The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-05-27
Unreasonable Combination
of Climate Works Hav-
oc With Crops.
LIGHTNING KILLS ONE
Highlands Scene of Fatality-Boy
Milking Cow Struck and Com
panion Stunned.

Warm, balmy weather. thunder show
ers, sharp attacks of lightning. snow,
hail and a cold. northerly wind, were
the result of one death by lightning
and a great amount of damage to the
crops throughout Indiana and sur
rounding states. The fatality oc-
from Hammond and Lake county ex-
pcrienced the worst May day in its
history.
terrific bolt of lightning struck
the barn Of Thomas Johannsen at
Highlands. shortly after 4 o'clock, kill
ing his 16-year-old son, Thomas, who
was milking the cows. The boy was in
company with a friend, Sam Sorenscn,
and the bolt descended on the back of
the COW he was milking. 1t struck
glancingly and caromed off the ami
NAL and then struck the boy. He fell.
with shrek from the stool on which
he was sitting and was picked up in
an unconscious condition with his friend
by the family and several of the neigh
bors who rushed to the scene He was
carried into the house and a physi-
clan summoned, but he was beyond
aid and died ten minutes after the bolt
struck.
sOrensOn Merely stunned.
Sorenson was unconscious for several
minutes but recovered and was ap-
parently all right last night. The
three cows in the barn were felled by
the force of the bolt but were unin-
5ured. One of the freaks Of the light
ming was shown in the fact that the
COW which was struck by the bolt, al
though thrown to the ground. was un-
injured, while the boy was killed. The
barn, contrary to expectations, did not
take fire and the bolt descended
through the basement into the ground.
Throughout the state the thermom-
eter fell with a dull and sickening thud
about forty degrees and in some sec
tions snow fell for several hours. All
of the fruit crops were put out of the
running and the damage to these alone
will reach into the thousands The
wheat crop and early vegetables were
destroyed in many sections and the
farming districts suffered severely.
At LaPorte, Ind. the snow fell for
about an hour this morning between
and o'clock and practically all night
Sunday. A strong north wind ragged
with great force, the thermometer fell
thirty-seven degrees. All crops in that
section are said 10 have been ruined
and the loss will be great.
Conditions similar Here.
In Hammond the fall was few de-
grees less. but was felt by all The
morning opened with balmy weather,
but by noon the clouds gathered and at
o'clock one of the worst thunder
storms OF the season was at hand. It
grew so dark that in many houses
lights had to be burned and a mixture
of rain and snow came pouring down.
The shower did not last long, but huge
hailstones fell for nearly an hour At
ter the shower it suddenly grew cold
and overcoats were hastily brought out
from cedar chests. fires started and
winter underclothes hastily donned.
This morning the cold snap still con-
tinued and the weather looked threat
ening. The weather man promises
Tuesday to be fair and warmer
In Chicago the cold snap descended
shower lasted for about fifteen min
utes and was followed by a hail storm
that caught many in the parks and at
ball games. The hail stones were as
large as robins eggs and fell with
great rapidity. The boys were soon
on the streets throwing snowDalls at
passing cars. The storm let up for q
while during the early evening but the
thermometer had fallen to such q de-
gree that there was little doing at the
summer amusement places