Arizona republican., 1904-07-31
FREAKS OF LIGHTNING
Some Incidents of the Visitation of
 Friday Night.

The lightning seems to have got the range of Phoenix on Friday nigat and it made some remarkable shots. No less than a half dozen houses were struck but in only one instance was d fire started and that was caused by an overheated overloaded telephone wire rather than by the lightning stroke.
 Most of the performances of the lightning were freakish. One bolt struck the flag pole on top of the court house and shattered it into fiber. There was ball on top of the staff and that fell to the tin roof of the building Several persons were sitting across the street and they said that when the bah fell to the roof it was lighted up to the appearance of an electric are globe. The bolt ran down the side of the staff to about the middle of 1t where 1t was joined together by two iron bands. From that on to the bottom the bolt seems to have passed down the center of the pole. The bottom of the pole was enclosed by tin, a part of the roof That was torn aside and there was no other sign of the work of the lightning at that point. But on the edge of the roof at the south west corner lro!e was burned in the tin.
 In the excitement of the momentIt was thought that this electric visita- ton was a supplemental investigation by the tax payers union which some time ago stirred things up about the court house.
 That flag pole has had a rough ev- perlence. About two years ago a lit. tie gust of wind came along. It was hardly felt in the street below but it twisted that staff off as if it were q pipe stem. It was then spliced by means of those iron bands through which the lightning passed Friday night.
 About the same time the Arizona Ga 2ette vas put out of business to such an extent that the morning issue of the paper did not appear until late in the afternoon. flash of lightning was introduced by an electric power wire and the motor was burned out. There was lightning every where in the building. The linotype turned white and the operator, touching some part of 1t with his elbow received a severe shock and a burn.
 The derrick of the Arizona Oil company near Five Points was struck ana a short distance north of that place the end of a house was torn away. vacant house belonging 10 R. A. Spaulding. on Eleventh street between Mckinley and Baltimore was hit and two holes were torn in the roof A jagged flash of lightning en- tered a door of the house of Joseph Balsz in the same neighborhood and passed out of a. window. It never stop- ped but it's passage prostrated Mrs. BaIsz and set the telephone to ring ing
 Another target of the tInunderbolts was the residence of Judge Baker. The house was not damaged but Miss Mary Baker, who with others, was sitting on tne porch was striken senseless. She had not recovered from the effect of tho visitation yesterday. She was ne~- ous and there was a dimness Of vision. Her Physician thought though that it would quickly pass away.
 Reports came from several other parts of the city of lightning strokes which did little damage It is said that the house of Dr. J. c. Norton was struck There was no outward mark of it. The family is away from home but neighbors discovered that large mirror was broken. A telephone pole near the Hoffman saloon was hut and @ hole was torn in the ground near the bottom of 1t. Members of the w. c.