Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1906-08-09
THREE BARNS DE-
STROYBD BY LIGHTNING

An electrical storm of unprecedented
severity passed over this section Mon
day afternoon The down pour of
rain was a perfect deluge, the light
ming played all sorts of capers while
the thunder following peal upon peal
resembled the firing of heavy artillery
Altogether the effect was most trying
to persons of weak nerves.
The first shower came up about
noon Monday and the bulk of it
passed around northward 1t was ac-
companied 10y very vivid lightning
and heavy thunder During this show
er the barn OF Clarence Shultz, situat
ed on the road leading from Straw
berry ridge to Jerseytown was struck
by lightning and burned to the ground.
All the live stock was saved with the
exception of calf, which perished in
the fire. The season 5 crops however
with the exception of the oats, which
was not yet housed. was destroyed
with the barn The building was in
sured in the MilIville Fire Insurance
company.
About two O'Clock the second and
more severe storm began to gather.
1t came directly from the west and
presented a dark and threatening front
rs it spread out over the heavens. As
the result probably of the intense
heat of the last couple of days the air
was heavily charged with electricity.
No sooner had the storm burst in all
its fury than the lightning became
nearly one continuous glare, frequent
ly playing through the interior of the
buildings accompanied by swapping
sounds or reports that resembled the
discharge of a pistol while all the
time crashing peals of thunder follow
ed each other quick succession.
The down pour of rain was tremen-
dous. Bloom street below the p. q r.
crossing was again flooded as on Sat
urday night. while elsewhere through
town the cutters were overtaXed and
| the streets looked like miniature riv
| ers.
1t was during the second storm that
the heaviest damage was wrought by
the lightning. The house belonging
to Alfred Blecher, Bloom road, was
struck by lightning, but did not take
fire. The chimney was demolished,
shingles knocked of the roof and sew
eral weather boards wrested from the
side of the house. The family although
badly frightened escaped injury.
The barn of Mrs Susan Berger, Lib
erty township, was struck by light
ming and destroyed with the season
| crop of hay. The live stock was saved.
The barn of Romanus Null, also in
Liberty township was struck and
| burned to the ground The live stock
also was saved, but the seasons crops
with the exception of the oats went
up in smoke along with the barn.
| Mrs Berger barn is a little off from
| the Milton road about two miles this
side of Pottsgrove, while the barn of
Romanus Null is on the hill to the
right OF the road scarcely a mile
| away from the Berger farm.
During the heaviest part of the
shower the lightning struck and set
on fire a shock of oats on the Maus
| farm Mausdale The dashing rain was
| not sufficient to eXtinguish the fire
| and the oats burned TO asEes. In this
city the lightning struck a large
tree on the premises, Spruce street,
| occupied by D. c. Williams, the sIat-
er. The tree was a large one bending
full of apples, but it was leveled to the
ground by the bolt of lightning
Miss Jennie Reichenback, who lives
in the family of J. w. Phillips, was
descending from the third story of the
Schuster building when the storm was
at its worst. She was shocked by the
lightning and rendered helpless while
on the stairs.
The residence of George Ruckel at
Summer hill near Berwick was struck
by lightning and badly damaged, al
though it did not take fire. The oc-
cupants escaped serious injury al
though they were all slightly shocked.