Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-08-01
Timid People and Others Terrified
by Most Fightful Storm at
Middlehury.
MANY BUILDINGS STRUCK
Fire Did Not Follow in the yiiInge bur
Hay Harms Were burned All Arou,d
Telephone Linesman Shocked
HcpairinG Wire Trouble
md Nearly Died.

Middlebury, July 3O.-The mos,
iriRhtrui storm of thunder ami light
ming, accompanied by heavy rain thot
mas VISITED THIS section within the
memory of living man broke out AT
"nout l2i45 O'Clock this morning and
tasted almost continuously ur to two
O'CLOCK All OF tho adjacent town.
were visited just about as severely
ana the damage lone amounts to tnou-
sands Of dollars.
The electric display was indcscrib
ably brilliant and beautiful. but terri .
Tying in the extreme to tirid nconio
ana TO many not so timiI For nearly
an hour and n half the thunder c1ane
were so close together as to make al
most one continuous roar
In Middlcburv village the damage
done was inConsidera Allan cal
nouns barn on South street was strucI5
by bolt and hole was bored through
H. hut 1t did not catch fire aud few
dollars Will repair the damage rbe
tower on the Battell block over the
postotice corner was struck and the
interior was badly riddled the win
dows and door being demolished. On
the exterior some of tho brickwork and
stonework was displaced. Probably
500 or $50 will cover the damage.
and here again no fire was started
The denzens of this great block, thor
ouEhlv dazed and frightened, rushed
pell nell into the Railways where the
women hudded together.
The only other damage Of any CON
sequence here was to the telephone
wires and the wires of the fire alarm
system, on the east side. The fire
alarm wires were got into working
shape early in the forenoon. but tho
telephone wires, which were badly
tangled UP In places. have not been
fully straightened out yet
LINEMAN SHOCKED SEVERELY.
Fay Warren who was at work re-
pairing n telephone wire near the
town hall this forenoon received quite
a severe shock and was rendered I'M
conscious. Or. e. II. Martin brought
him to after an hours efforts and he
Will como out of it all right. but will
not be fit for work for some days
About mile south of this village
two adjoining barns owned by Charles
w. Mathews were struck and con-
sumed by fire with their contents. Mr..
Mathews had just finished having vcs-
terday afternoon and had In from 30
to 40 tons. lie had also stored all Of
his hay making machines and tools in
the harms, and all this property was
destroyed Thirty hens and chickens
were burned to death or killed by the
lightning, but horse which was in
the barn somehow made its own way
out unaidcd and was found ell right
In an adjoining meadow this morning.
Mr. Mathewss loss will figure I'm
about $500 and he had 1925 insur-
.ance.
Tho heaviest fire of tho night was at
Frank II. Warmers in West Cornwall
where a series of connected barns and
sheds were destroyed with their CON
tents. Mr.. Warner expected to finish
haying to-day AMI had already got In
considerable more than 100 tons. All
this was consumed, as Were also five
or six buegies and farm wagons, all his
harnesses, even to the last strap. and
most Of his farming tools Two calves
and one lamb were also sacrificed Mr.
Warmers house was only saved from
going with the rest by the hard work of
tho neighbors. AS It vas much Of his
furniture was thrown out in tho rain and
some Of It considerably damaged. Warn
er's loss will probably reach $4,000 He
carried only a small insurance, the
amount OF which Is uncertain.
The other principal ravaGes OF the
storm. SO far as ascertained here. are
the destruction Of still another hay barn
IN Addison, the burning OF large stack
Of hay near New -Iaven Junction. the
killing Of three head Of cattle on Bristol
Flats and of four lore head belonging
to Charles James OF Weybridge,