Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-05-19
LIGHTNING STRUCK CHURCH
Rev. w. +. Dunaway, Jr., a
Native of Lancaster. Va, was
Warming His Flock to Take
Christ as Leader I'm Time of
Storm

Warming His Flock to Take
Christ as Leader I'm Time of
Storm.
CRichmond Times Dispatch.)
The days of miracles have not
passed. That sixty men and women,
worshipping on Sunday in Cool
Spring Baptist church, at Atlees, in
Hanover county, of which Rev. w. +.
Dunaway, jr., is pastor, are alive to.
day is proof that the protecting hand
of God is stretched out now no less
than in the distant biblical days of
the past.
A bolt of lightning struck the
church Sunday, and after wrecking
the belfry, tearing down the bell and
iDjuring the roof, entered the church,
and while splitting benches and
tearing great holes in the floor, spared
the lives of every one present. Great
pieces of pews were strewn about the
church, plaster was torn from the
walls and the thick boards of the
floor pierced as though they had been
paper. The backs of the pews were
bored through, the carpet was ripped
up and the rain-pipes broken into a
hundred pieces. Pieces of the belfry
were thrown thirty yards, and great
oak tree, growing near the church,
was ripped from top to bottom, and
its bark scattered broadcast over the
church yard. A living sheet of fire
raced through the church, but like
Shsdrsch. Meshack and Abednego
OF old, the worshippers passed alive
through the evil Of fire.
The preacher had just uttered
these worde:
"Christ will pilot you through the
storm Of life," when the crash came,
and In a moment tumult reigned.
Nearly every person in the church
was knocked down to the floor, and
for fully minute there was q silence
as though death held the congregs.
ton IN its cold grasp.
Then women began to scream hys-
terically and strong men cried like
children.
AS rush was made for the door
the plaster began to fall from the
ceiling, and this added to the con-
fusion and terror Of the struggling
crowd,
Nine persons, one of whom was
woman, remained insensible in the
church, and these had to be carried
out and ministered to before they re-
covered consciousness.
a great oak tree next to the church
building was first struck, the bolt
jumping to the tin roof of the belfry,
tearing it to pieces and wrecking the
bell. The tin Of the roof acting as a
conductor, carried the current to the
stove pipe of the church stove, down
which it went into the body of the
church.
Miss Sarah Madison, sitting oppo
site the stove, was knocked down,
burned and severely shocked. Her
shoes were ripped from her feet and
her nerves were all upstrung. She
Is In bed under the doctors care.
Mr.. Gus. B. Hill, of indianapolis,
received more serious injuries than
did any other of the congregation.
he was burned on both legs and on
his shoulders, besides receiving a
terrible shock. This is Hills story:
81 am from Indianapolis and was
once cartoonist on the indianapolis
News. I've been a theatrical man
and l was with Peary on his Arctic
exploration journey. / was listening
to the preacher because saw he was
trying to make use of the storm to
catch the congregation and wanted
to see If he would succeed. Just as
he uttered the words, "Christ will
pilot you through the storm of life"
the stroke came. remember seeing
sheet of flame, then was raised up
and thrown in the floor. When ii
opened my eyes 1 saw Carey, the
telegraph operator, str etched out dead,
as l thought. His face was white
and drawn and he looked like a dead
man. tried to move but couldn't.
I've been nauseated and ] can't eat"
One Of the most remarkable in
cldents of the affair was that little
Reggie Long was sitting next to the |
stove pipe, down which the electric
current came, and just at the moment
Of the shock he had taken his feet
from the stove. Had he waited a |
second longer be would certainly
have been killed.
Rev. Mr.. Dunawsy alone, out of |
all who were 10 the church, escaped |
evil Effects of the lightning, His
irst words after the occurrence were; |
Il don't zee how any one escaped |
death. God In His mercy has spared |
this congregation"
The church 10 insured in the Vir.
ylnia State Insurance Company for
81 500.