The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-06-17
BY Mrs. Lillia

Washington.-View a thunder
storm from the top of the Wash
ington monument is one of the grand
est, most overpowering and fearful
experiences one can ever have. 1t is
to be stupefied by the realization of
your own significance: to lose sight
of yourself in the presence of the idle
sport of nature. If you wish to feel
your heart contract and the dread
sense of weakness under your short
ribs that every human feels some
time during life, unless that life be
as placid as a country brook; if you
would in your inmost soul quail at
dangers so vast and awful that your
mind cannot grasp, but only stupidity
wonder at them, dangers that you
cannot combat, that you can only
shrink from because of their infinity;
in word, if you would realize for a
while the most utter sense of fearful
dangers against which no human
power can avail you, go up to the
top of the Washington Monument
during a thunderstorm.
1t is not a pleasant experience.
Indeed, it would be terrifying to any
one. But you are fond of strong
sensation of experience during which
you live years in minutes; if you
have the spirit that makes men hunt
tigers and fight duels you will enjoy
it-after it is all over.
You go up the dark shaft in the
elevator. Below you Washington,
the beautiful, is spread out like mo-
sale. Over on Maryland hills the sun
is still shining holly on the green
trees, but the livid colors of the city
are dimmed by the threatening shad-
0w cast by the black, sullen cloud
that comes tumbling and raging from
the direction of the five o'clock sun.
Behind it is nothing but blackness,
and far back in it's track you can see
the delicate, wonderful, veil-like
fringe that is formed by the torrent
of rain falling several miles away
from where the cloud has passed.
You forget the city below. Every
thing looks so small and far away
down there, while over towards the
hills back of Georgetown is the great
black cloud on level with your eye
hurrying toward you like a ball,
Teady to envelope everything in it's
black mass. TIE wind is blowing
terrifcally down there on the earth,
but you feel scarcely breath of air
stirring. Great clouds of yellow,
brown, black dust rise from the coun-
try roads and race away from the
coming cloud, rising and widening as
they rush onward
The trees are wrenched and twist
ed by the gale and seen to shrink in
terror from a dread enemy. The
clouds of dust grow thicker and
thicker until floating from the tops
Of buildings stand stiff out like bits
of tin, blown straight away from
their poles by the wind. The vague
roar, not unlike the swish of the
sea, only continual and growing loud
er each moment, rises to where you
are. You begin to thank goodness
that you are up above all that, when
there is the crashing report like the
voice Of a six-pounder. You look
quickly toward the black cloud. 1t
is almost upon you. 1t looks so
solid, so much like a great mass of
black iron, that you almost fear its
impact against the white marble box
you are in. The earth has disap-
peared. Only the tops of the high
buildings and the trees, and the ma
1estic white capitol rise above the
ehick gray cloud of dust.
A burst of white light, so bright
shat Id half blinds you before you
cam shut your eyes, sends your blood
bounding in your heart. Then in the
space of a quick breath after the
fash comes a crashing crash that
seems to signal the wrecking of ev.
erything in the world in one instant
The simultaneous discharge of 10, 00C
cannons could not give a more over
powering impression of awful de
struction than does that one thunder.
crash. Everything seems to shake
The black cloud is upon you. In {
moment you would be in its midst
You can see it's whirling, surging
Pioting wreaths of vapor tangled in
90 one great black mass, seeming 81
solid that if you threw ball at it i
would rebound.
Another binding white flash de
prives you mOmentarily of the poweI
of sight. You feel the sudden chill o
the cloud on your cheeks, as though
you had been struck in the face will
wet handkerchief. You are in thu
very midst of the storm cloud. Pea
after peal of thunder shakes the Al
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