New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-16
BOLTS FROM BLACK
CLOUDS KILL TWO
Shops and Factories Are Lighted
as at Night, and the Harbor
Traffic Is Stopped.
PANIC ON THE EAST SIDE
Workman Falls to Death from
Metropolitan Museum Roof
Man browns in Hudson
Minor Accidents Many.

The fOotlights of life went out about
/ 2 O'Clock yesterday afternoon, while
/ lightning. wind and rain rushed upon the
/ local stage and effected minor altera-
tons in the scenery. The changes were
made in fifteen minutes. between 30
and 3:05 o'clock. but they included death
! and devastation.
| Only few minutes before the sun had
/ been shining brightly upon city streets
| freshened by brief shower Straw hats
and summer pumage foated gayly on
which. damned for minute or two by
| the downpour. had rushed forth with re-
newed impetus. Then rapidly the sun
shine lost its laughter. gold faded into
gray and gray into twilight. as it does
1 in the theatre, until at o'clock intense
darkness set in.
Throughout the city electric lamps
shone from Office and shop windows.
while ferryboats and tugs in the rivers
and harbor put up their running lights.
The sightseeing yacht Halcyon had to
anchor off Sandy Hook and blow her
whistle. and the derelict destroyer Sen
eca, outward bound 10 blow up a bum
of the ocean highway also came to
stop this side of the Hook steaming
outward finally at 40 o'clock.
James H. Scarr. boss OF the local
Weather Bureau. said he had never seen
the clouds so dense in all his experience
with the freakish atmosphere of this To-
cality, and Sergeant Long. the Oldest
weather man in the Whitehall Office.
could not remember when a storm had
plunged New York into such complete
night before.
Three Men Killed, Two Injured.
Rapidly and evenly, as in a playhouse,
the darkness lifted and then il soon be-
came known that bolt Of lightning had
struck and instantly killed Joseph Her
man. a hired man on the farm Of
Wyckoff Van Sicklen. at Dunton, in
Queens. Herman was driving a load Of
potatoes from the field TO the barn, when
a flash rent the darkness. accompanied
by a deafening report, and the hired
man fell TO the ground with a little
round hole in his skull, as If bored by
bullet The lightning burned the hair
from his head and stripped every stitch
Of clothing from his body
only few minutes before. since the
storm originated in New Jersey and
PASSED across Manhattan TO Long ISL
and. another bolt had picked off James
Lynch. who had taken refuge under a
sbcl of the New Jersey Zinc Company'
in Brill street. Newark, where ne was
emploved. Lynch. too, was instantly
killed.
In Chancellor avenue. Newark james
Nurtha and william Morris employees OF
the Public Service Electric Company
had lust descended from the top OF d
mole in fear of a thunderbolt. when one
struck the pole and knocked them off
their feet as they stood on the sidewalk
beneath It. The pole fell landing on
Morris and grazing Murtha They were
removed To st Michaers Hospital.
Just as the storm broke over Central
Park. Nathan Goldenbcrg, sheet metal
worker. who was ON the roof Of the
north annex TO the Metropolitan Museum
of Art. lost his balance and fell TO the
ground below. a distance Of eighty feet.
He landed on his head on a pile Of
broken stone. and Or. Preston, of the
PRESBYTERIAN Hospital. who was at the
scene Of the accident shortly afterward,
said death had been instantaneous.
Goldenberg was the fourth man to lose
his life in the last two months on the
lew structure.
Find Mans Body in Hudson.
The body Of a man. thought TO have
been drowned in the Hudson River dur
ing the storm by the capsizng Of
boat. was found near the old Fort Lee
ferry landing in the evening. The VIC
tim was about sixty-three years old, .
feet : inches tall. with gray hair,
black tie and white underwear. In his
rocket were found two sandwiches
wrapped in napkin. which led Coro-
ner Tracey 10 believe that he was with
picnic party. a pair of eyeglasses ana
~ cents were found in his pocket. The
bodv is at McNally's morgue. at Fort
Lee
The freaks Of the busy lightning were
the more terrifying for the profound
gloom which they punctuated. hattie
and Jewel. the two elephants in the Cen
trail Park menagerie, became so fright
ened that Robert Hurton. keeper OF the
house and in charge Of the animals dur
ing the absence Of Bill Snyder the
head keeper. had 10 put shackles on
them and close the doors and windows
of their house The roaring IN the lion
bouse was deafening. and set babies
10 shrieking for many mothers ard chill
dren had sought refuge there.
Arsenal a Storm Centre.
They had good reason for their fright.
since at one time the whole force OF
the storm seemed centred over the
arsenal While answering a call In the
telephone booth of the police station
there one Of the lieutenants was hurled
ont into the room. A bolt had travelled
along the wire. Upstairs stenographer
in the Offices of the PARK Department
Jumped up with a scream as the light
ming played along the upper bar Of her
typewriter
But perhaps the worst panic occurred
on the lower East Side The tiagpole on
Public School g. at Forsyth and stanton
streets. was splintered by lightning. and
like lightning spread the report that the
.. In
mediatey. II seemed, some seventy-five