Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-09-05
BY LIGHTNING.
LII. Walls Barn Burned
Saturday Night.
Augusta the Center Of Violent
Electrical Storm.
Wallis Loss, on Barn, Horse and Hav.
$500; Partially Insured.

Augusta was visited. Saturday even.
ing, by an electrical storm of the great.
est severity of any that has occurred
for the past five years. In the summer
of 1899, there occurred a storm. one If.
| ternOon, which equalled in severity the
one. Saturday night, and lowered over
the city for a period of four hours dur-
ing which time nine places We're struck
including the Augusta House, but not
since that time has storm of such Sc
verify been noted.
The first indications of the storm be-
came apparent at about 9 o'clock. when
a shower, accompanied by heavy thun
der and much lightning, approached
from the west, but instead of coming
over the city. passed around to the
southwark. Whether this shower was
followed by another. or whether il
swung around and came back is not
| known, but soon after 10 O'clock one
approached. seemingly from the north
east, and burst upon the city with great
violence. The thunder and lightning
were terrific, and We're almost without
| intcrmission.
The first clap of thunder was more
| ike the report of Il great gun than that
| which accompanies the usual thunder
storms, and it was quickly followed by
another of equal proportions, the latter
being accompanied by Il binding glare
that revealed the landscape as clearly
as daylight. The crash and the flash.
coming AS they did together indicated
| that the bolt must have struck within
short distance of the city which was
found soon afterwards to have been the
case.
People who We're watching the show
er, soon afterWard discovered a light
on the clouds to the north of the city,
ana evidently on the east side of the
river. which told of buildings burning
ant upon inquiries being made by tele-
phone, it was learned that the barn of
Luther l. Wall, one of the city milk
men, who lives about two miles out, on
the Bangor road, had been struck and
was: destroyed, together with one horse
and about 20 tons of hay, and some nar-
nesses. There We're in the barn also
II head of cows and another horse, but
these were, by hard work, removed to
a place of safety.
In addition to destroying Mr.. Wallis
barn, the lightning visited the barn of
Ralph Whitehouse, who lives on the
same road, at some distance north, but
did no serious damage. The bolt land
ed on the roof, and after traVersing the
weather board for nearly the length of
the roof, went down inside, and after
passing within four feet of a horse that
was III the barn, passed out through a
window in the end of the barn, smash
ing 1t out and scattering the glass in
small bits on the roof of a shed. One
other instance of the lightning striking
in the city was reported and that was
in the front yard of the residence of
Stanley Hawkins on Bangor street,
where the bolt bored a deep hole in the
lawn and then passed off into the earth.
This shower was followed by another
soon after II o'clock, and still others
later in the night and it was after 2
O'Clock. Sunday morning, before the
last one had passed. This was followed,
later, by rain, which continued until
about o'clock.
The storms were accompanied by a
dOWnpOur Of rain that is seldom
equalled. 1t simply came down in sheets
y
dences of its violence We're visible ev-
erywhere, Sunday morning. The pave
ment on Water street was washed as
clean as floor and at different places
around the town, quilted cutters by the
roa dside showed where the torrent had
made it's course. One of the places
where the water got in its work was on
Winthrop hill, where the gravel was
washed down on the Maine Central
tracks and at one time during the first
shower, Market square was flooded,
with water going like a mill race. The
precipitation for the night, as recorded
at the Insane hospital, was 71-1O0 of an
inch.
Mr.Wall, whose barn was burned.
was seen by Journal reporter at his
home, Sunday afternoon. In speaking of
the fire he said that it was only by good
fortune that his buildings We're not all
destroyed, as the wind was blowing to-
ward the house, and had it not been
for the timely assistance Of neighbors
and some young men who had been
down to a dance at Pettengill's Corner.
his loss would have been much more
serious
! he small Darn StOOu Wltnln q lew
feet of the one which was destroyed
and caught several times. but was kept
wet with water from the well. and thus
was saved. Cinders also alighted on
the roof Of the house and ell, but were
looked after before they had time to do
any damage.
Mr.. Wall estimated his loss to be
about $780, and had an insurance of $3.50
on the two barns in the agency of
Heath & Langston.
IL was remarka BILE that with all the
electricity that was in the air, no dam
age resulted to the fire alarm, the cleo
trlc lights or the street car service
during the continuance of the storm.
Ch,ei Kicker, of the fire department,
mao MS team in readiness to respond at
iiiohlent's notice. but happily the SER
wees OF the chief of his men were not
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