The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-06-04
Excitement Among Barre and
Montpelier Audiences
IN CHURCH
Wild Time at Bethany Chapel, Where
Lecture Was in Progress--Near
Panic ii the Barre Opera
House.

Various audiences assembled in BarE
and Montpelier were thrown into state
bordering on a panic last night when
lightning disabled the electric lighting
system Of the Consolidated company,
and in one instance, during lecture at
Bethany church in Montpelier, there was
real panic, because they thought the
steepIe had been knocked off the ediiice.
The bolt that made the trouble in
both cities was accompanied by sharp
report and people in both Barre and
Montpelier would have been willing To
wager that 1t hit the building in which
they were at the time. LII Bethany
church, r. b. Guild was delivering an
Illustrated lecture ON THE Man from
Italy" and was about half through.
The detonati0n was terrific and when
the lights went out the hundred people
assembled in the chapel jumped from
their seats and rushed for safety. They
stampeded for the door ard then for the
windows. Several stained glass paaes
had been knocked out BY the concussion.
Men kicked out another and tried to
crawl through them to the outside. Wo-
men and children became hysterical and
some tainted. Screams and cries added
to the confusion.
Yet the lecturer and the Rev. L. +.
Reed, pastor OF the church, kept their
heads and finally succeeded in Quieting
the people. Then the lights came on.
The return Of light disclosed one Of the
comical features of the incident in the
shape Of large, feshy man stuck half
way through broken window. After
pushing his way through the crowd Of
women and children, He had launched
himself toward the aperture in the
stained glass, without reckoning on his
middle girth. The girth was too ponder
GUS to get through, and there he poised,
with head, shoulders and arms swinging
outside and legs dangling inside. lie
was making frontic efforts to get one
way or the other, to no avail. Willing
hands pulled him back into the chapel.
Then the people who had been hysteri-
cal with fright became nearly So With
laughter. After a while the lecture was
resumed, but it had lost is interest.
Big Dance Stopped.
At The armory hall III Montpelier there
was a NlQWu VI s1tN tE0Eytt 4AttHi&LS
the Montpelier Military Bands barn
dance, and there was some apprehension
when the loud report was heard and the
lights went out The band kept on
playing, however, which kept the excise
ment down. Matches were snapped and
there were Immediately cries Of "Don'ts"
'iDon't!a ais people feared the decorations
Of the hall, representing farm scenes,
might catch fire. There were haymows,
corn shocks and other inflammable ma
tcriai scattered about, and there was
cause for alarm at the striking of the
matches. When the lights came on, the
dance was resumed.
Theatre Crowd Frightened
There was an audience OF about 400
at the Barre opera house when the storm
broke, and they were thrown into excite
ment when loud snap was heard and
the lights throughout the building went
out. Several jumped from their seats,
fearing that the building had been
struck, and started TO hurry for the ex
it's. but the ushers QlIieted them down,
while the orchestra struck up tune
and Ernie Marks, one of the eumpanyss
came out and did a song-and
dance in the darkness This served to
reassure the people, although the effect
was nearly lost when matches were fool
ishly struck in various parts Of the
theatre.
1t was fifteen minutes before lights
we're restored and then the play went
On.
Little Damage to Lighting Company.
The circuits on the Consolidated Light
ng company system Tor Barre, Mont
pelier, Graniteville and Waterbury were
blown out by the storm, which was the
.ause Of the sudden curtain Of darkness
that was dropped on the four communi-
ties A prompt transfer was made BY
The company TO tho Vermont SYSTEM,
md there was light again. Inquiry 81
Ihc office Of the Joint company to-day
elected the information that compare
lively little monetary damage was done
10 the company's property.
Made Fire Alarm Strike.
At about nine o'clock last evening
lightning struck the fire alarm wireg
md ran into the central fire station,
burning out two fuses on the switch
board and causing the fire alarm to
strike The damage was quickly liked by
the firemen so that the system was IL
working order again inside Of half al
lour.