The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-08-19
BY MIRACLE.
TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE OF TWO
LADIES AND A CHILD.
Lightning Wrecked Their Home Blu
They Were Not Hurt Beyond
ing frightened.

Further particulars concerning
the striking of Capt. w. M. Gra-
hams residence, at McClellanville,
by lightning "Wednesday prove the
damage wrought to have been very
serious, indeed, and the escape OF
Mrs. Graham and Mrs. S. s. Fraser
land her little daughter, Mabel, of
Georgetown, who aer spending the
summer at McClellanville,2 to have
been nothing short Of miraculous.
AJletter from Mrs. Fraser, to her hus-
band gives "a very graphic descrip-
ton of the occurrence. -
About! half-past two o'clock ter
riacally black cloud loomed up on
the. horizon and settled over the
town. Soon an electrical storm,
accompanied with .' binding rain,
broke loose with great fury, and all
the blinds and sashes were closed
to resist. the violence Of the wind
and water. The two ladies and the
children were the only inmates Of
the house, Capt. Graham, being at
work and other boarders away from
home at the time. The little party
gathered together for safety in Mrs.
Frasers bed room, when the latter
remarked that she did not like to
be in a room with a chimney open
ing during such fearful storm.
Mrs. Graham laughed at these
fears, but, nevertheless, suggested
that they go into her room, across
the hallway, in which there was no
chimney place, which was immedi-
ately acted upon. No sooner had
they entered the other room and
seated themselves than terrific
crash occurred. There was the
sound of breaking glass and fall
ing plaster, and the room seemed
filled with fire, and the odor' of sui
phur and birthstone was almost un-
bearable. The air was dense with
| blue smoke. Mrs. Fraser said she
| felt as If struck on the head with an
axe. The little girl screamed, Fire
burn me-" and continued ito scream
in fright. Mrs. Fraser and Mrs.
Graham looked at each other in
blank astonishment and the former
exclaimed, "We are struck" Mrs:
Graham replied, "The house is on
fire" In a dazed condition they
started to Investigate the situation.
They found the stairway and hall
covered with debris and in wreck
| ed condition. Downstairs the front
door of glass was broken to pieces,
the door post torn out and carried
into the yard, and the dining room
was gutted. The bolt Is supposed
to have divided as it struck the
chimney and gone down every fue,
carrying devastation with it. Visi-
tors to the scene say they never saw
house so badly wrecked by light
ming. One bolt came down into Mrs.
Fraser's bed room, where they all
were at first tearing the bureau to
pieces, ripping open the ceiling and
walls and breaking all the panes
Of glass in the windows. Had the
little party remained in the room
a few moments longer none of them
would have escaped.
Mrs. Fraser traces the course of
the two bolts as follows: "The bolt
struck the chimney; one bolt came
down in my room, passed out of
my door and downstairs, threw
down and burnt picture in the
parlor, ripped the ceiling as it went,
entered the dining room, crossed the
passage and burnt its way out over
the ice box at the back door. The
other bolt came down the chimney,
crossed over the shed and entered
my room to the rear of my dresses,
tearing things wide open and came
out above my couch, burning an i'm
mense place in the wall" This bolt
made it's escape through the front
door, tearing things to pieces in its
course.