The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-05-16
CHURCH STRUCK,
Many "A Il INJURED. !. R / | J.
Lesson of the Sermon
was MiraCulously
Illustrated.
HOUSE OF WORSHIP
IN SHEET OF FLAME
Congregation Blinded and Stunn-
ed, Many Painfully Injured and
Doctor Had to be Summon
ed-Some Had Their
Shoes Torn From
Their Feet.

Tho days OF miracles have not passed.
That sixty men and women, worshpping
on Sunday In Cool Spring Baptist Church.
at Atlces. In Hanover county, 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.
bolt of lightning struck the church.
and after wrecking the belfry. tearing
down the bell and injuring the roof, en-5
tered the church, and while splitting
benches and tearing great holes in the
floor, spared the lives OF every one
II present.
How the congregation escaped death Is
Y something no one can explain. for great
pieces OF pews were strewn about the
church. plaster was torn from the walls
+ and tho thick boards OF tho 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 hundred pieces.
Pieces OF the belfry were thrown thirty
yards, and n great oak trec. 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
4 6hadrach, Mcshack and Abedncgo OF old.
the worshippers passed alive through
S the evil OF fire.
The preacher had Just uttered these
words:
..Chirst Will pilot you through the
storm OF llfe" when the crash came. and
in a moment tumult reigned. Nearly
every person in the church wac knccked
down to the floor. and for fully a minute
there was silence as though death
held the congregation in It's cold grasp.
Then women began@to scream hysterf-
cally and strong men cried like children
Az a rush was made for the door the
plaster began to fall from the ceiling,
and this added to the confusion and
terror OF the struggling crowd.
Nine Were Unconscious.
Nine persons. one OF whom was q wo-
man remained insensible In the church.
and these had to be carried out and
ministered to before they recovered con-
sciousness.
A boy on a horse was dispatched for
doctor, and as he rode he spread the
news through the country that Cool
Spring Baptist Church had been burnt
down by lightning and that numbers OF
people had been killed. Within an hour
a wildly excited crowd of several hun
dred persons had gathered at Atlees, and
all manner Of startling rumors were
afloat throughout the county.
Cool Spring Baptist Church. OF which
the Rev. w. T.. Dunaway Is pastor. Is
within stones throw OF Atlee, sta
ton eight miles from Richmond on the
main line OF the Chesapeake and Ohio
Railway.
AT 345 on Sunday afternoon Mr.. Duna-
way held services there. about sixty per-
sons being in tho building. Black clouds
and sudden stiffness of the winds
= 49, v,00 00rt a, n
so the preac cher. seeing before him an OPP
portunity for driving home truth. took
for his text the thirtcth verse Of the
on hundred and seventh Psalm, Then
are they glad because they arc quiet {;
so lie bringeth them into their desired
haven His sermon dealt with the stol m
of life, and the all powerful hand OF God
that guided His people through the
peris of temptations
clude and as he said: Christ will pilot
you through the storms Of llfc." the
church was struck and tho service came
to a sudden end with baptism OF fire.
From Tree to Church.
A great oak tree next to the church
building was first struck, the bolt jump
Ing 10 the tin roof OF the belfry. tearing
II to pieces and wrecking the bell, The
tin OF the roof acting as conductor.
carried the current to tho stove pipe
Of tho church stove, down which 1t Went
into the body Of tho church.
Miss Sarah Madison. sitting opposite
the stove, was knocked down, burned and
4 severely shocked. Her shoes were ripped
from her feot and her nerves were all
unstrung She Is In bed under the doc
tors caro-.
Mr. Gus, B. Hill. of indianapolis. re-
ceivcd more serious Injuries than did any
other of tho congregation, He was
burned on both legs and on his shoulders,
besides receiving a terrible shock.
This is Hills story: s
II am from indianapolis and was once
a cartoonist on the Indianapolis News.
I've been theatrical man and ! was
with Penry on his Arctic exploration
Journey. was listening to tho preacher
because I saw he was trying to make
use of the storm to catch the congrega-
lion and wanted to see II he would
succeed. Just as he uttered tho words.
"Christ will pilot you through tho storm
4 of life," the stroke came. ] remember
# seeing q sheet Of flame. then was raised
up and thrown In tho floor. When open-
ed my eyes | saw Carey, tho telegraph
operator, stretched out dead, as ! thought.
His face was white and drawn and he
looked like a dead man, ] tried to move
but couldn't, They took me out and
Dr. "A. r.. Gray attended mo, I've been
nauseated and can't eat"
IIill was taken to the house Of MIS-.
Tlippo, where he is being kindly cal ed
for, Dr. Gray hnYing spent last night
at his bedside,
William Atkinson, farmer. had his
legs and back badly burnt. Ila was out
on yesterday, although suffering aoute-
ly,
Nelson Hughes, a farmer, had his leg
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