The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-31

Jurcd-Tree Under which Party HAD
Taken shelter IL splintcrcd ami One
Person kiicd-Ho,iday Crowds lDaxetl
Six persons killed and a scoro or more
injured, some seriously, was the deadly
work of lightning that accompanied fioros
storm that swept over Coney 1sl1nd and
the Gravesend section of Brooklyn shortly
after o'clock yesterday aftern Don.
The deaths and injuries occurred at three
places, but at practically the same time,
as IL by the same electrical discharge.
In fact all Coney Island and Gravesond
seemed to be under food Of electricity,
but 1t did little damage except at thrse
points.
Five of the victims were killed by bolt
which struck the great iagpole at the Park
way Baths on the beach at Ocean Park
way, at the base of which more than two
hundred persors had taken shelter under u .
board walk. dozen or more were injured
by the same bolt. &
A mile and half from the baths In the
direction of Gravesend the lightning at
almost the same instant hit trolley car.
throwing three passengers out and giving
many others a slight shock.
At Gravesend. three miles from Coney
Island, what seemed to be the same dis
charge struck cedar tree under which .
group Of persons had taken refuge One
was killed and two injured.
pRADLY BOLT AT PARKWAY.
1t was at the Parkway Baths where
hundreds had gathered to battle or to watch
their friends in the surf. that the most
deadly havoc was wrought. The bolt
dazed every one about the place, save per-s
haps a band Of Princeton students, who
are running the baths, and who sprang to-
the work OF rescue and the difficult job uf
holding back the enormous crowd with -
readiness that was generally praised after,
the first excitement was over.
Despite the overcast sky which the after
noon brought with it, there were thousands
in the water and on the beach Just before
the storm came.
The police estimated that in the vicinity
OF the great bathing establishment there
were 5000 persons. The beach Was
thronged, and more than three hundred
were in the water Many Of the batherst
noticing the darkening sky, came out OF
the surf, hut few left the beach until Tho
raindrops began to fall, few minutes after
4 O'Clock.
The sky had become banked with dull
clouds and the wind, which had been sou h.
east, suddenly veered around until IL carns
from the southwest. Heavy clouds, not,
however, unusually black, began skimm MS
over from Staten Island. Il
When the rain began to come down in.
earnest, people scurried for shelter in and
around the bathing pavilion. In front Of
the bathing establishment Is a boardwalk.
thirty feet wide, running from the Parkway
to Brighton Beach. Just east OF tho
bath house the walk turns inshore aho,lt
SC feet 1t was at this turn that the fass-
pole rose eighty feet into the air. like the
mast of ship, and from it's peak a bic
American flag was flying. y
1HFoNo, NEAR THE PIAGPoLE.
The rain had been falling only'a fov
minutes be fore people were packed into the
bathing pavilion. The crowds coming up
from the beach found the runway under
the boardwalk leading up to the BATH
houses blocked and many looked around
for other shelter Some decided to wait
under the boardwalk. others went upon
the boardwalk and finding that no mors
could get into the first floor Of the BATH
house. stood in the shelter Of the caves.
but still near to the fagpole.
The flag snapped briskly from the top
of the great pole, and gilded metal eagle,
with beak appraised and wings outspread
stood poised on top Of it. facing the advanc-
ing thunderclouds.
There were few vivid flashes accom-.
panied by sharp thunder CRACKS before thu
big one came. People were laughing and
talking and wondering how long their holi-
day program would be interrupted, whsn
there was a sound like the exploston
simultan eously Of many guns and the
air seemed filled with brilliant hame.
1T seemed as though a ball OF FIRE had
gone through the earth and split II open
right in front Of me, said one man afteTs
ward.
BALL OF FIRE HIT EA0LB's BEAK.
John Mazer, a megaphone man, WAS
standing on the boardwalk, looking UP.
when the crash came.
A Dali Oh Ilfe seeiIlcQ 10 6tdIt IlBilt up -
the ca gle's beak," said he. and travel
downward around and arc und the pole.
Right at the crosstrees It spread out and
seemed to drop into the earth with noiss
I never will forget
To the hundreds gathered outside and
inside OF the bathing pavilion there seemed
nothing but electricity everywhere. Many
women huddled under the caves outside
near the hagpole held umbrellas Several
said anterward that the steel ribs Of theee
seem6d to be in flames. The women
dropped them screaming, some with their
arms burned to the elbow. Others, looking
toward the hagpole, saw the nag on FIRE
high above them, great split IN the polo
Just at the crosstrees and a black mark
half a foot wide. running spiraly down
from the top.
Hardly had they taken in all this before
from under the boardwalk there came tina