The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-05-20
LIGHTNING STRUCK
IN MANY PLACES.
Considerable Damage Done by Yes,
terday's Storm i'm the City and
Surrounding Towns.

house has been afire In a few years from
the same cause. Mrs. Spencer has been an
invalid for about IL months from nervous
prostration. When the flremen reached
the house they found IL necessary to
break In the front door. Mr.. Spencer ar
rived on an electric car a short time af-
ter the flremen got there. He said that
his loss would reach several hundred dol
lars.
At $40 o'clock an alarm was rung In
from box 267. at the corner OF oxford and
Eddy streets for a blaze In the cottage
house at "a Seymour street, owned ana
occupied by Mrs. Alice A. Smith. The
fire had started in the lower portions OF
the house and was working rapidly up
ward when the apparatus arrived. Before
II was under control IL had forced
through the roof and caused damage 10
the extent OF about 5000
The house OF Roger Grundy, 42O Van.
dewater street. was struck at h;o
o'clock, the chimney partly demolished
and other slight damage done. About
street. e tame Occupied e tns by % JoSn Rooney. was
one side being ripped OFT.
One OF the electric light poles on tho
Red bridge was struck and set on fire.
As Frank Flynn. employed by the Bos-
ton store, was driving along Shylock
street. lightning struck his morse. killing
II instantly. Flynn was uninjured.
IN OTHER PLACES.
Out OF the city there was also consid-
erable damage done. At Bristol and sur
rounding towns the force OF the storm
was very great. lightning striking in sew
eral places.
AT Warren James Smith took refuge
from the storm In the gasometer OF the
Narragansett Electric Lighting company.
The building was struck and Smith
knocked down and into the water tank in
the building, IA feet In depth. He escaped
browning his companions rushing TO his
aid and pulling him out OF the water.
When he was rescued he felt a sensa tion
OF numbness. The bolt struck the roof
OF the structure ripping of the shingles
The cupola was shattered and the up
right boarding torn on the bolt contin-
ulng down the opposite side and plowing
furrow through the shingles from tt/
cupola down to the caves.
IN BRISTOL COUNTY.
AT Bristol lightning struck the roof of
st. Mary's Catholic church, dismantling
the large wooden cross that stood on a
cupola at the front end OF the church.
The base upon which 1t stood was badly
shattered. The side OF the cupola was
also rent by the lightning on each side.
while the ridgeboard outward from the
cupola for % feet was torn from it's fast
enings by the bolt Shingles were ripped
on the roof In several places and the
woodwork under the shingles up in the
vicinity OF the cupola was rent and split.
number OF trees i'm the town were also
struck. At Warren and Darlington the
storm was also severe
Fall River suffered some loss. house
belonging 10 Benjamin Wilbur on Cam
bridge street being struck by two bolts
at the same time. and the interior was
badly wrecked. The bolts entered
through the roof followed a partition "a
the floor below, tore a hole In the side OF
the wall and a ball OF fire rolled about
the floor and slightly shocked Mrs. VIII
bur. neighbor who was calling and
three children The ball then tore its
way out through window
a horse in the southeastern section was
Killed Instantly The street car system
was demoralized many cars being dis
abled The signal service on the New
port and Fall River Street Railway wa,
disabled, and two men were badly
shocked while trying TO communicate
with headquarters
Lightning struck the house Of Arthur
Gflllgan In Cumberland. the bolt plowine
It's way into the building and setting n
on hre. The fire was extinguished with
little damage.