Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1909-07-24
DISASTROUS STORM AT LEAD.
L1ghtning's Fatal Stroke-Two Persons
Killed, Several Injured.

| hlieu, several Injured
The storm at Lead last Sunday after.
noon resulted in the death of two young
men and injury of set eral persons.
Killed-Weston NJ. Fry, aged Is years
Thos. NJ. Harrison, aged l6 years.
| Injured-Abe Oliver, % years old
Samuel Shane, 16 years old; Ernest
Bruner, 10 years old; John Pendro, 10
years old; John Butler, manager Scenic
theatre; John Rossio, 1S years old; Lee
Gown, VIM. Reome, Alfred Wickan-
bury, 2l years old; w. L. Thorpe and
others who were more or less shocked
and burned. The Lead Call Monday
evening, says Of the sad affair:
Deaths of two bright, prominent
young men and the serious injury ofsev-
eral others during the severe electric
storm yesterday afternoon has cast a
gloom over the city of Lead such as has
not been known for years. The cat.
astrophe occurred at the City baseball
park, about 4 o'clock, while the game
between Lead and Deadwood was stopped
on account of storm: The downpour
had continued for several minutes, when
there was brilliant electrical display
and beside a number of vivid flashes,
two balls of fire were seen.
The dead and most seriously injured
were standing under large wagon um-
brella between the changing room, under
the left field bleachers and the force. A
wire netting extends for some distance
beyond the bleachers nearly to the
grandstand and it was very nearly under
this that the young men were standing
The lighting first struck the extreme left
end of this netting, splintering one ofthe
supporting posts, aud then passing along
the netting to where the young men
were clustered under the umbrella.
Those having hold of umbrellas or the
ribs of the large umbrella were most
seriously burned and shocked. Some of
the young men who were holding the
wooden handle ofthe big umbrella were
severely shocked, but not burned. AL
most everyone who was holding an um-
brella wss more or less shocked and
number of persons found the lightning
flash had left marks on parts Of their
body.
There was an attendance of probably
not less than 1000 persons, and the
grandstand and bleachers were well
filled. Whea the storm started there
was a rush to the grandstand on the
part of those on the bleachers, and the
grandstand was filled to overfowing.
Those in the grandstand were not in line
to see the fluid whe1 it struck, and the
first impression they received of the
deadly work of the lightning was when
they saw those who had been struck be-
ing carried into the grandstand or on the
bIeacher seats, and the efforts that were
made to revive them.
The accident of yesterday by light
ming shows the need of ground wires
from each span of the wire netting.
While lightning might not strike there
again in hundred years, it is always
best to be on the safe side. The result
might have been the same had this been
done, but it is always best to use every
precaution.
The terrible catastrophe of yesterday
at the ball park has cast a gloom over
the entire city. The young men whose
lives were snuffed out without moments
warning were among the most popular
and beloved of Lead. 1t seems hard in
deed to see two whose lives gave 80
much of promise taken, but it is one of
the inevitable things likely to happen to
any one which is not given mortal man
to understand. One truth which it can
not help but impress upon all is the un-
certainty of life.