witness S TO the phenomenon
declare the bolt shot out of a cOmpar
atiyely clear SKY. and with swish
like the roar OF wind struck the flag
pole square on top. A binding flash
and a deafening report followed which
was so severe that several persons
standing near the building declare
they We're stunned for a second The
first thought that struck several on
Main street was that the boiler in
rush for that place was made by a
crowd which had gathered quickly.
The general wrecked condition of
the club building and few eXplana-
lions by excited individuals soon eX-
planned the cause. Mr.. Bettman was
known TO be rGoming IN the building
next to the Wrr"'<od part and failing
to put in an Torrance for a few
minutes it Wa. cared he had been
injured. He stual lis head out of tne
wrecked sash a Nv minutes after
ward however a. informed the ex-
cited crowd below that he was all
right
A survey of the inside of the club
rooms failed 10 disclose any damage
except to an electric light. Every
other light in the building had been
turned on.
Frank Miller. a driver in the paid
fire department. was passing with
the chemical at the time and had a
narrow escape from runaway. The
flash and report stunned him for a
second and started the horses on a
mad gallop but he quickly recover
ed and stopped the team Three 9th
ar teams in the vicinity ran away.
but were later captured in different
sections of the city.
Mr.. Miller said after the incident
that he was Immediately in front Of
the building and not more than 90
feet away when the bolt struck. 81
knew it was lightning but could hard
Iy tell where it struck he said. 1T
stunned me for moment so | knew
it was close The flash and report
started the team and it took all my
time to attend to them. A sheet Of
flame seemed TO come from some
where and the report sounded like a
hundred cannon fired at once.
That is the second time in my life
have had a narrow escape from
lightning" Mr. Bettman said a few
minutes after the incident. once in
the east friend of mine was killed
beside me as we lay asleep. | knew
what it was when | heard the report
The flash and report woke me up
The bolt passed within a few inches
of me. but | feel no i'll effects from
its close proximity.