New-York tribune., 1909-06-29
BIG STORM HITS CITY
TRANSIT 4ND TELEPHONE
LINES THROWN OUT.
Lightning Kills Uan and Strikes
FlagpOle at Polo Grounds
Heal Causes More Deaths.

H60I L GUS6S more Leans.
In the heavy downpour Of rain yesterday
afternoon lightning struck in several places.
causing small fires. putting telephone and trans
portation lines out Of commission and endan-
gering the lives of many persons
Five thousand persons who had gone to the
Polo Grounds to see a ball game between New
York and Brooklyn were drenched when the
cloudburst struck the grounds As they rushed
toward the exits a binding fash Of lightning
struck the hagpOIe in centrefeld. splitting II
into spIInters and tearing TO shreds the pennant
flag of 1905. Several fans were knocked down
by the shock
Electricity killed John keenan,. Of No. Al
Weldon street. East New York, when current
completed a circuit through his body into the
rain soaked ground by way of tin pail and
water with which he was trying to extinguish
flames which were shooting from pole in Cres-
cent street. near Glen street Two men who tried
to rescue him were knocked down and severely
shocked when their hands came in contact
with his body. They solved the difficulty by
getting rubber mating and wrapping it around
their hands
At least fifty thousand homeward bound resi-
dents Of Long Island were held up in Long
Island City last night by washoUts on the troll
ley lines and the Long Island Railroad The big
Electric Railway. in Purvis street. near jack
son avenue. was Hooded and cars all along the
line came to a standstiu Washouts at Wood
side Junction and Penny Bridge put the SER
vice on the steam railroad lines out Of connulis-
sion.
L / TRAINS HELD Up TWO HOURS
A. the latter place an immense canal was cuA
directly under the tracks, and several Iandslides
covered the tracks with earth Traffic was held
up for more than two hours. and thousands OF
persons walked 10 their homes in streets which
resenbled mountain brooks. More than forty
automobiles were stranded along Jackson ave-
nue. Corona. during the height OF the storm
William Evans Of No 401 State street, Brook
lyn. was struck by lightning at North Beach
He required the attention OF DR.. P. ]. Cooney.
of ST Johns Hospital and later was able to go
home Marie Ohanka, employed as maid at
BeIvedere Park became so frightened during
the storm that she ran to her room and attempt
Cd to hang herself. She was restrained and re-
moved TO St Johns Hospital
Mrs Dora Schneider OF No 1S3 Meserole
street williamsburg. was closing the blinds,
when lightning struck the house and shocked
her so severely that she was rendered uncon-
scious Dr. McApeer, Of St GATHERINGS Hos
pitaI found that she had received a deep cut in
the right arm and was weak from loss of blood
was entirely consumed by flames. which started
when lightning struck the building The same
flash burned out the telephone fuses in the hotel.
and it vas isolated for several hours Much
damage was done by the storm throughout the
borough as we'll as in Westchester County,
which il visited before arriving in The Bronx
The Jersey coast reported many instances OF
the lightning's pranzs. One hundred and fifty
passengers on the steamer Little Silver, OF the
Patten Line, became excited when the hagpole
was struck and spIintered- There was no panic.
however, and the steamer continued her trip and
docked about an hour late
HEAT KILLS HALF \ DOZEN
Half dozen deaths and more than twenty
five prostratiOns were reported before the show
er came 10 give relief 70 the sweltering popula-
ton Of the Metropolitan district
The following deaths occurred
KIDNEY Charles thf-tvave years oI5 Of No 2i5
street, Brooklyn. died AZ his home
PLoyS T556 G95s 3 al afa s a6: 85 No l s. JOINS Place.
scHooEBERG Ms Leah sgh'y-oHs & years ears s 9i4 Of N0
TORNER. William infant OF No 162S AtanJc avenue
Brooklyn, died at his home
home 10 IS West 159Jh street,
It was not as hot yesterday as it appeared to
be- the highest temperature of the day. So
degrees being four degrees less than the maxi
mum mark OF Saturday This was reached at
3 o'clock only after Iaborious climbing all day.
and in less than fifteen minutes after the rain
began TO fall the mercury dropped 9 degrees
Late at night an optimistic report came from
Washington to tte effect that the heat wave
was on its last legs and that TO-DAY would mark
its last appearance on the Atlantic Coast
Overcome BY the heat while hanging out
clothes. Margaret EngIeran. employed by a
family living at No pos East 10th street. feu
from the roof five stories TO the ground and was
instantly killed George BOrsinger. OF No. 139
Alexander avenue, YOnkers, fell from a scaffold
on a new building at Preston avenue and 1s1st
street. The Bronx. and received broken shoul-
der and internal injuries He had complained
of the heat for several days He is in Fordham
Hospital in a serious condition
Caspar MelIeiser. OF No 246 East 55th street.
became insane while working over a forge at
No 425 East SD street, and it required four
men TO hold him until the arrival of an anbu-
lance from Flower Hospital
The following table shows the variations In
temperature and humidity yesterday, as COM
pared with that on Saturday