The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-07-09
SICK WOMAN IS
SHOCKED BY
As Bolt Hits Hughes House
Architects Wife Falls
InSenSible.


Mrs. Hughes, wife of T. Cecil Hughes.
an architect. lies i'll in her home, 8
Cypress street, as a result of a shock
received when her home was struck
last night by lightning during a violent
thunder storm. This morning Mr..
Hughes stated that his wife was rest
ing easily, and that there were no
fears that she would not recover. Mrs.
Hughes has been an invalid for about
nine months, and when the lightning
bolt hit the house and tore a hole In
the roof, she collapsed, and for a time
it was feared hat In view of the con-
dition of her health that she woul
not survive
When the storm first broke over the
city Mrs. Hughes became extremely
nervous. and with her husband sat in
one of the upper rooms talking. Mr..
Hughes tried to quiet his wife, but
1t was a difficult task. The worst
of the storm had passed and the hus-
band had decided to open the windows.
when there was a flash, more vivid
than any before, and the house shook
with an echoing crash of thunder.
Mrs. Hughes rose from her chair with
a scream. Her husband caught her
as she fell fainting into his arms. The
smell of sulphur mingled with that of
burning wood The husband laid his
wife on the bed and ran to the front
door To a man who vas passing he
called to turn in an alarm. The man
ran to the corner of Clinton avenue
and Leslie place and pulled box 1853.
In the meantime Mr.. Hughes had
rushed back to the side of his wife,
and by administering stimulants had
restored her to consciousness, When
the firemen arrived they found the
couple in the bedroom and flames is
suing from a great hole in the roof
four feet square. Chemicals extin-
guished the blaze quickly. The house
was damaged about $500.
A physician was summoned and he
pronounced Mrs. Hughes's condition
serious. He said that she must have
perfect quiet and that further shock of
any kin would have a probably fatal
result
At about the time the Hughes house
was struck an alarm was-sent in from
box 624. n upon responding the fire.
men found the house at 96 ande
street ndQ Deen nedT-StfuCk Oh The
chimney. No damage was done. mere
ly a little SCOT being dislodged from the
interior of the fue, falling into the fire
places, giving the occupants of the
house the impression that the place was
doomed.
The building is owned and occupied
by James Gallagher and his family,
consisting of his wife and children. One
of the latter is Mrs. Katie Roth. Mrs.
Roth had always feared thunder storms,
and when the one of last night began
to tear rents in the clouds h became
thoroughly frightened. and when
the chimney was rocked by a Jagged
fork of flame she tainted. Those
in the house thought she had been
struck by lightning and hurried her to
the City Hospital. There IT was found
she a just tainted, and stimulants
restored her.
Lightning during the storm struck
the chimney of a house at the corner
of South Orange avenue and South
Nineteenth street. but did slight
damage. The family of James E.
Smith lived in the house and they ran
pell-mell into the street. badly fright
ened. None of them felt the shock.