The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1903-07-24


Wednesdays storm was an unusually
heavy one in this vicinity, and while
Morristown and the immediate neigh
borhood escaped serious damage. some
more or less grave annoyances were ex-
perienced in some of the surrounding
towns. Dover seems to have under
gone the greatest discomfort, and in
that place it seems to have been un-
usually severe, as on Wednesday
lightning struck not less than five
places. Our Dover correspondent
writes that Charles p. Cook, who is
employed by the Dover, Rockaway &
Port Dram Gas Company, was making
a connection to the street main when
a flash Of lightning entered the OPEN
ing and set the gas on fire. Word was
telephoned to the gas house and the
gas was shut off Fortunately Mr.
Cook escaped without injury, any
further than a shock The machine
shop house and Peter Hopler's house,
both on Sussex street, were also visited
by the fiery element. Not much dam
age was done at either place, how
ever. Harry Cook, who drives one of
the delivery wagons of the Dover
Steam Laundry was pretty well shaken
up, as was also the horse he was driv-
ing The lightning struck the fifth
wheel of the wagon twisting it in var
ious shapes and otherwise damaging
it. A house occupied by ]. B. Christ
field, on Belmont avenue, was badly
wrecked and Mrs. Christfeld was
stunned. Her children were at play
in the cellar and escaped injury The
house OF Councilman Otto Sekberg, on
Richards avenue, was struck and the
chimney and slate roof and one wall
sustained considerable damage Mrs
Sekberg was rendered unconscious. but
soon recovered Workmen in both the
Dover Iron Company's Rolling Mill
and the Morris County Machine and
Iron Company's shops were partially
stunned and badly frightened by the
lightning which seemed to play about
the machinery.
The storm at Whippany, Mendham,
Bernardsville, Rockaway and other
places in this vicinity was as severe as
it had been in Morristown, but fortu
nately no damage of Importance fol-
lowed. The heaviest rainfall of the
season was witnessed for several min
utes and heavy blanket of darkness
covered the entire region. The storm
was accompanied by light flashes of
lightning and by more or less thunder.
Paterson, with it's usual hard luck.
seems to have suffered greater dam
age than any other community in the
State. -Four were killed and many
more were hurt. A man in a hos
pital and woman on the outside. died
from the effects of the shocks received.
Thirty buildings, some of them small
residences, were blown down. One
woman was blown out Of window.
and another was lifted in the air and
carried twenty feet before striking the
ground Both of these were badly
bruised. A funnel shaped cloud moved
a swath four hundred feet wide and
three miles long, straight across the
city, doing great damage and leaving
wreckage everywhere in it's wake.
Flying pieces of timber hit boy and
killed him almost instantly, while
many Others were injured more or less
seriously. There were many narrow
escapes. The storm was cyclonic in
character, and came with suddenness
that was surprise oevery one in the
hard-luck city.
Morris Plains was visited by the
storm which left its marks. The
lightning struck the house belonging
to John Hansler on Hanover avenue.
The damage was small.