Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-07-13
Rain and Lightning Caused Dam
age and Annoyance.
Trolley Cars Put Out of Commission
and Telephone and Telegraph Ser
vice Crippled by Electricity
ard Falling Trees.

nOrary rellef 10 BuTnngtOnS SWolterlng
humanity, was the result of a short but
r;llnnt electrical storm that visited the
city at eleven o'clock Thursday morning
and which passed away to the northeast
&C minutes later. Estimating lost time,
late dinners. wet feet and general fright
IN money value, the storm caused a loss
of 81, COO or more.
During the 90 minutes of the storms
dura ton the temperature fell from 81 to
es, drop of q degrees Then the tired
and perspiring people gazed about them
and smiled. They felt comfortable for the
first time during the week. During all
this time the wind was travelling at We
loCty of 80 miles an hour, but nobody
cared. The storm moved from northwest
to northeast and did both good and harm.
Rain to the amount of 90 inch fell, ac-
companied by hail,
After the storm clouds had rolled away,
though. and the populace was congratu-
!ating itself on its freedom from a SEEM
ing inferno, the temperature began to
crawl upward again until it reached Sc
degrees. The air was cleared, however,
and everybody felt braced up, as it were.
TROLLEY CARS STOPPED.
AT the beginning of the storm "A bolt of
lightning entered the plant of the Bur
lington Traction company in the mills of
the American Wooden company ~
Winooski and put out of commission the
steam engine that furnishes power to the
notwithstanding machinery. The cars
on all the lines stopped instantly. The
commutator was also damaged. As the
Winooski river is very low no water was
to be had, and men commenced work
Immediately to repair the damage done
by the electrical bolt.
At six O'Clock the commutItOr having
been repaired temporarily. the cars on
the Bur.inHton end of the line We're put
in operation and then appeared another
storm, when all the cars were stopped
again. Most of the factory employees
Superintendent Jones claims, We're ac-
cCmmodated at six O'Clock hut when the
cars stopped most of the passengers he
came disguised and started for their
homes on foot.
At about $50 O'Clock the flood gates on
the Winoosld river. owned by the Ameri-
can Wooden company, were opened and
furnished sufficient water power to keep
the cars running in Burlington for an
hour
In the meantime the commUtator, which
is shaped like a disc and on which are
many brushes, was repaired. II was
necessary. however. to let it go through
a drying process before il could he used.
and this process took about two hours.
The cars in Burlington We're run
spasmodicailY during the evening.
FUSE BONES BURNED OUT.
The transformer in the rear Of The Free
Press building was one of the first things
effected The lightning had evidently
Travelled over the wire for some distance
and finally landed in the box. 1t then
| struck the safety box, which is a large
copper wire connecting it with the ground.
/ Tie flash Travelled down that and burned
! il for fully foot. a horse was hitched
to the post and he was thrown to the
| ground by the shock. The fire depart
| ment wa summoned and the electrician
endeavo"ed to cut the wires. which were
very much alive, 10y using a pair of steel
uincors with rubber handles There We're
! however, some porous places in ;he rub
Der which allowed enough electricity &c
! get through so that he received n consid-
orahle shock. He soon recovered and aft
erwards cut the wires. This damage was
repaired by force Of the Burli ~ or
Light & Power company's men within an
I hour or so.
SHOP STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.
The shop of Spear Brothers at the cor
ner of Bank and Battery streets was also
struck Edward Coon was nearby and
the shock knocked him down. The light
Ling struck near the whistle and seVera
small ''reS were started neSe WIRE
| ,or,, +, ,,,a chow
| l.,,
|
| The cellars or the q. \. Han block
College street and South WinooSkl avenue
ana or the Hayward DOCK, Main street ah'
| South Winooski avenue, were hooded
| Quantities OF mud ana gravel washed
along the cutters by the small torrents
of water caused the catch basins to be
come partly blocked. The water thel
found its way to the Easements, In thu
cellar of the Hall block the force of tn
storm water was so great that II cam
up through the sewage pipes rs high "a
rooms OF the Algonquin club on the sec
Ond floor At Main street and WinooSls
avenue a small lake was formed, whiCl
quickly disappeared following the storm
Here when the lake WIS at creates
depth. an automobile became stalled
In the basement OF the new addition =
the Brownell- Hawley building, also, food
of water descended, which threatened {
destroy rolls of book paper, the propert
OF the Lane Press Mos' OF the s'ocI
was remove" 10 sA'''F'
1