The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-07-22
FURY
WAS FIERCE
One Of the Worst Ever
Known in Vermont
LIGHTNING'S MANY ACTS
Struck in Great Many Places and
Killed Some Stock. Crops Were
Leyeled in Northwestern Part of
the State by the Wind.

[,
There had to come time Of reckon
ing for the week of intense heat and it
came Saturday afternoon and evening in
one Of the fercest battles of the ele-
ments ever known here. The air was
surcharged with electricity and the bolts
struck with great frequency, ripping up
buildings and killing domestic animals,
but, strangely enough, causing little fire.
"A violent wind and rain storm served to
aceentuate the flerceness Of the electri-
cal visitation.
The hill sections seemed to have suf-
fered more severely from the afternoon
storm. One Of the hardest losses was to
John Riddle who lives on farm in VIII
Jamestown. Two of the worlmen were
standing in the barn, one holding a pitch
fork and the other a rake when the
storm gathered. just as they remarked
that it would be safer in the house, a
bolt struck the barn, tearing out one end
Of the structure and going into the horse
section. There were four horses hitehed
there
Two of the animals were killed out
right, another was SO badly injured that
! 1t was shot and the fourth was crippled
% that it was said the beast would be
useless. The building was not set on
I fire, neither were the men hurt, but after
the implements had been knocked out of
their hands they scurried to the house.
On returning they found that the light
ming bad caused the cement floor to
heaye and crack. The barn was a new
structure and the damages win cost con-
siderable Neighbors Of Mr.. Riddle have
come to his aid and helped him get in
his hay crop.
a bolt reduced William Batcheldeg's
cow stable in East Montpelier into a
semi -kindling wood state. 1t tore out
the gable end of the building, splintered
the rafters all TO pieces, split the door
post and removed the door from its
hinges. There was no fire. The people
on the farm saw the storm coming and
turned the cattle out To pasture; other
wise the animals would probably have
been killed.
IN the same neignborbood in East
Montpelier, the chimney on the house oi
/ NJ. A Cutler was struck and disabled
but no other damage OF consequence was
DONE The barn Of Charles B. Gallison
was hit by bolt, and the building was
set on fire. The family were ready to
Z fight fire, however, and stopped the
flames before they could get headway.
A peculiar feature OF the striking OF
the Cutler house was the marking left on
an elderly man who was asleep on q
sofa, The lightning seemed to run along
the floor of the room and jump to the
| springs in the sofa. When the sleeper
got up he found the mark of one spring
plainly shown on one hip, the blue circle
looking as il were a tattoo mark.
At the farm Of Ira Benjamin in Ber-
| lin, Clint Benjamin and hired man were
milking when bolt struck the barn and
IRAN down into the cow stable. Two cows
were knocked down and laid out stiff
THE men who were milking thought the
barn was on FIRE, as the cir was filled
with clouds Of what seemed to be smoke
They tried to unite the cattle and get
them cut, but the animals wouldn't
drive. Finally it developed that the
barn was not on fire and then the two
COWS which had been knocked down got
Ito their feet, apparently not hurt. To-
day the two animals can't be driven any
where near the barn. The Benjamin peo.
pie think they are very fortunate
A tree at the X. j.. Churchill farm in
Berlin was struck and the house on the
Hill farm in the same town was some.
what mutilated by a bolt, losing some
tplastering and paper.
The storm which arrived about six
O'Clock in the evening did the most dam
age about this city. The flashes were
very vivid and the accompanying ex-
| lplosions were very heavy. The Batchel-
der house ON Prospect street WIS struck,
| the chimney was demolished and the
chimney caps were blown out, Mrs. Hat.
digan in the upper tenement was af-
fected by the lightning, but not hurt.
a large tree in the yard Of Richard
Ncale on Patterson street was struck
and marked in a peculiar manner. The
current lifted the bark as il raced down
ward and on reaching the ground di-
vided into two forks. following two
roots There was no FIRE in this case,
An electric light pole on Blackwell street
was struck and the Consolidated Light
ing company is great loser thereby, as
three transformers were burned out. The
Telephone companies were in hot water
Tan Saturday night and yesterday, as
many of their lines were disabled. Re
pair gangs have been at work ever since
/ the storm, but the damages have not all
been repaired yet
Add Storm after Consolidated i. =.
The total loss Sustained by the Con-
soldated Lighting company were ten
lightning transformers and one power
transformer. These put ont Of commits
sion on Blackwell street IN this city
were 200 kilowatt. The company had d
reserve lot Of transformers and so were
able to replace the disabled equipment in
reasonably short order.
The barn of Littleiohn and Milne at
their quarry was struck by lightning
and set on fire. The flames were ex-
tingiished One horse in the barn was
lparalyzed and has not yet recovered
Dr Barber went up this afternoon to
see what can be done. One teamstcr
who was in the barn was also partially
shocked.
Storms Damage Elsewhere.
Reports from all over tile state indi.
leate that the storm was Of wide sweep