Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-07-07

STILL SIZZLING.
Thursday One Of Hottest
Days Of The Week.
Terrific Thunder Storm a Feat
ure Of The Day.
State House thought 10 Have Been
Struck by Lightning.

| uuf Stidf was lit StNti ou9 " III
| excessive hot weather which has pre-
vailed since July came in, and with
| one exception that of Tuesday, it was
tie hottest day of the week. In fact,
the weather conditions of the two days
were very similar as regards the fore
| neon, except that on account of Il
southcrly breeze which was blowing
| Thursday thc air was a little better
| than that of Tuesday.
Thursday started in with every in
| dicati of being a seoreher At 3
O'Clock in the morning the thermom-
eter indicated so degrees in the shade.
and at 10 o'clock it had climbed to 80
degrees. At II o'clock it had reached
/ 9S degrees, and at noon it showed an
even ZOE degrees, which was the high
est point reached for the day. soon
after the-noon hour the mercury began
to drop and at 80 had reached 9S de
grees From there it went TO 80 tie
grees at 2 o'clock and to 81 degrees at
8 O'Clock. At O'Clock it had dropped
to so degrees and at, O'Clock to IS
degrees.
The reason. for the rapid and mark
ed decrease in temperature was
thunder storm which came along at
ahoub O'Clock and Which assumed the
proportions of a tempest 1t was the
ferceSt storm of the season. The rain
was preceded by squall that was al
most a tornado in strength, the wind
breaking small branches from trees
and carrying all before it. and the
clouds of a hlackness that rendered. the
day as dark az night and caused the
turning on of lights everywhere.
The shower itself was not heavy so
far as the rain was concerned but it
Was accompanied by 81 electrical dis
play that was terrific. The thunder
was heavy and the play of lightning
struck two large elm trees in front of
the residence of Ex-Governor Common
on Elm street. and While it did not
destroy them it left marks that can
never be effaeed. One of the trees had
been 'doetored" by feresters. that is
a cavity had been filed with cement
and other materials to save the life of
the tree. and this tree showed most
plainly the force of the belt being
splintered quite badly. The other tree
had the bark stripped from it in many
places but WAS left in better shape
than the first mentioned.
1t is also supposed that the State
House was struck by a bolt, although
no evidences that it had We're discov-
cred Thursday afternoon, but the fact
that many of the clerks in different
sections of the building, and particu-
larly those in the fish and game de-
partment in the basement, were affect
ed, some of them to quite an extent.
| i is thought that the supposition may
| be correct. II is considered possible
that bolt may have struck the dome
of the building and following down
along the steel Orders which support
| that structure. passed int the ground.
| In addition 10 the effect upon those In
| the building the fuses of the electric
| lighting system were blown. leaving
| the building in darkness
| The effects of the electric fluid was
also felt in other places about town.
! ne fuses were blown i'm the federal
| building, putting the lights out there
| and the same thing occurred In some
OF the private residences in various
sections of the city