Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-06-18
Four Homes in. Mason City
Struck Within Five Min
utes' Time
ONE: ALMOST TOTALLY WRECKED
Others Damased-Two Men on Street
Knocked Down by Another Bolt and
Street Car is struck-No One ser-
ousIy niured-Escapes Wore Mirae-
uIcus.
special to Times-Republican.

Mason City, June 1s.-In one of the
most severe electrical storms ever ex-
perienced in this city, yesterday after
noon, lightning struck four houses
within a space of five minutes, totally
wrecking one and damaging all the
others to considerable extent. An
other bolt struck an electric car and
sixth struck down two men on North
Merrill avenue. Miraculously not
single person was seriously injured
In the home Of w. J. Hudson, which
was almost totally wrecked, the light
ming entered thru the roof near the
chimney, which it shattered into a mil
lion fragments, tearing them apart and
crushing each separately, grinding up
the brick with the mortar. It then tore
a great hole in the roof and dividing
sent part Of it's strength to each cor
ner of the house and a part down the
chimney. A hole was torn in each
corner Of the house where the frame
work meets the stone foundation ana
every flue entrance was forced open,
scattering SCOT thruout the house and
all over the dinner table, depositing a
thick layer Of fine black dust. Mr.. and
Mrs. Hudson, who were at the table,
saw only a sheet of fire and were for
few moments dazed but soon recoS-
cred. Nearly every window in the
house was shattered and every room
was torn and disfgured, several large
holes being rent in the walls. In one
great piece of plaster was cast across
the room, and in the kitchen the lid
OF a syrup can was hurled from a lower
cupboard shelf into the sink. The els
tern was broken by the shock and the
gas pipes torn open.
Other Homes Hit.
In the home of ]. w. Maddy, just
across the street, the telephone was
torn from its moorings and thrown
violently across the room, while the
wires were completely consumed by the
lightning. The basement windows here
were also broken. In the home OF
George r. Van Note a bolt of much
less violence followed much the same
course as that which demolished the
Hudson home. Here a dinner party OF
six was rudely broken up and the table
with its delicacies as well as the party,
strewn with the coal black SCOT.
At the Marsh home on East Ninth
street the bolt came in via the electric
meter, which it so completely destroyed
as to have left hardly a trace of the
instrument. Here a small boy was
badly stunned but recovered without
injury. Several large holes were torn
in the house and the damage was
heavy. The men who were struck were
Frank Graves and his son. They were
walking along the street and were
struck down under 8 large tree. Both
were stunned and found unconscious
but soon recovered. The car which
was struck was filled with passengers.
A flash of fire filed the car and
deafening roar accompanied the lurid
glare but not a single passenger was
more than dazed by the bolt which
burned out the fuses Of the car and
passed to the ground.
A scientific explanation Of the fact
that not single person was seriously
injured has been offered and seems to
be a satisfactory one. The storm was
travelling very high above the surface
Of the earth and much Of the electric
power Of the bolts must have been
spent In their descent The rain fell in
torrents during the storm.