The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-06-11

Gu that Ln0 WnlrllnS WlnQ ClOuuS ndu
done much damage west of the river.
Reports as late as noon today, how
ever, indicated that aside from rip
ping out an occasional bunch Of tele-
phone wires, no harm was done. The
infant tornadoes, in the opinion of
0. W. Roberts, meteorologist for
North Dakota, did not approach close
enough to the ground to hit anything.
Oddly enough although ,Bismarck's
'5O-mile wind did not seem exception
al, this town suffered practically the
only damage reported to date from
twisters. A healthy whirlwind, start.
Ing south of the penitentiary, ripped
the tops from two hnx. cars in a
Northern Pacific train, which was
bowling along at q good rate; scatter
ed the Soo's snow fences from the
Pen junction to the roundhouse, pick
ed up chicken houses and other light
structures ih1tP Way About the same
time a whr1Wlnd 1f19fiiIing toward the
north of the Scffy hm6ved south, but
it did not seeni So destructive. Harry
Clough and ffhiAyys on '1end street, see
ing the north!Boutid' tWist@s from afar,
fastened to the ceflar,n where they
remained, fearful1y surveying the on
rushing destroyer. When within a
block or two of their home, the twist
or changed it's mind, dived off on.
tangent, picked up a good-sized hen
house and reversed it, and then wav-
ed the city farewell.
Has Thriller.
The most thrilling experience of
the evening fell the lot of S. Nelson,
q janitor at the capitol, who has a
peeled nose as an evidence of the
playfulness of lightning bolt The
Nelson family had just finished sup
per and were gathered about the front
of the house, when shaft.pof, light,
ming struck the chimney, sfdld1ht tho
stack to the kitchen, off the resY part
of the house, bulged out wall Of the
kitchen, kicked out a pane of glass;
and escaped by window Before tt
left, however, 1t gave Mr.. Nelson,
who was standing in the doorway in
front of the house, kittenish tap on
the nose, which laid him out for
few seconds
Il saw the lightning coming said
Mr. Nelson this morning, as he gently
caressed two-inch strip of proboscis
which is devoid of cuticle. 1T was a
ball of fire about as big as bullet.
l ducked, but not quite quick enough,
and 1t just skinned along my nose.
went down on the floor, and a mo-
ment later, when I came to and ran
upstairs found the roof leaking like
a wicker basket and the house on
fire.
An alarm was turned in and, PEND
ing the arrival of the fire department
Mr.. Nelson pressed into service a gar
den hose, with which he doused the
incipient fame -
The Best Rain Yet.
After all the excitement, the wealth
er bureaus report gives yesterdays
storm credit for naught but good.
Eain fell in greater or less volume un-
til early in the morning and the pre-
cipitation was fairly general through
out the state. The heaviest rainfall
occurred where it was most needed.
in the northeastern section of the
state, which had not enjoyed the
showers earlier experienced in the
central and western portions. At
Langdon lis inches fell, and at Penn
bina. 10. The precipitation in Bis
marck was .63 of an inch, which was
the average for the south-central Sec
tion of the state. The rain was warm
and was accompanied by little hail ex-
cept in widely separated spots. Fol
lowed as it was by cool weather to-
day, it produces ideal conditions for
wheat.
Phones Out Of Commission.
Lightning twice struck some of the
North Dakota Independent Telephone
companys cables during the storm,
ripping the outer covering to such an
extent as to admit water, which short
circuited the wires AS a result an
emergency crew is engaged today in
Strengthening out $50 dead telephones.