The Somerset reporter., 1906-06-28
Fridays Storm

SkoHhegan received her full share.
and perhaps a little more, Of the severe
electrical disturbance which seemed to
be very general on the Atlantic coast
last Friday. The storm which came up
after very hot oppressive morning, be
gan shortly after noon, and accompanied
by high wind, continued practically
through the whole afternoon. During
that time the rainfall was very great
and together with the wind. did much
damage to early crops. The lightning.
while neither as spectacular nor as fire.
quent as 1t often Is in severe storms Of
the kind seemed to be particularly dan
gerous, and did more general damage
than any storm for a number of years
II is known that the lightning struck in
at least half dozen places in the vii.
lage, three people are still confined TO
their beds suffering from bad burns and
the severe nervous shock from the
lightning having entered their homes
Nearly $3.50 worth of damage was done
to electrical apparatus alone, on the
lines Of the Skowhegan Electric Light
Co, The New England Telephone Co.,
and the Western Union Telegraph Co.,
while still greater damage In the off ces
and plants of these companies was avert
ed only by promptly shutting down and
emitting off all outa;da noppaotiora ~ \ a
beginning of the storm.
The 6kowhegan Electric Light Co
report loss of nearly $500 worth of
transformers which were burned out on
their lines, and many more would have
been but for the efficient protection of an
elaborate system of lightning arresters
which were installed late last fall. At
least third of the telephones of the
New England Telephone Company were
put out of commission by the storm.
but the damage will not exceed sI25.
Early in the storm all of the relays in
the Telegraph Office at the Maine Cen
trail station were burned out, with a
loss of about $50. A bolt which struck
the Steam Mill Of K. l.. Mitchell during
the first shower blew the fire alarm but
did no other damage.
Perhaps the greatest damage done by
the storm was at the home of Mrs
Maggie Terrio in Keenville, which was
struck late in the afternoon The light
ming entering by the chimney tore a
hole in the roof at least four feet square,
splintering large timbers and scattering
plasterng and lathing all over the room.
Here the bolt seemed to have divided
into several parts which continued into
the rooms below, breaking through the
ceiling of the rooms on the lower floor
in three different places. Mrs Terrio
was standing in the kitchen directly
under the place where the lightning
broke through the ceiling of this room,
and the ball of fire apparently passed
to the ground through her body. Mrs
ferrio was rendered unconscious by the
shock, and when a physician was called
il was found that she had been severely
burned in number of places upon her
limbs and body. In another room the
Lightning completely overturned cradle
containing Mrs. Terrio's child throwing
the baby under a table where it was
later found uninjured There were
four or five children in the house at the
time but none of them were hurt. Al
though no fire started in the house, it is
almost a wreck as the result of the
course of the lightning through it.
The house of VIM Wescott on the
North st. plains was also struck; and
Mrs. Wescott, who was alone 10 the
house at the time, was Frustrated and
very badly burned upon the whole length
of her right arm. Aside from cracking
the plastering quite badly, no serious
damage was done in the house. About
the same time another bolt enter
ed the house of Joseph Vigue on Cay
ouette st demolishing the chimney and
prostrating Mrs Vigue, but it was later
found that she had suff cred no injuries
| except the severe nervous shock.
The physicians attending these differ
ent cases report that their patients are
all out of danger and will probably sus
tain no permanent injuries from their
| hard experience at the hands of the
storm