Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-03-21
LIGHTNING STRIKES
HOSPITAL CHIMNEY
Nurses and Patients Have Mar
row Escape When 20 Feet OF
Bricks Are Hurled through
Windows into Children's Ward
and Lights Are Extinguished.

"Oooooh! My GOODNESS but I was 'fraid
and the lights went out and 1t was al
dark and everything and dess tant tay
in bed II dat old noise tones adam"
The reporter glanced around the large
room of the Mary Fletcher hospital. used
as the children's ward, to see where the
voice SO wee and tremulous came from.
1t was almost pitch dark there, the only
light being a tiny flicker from a tallow
candle in the opposite side Of the room.
And after he had made a trip about the
room, which contained four children, all
| confined to their beds with either some
particular ailment or just waiting 1or
some broken bone to knit, and he came
to a little white cot near the door.
There was a tiny face, strangely
| blanched and white, half buried between
the pillow and bed with the neat white
sheets and blankets pulled tightly about
the golden curls that were so abundant. 1t
was from this little mortal that the wistful
voice had come.
| She was one Of the four children who so
miraculously escaped terrible injuries and
possible death when the flash OF lightning
shot out Of the heavens like great
ball Of fire Thursday night about seven
o'clock and crashed against the tall
chimney of the central power plant OF the
large institution, dashing more than 70
feet of bricks from the crown to midway
of the chimney through several windows
and sending red hot bricks through the
air for a distance Of more than $50 feet.
| BY an act Of Providence. only few OF
the bricks were hurled near the children e
ward and these landed on the stairway
about five feet from the little tot who
spoke. They had crashed through a large
plate window and had 1t happened about
three minutes later several Of the nurses
would have been struck by the flying
bricks and probably fatally injured. As
1t was, they were just coming through
| from the nurses home and had not
reached the main hospital. Several were
going to various wards where the bricks
landed and one of them was going up the
stairs to the childrens' room.
The nurses who Just escaped the
crash were Miss Alice Sellon, Miss Nora
Truax, Miss Alice Gilbert and Miss
Flora Goyette.
The majority Of the bricks fell di.
rectly down and landed in q pile OF
snow, where they sizzled and steamed
for several minutes. One mass OF
brick and cement landed in a corridor
of the private wards $50 feet away
through a large window and a thick
curtain as we'll.
The crash caused great excitement
among the nurses and attaches of the
hospital and to add to the confusion
the lights were extihguished and thu
telephone service disconnected. Sew
eral of the nurses were hysterical bu
calmer ones soon had the situation
well in hand.
Gas lights and candles were brought
into play and used in the hospita
wards and corridors throughout thu
night. A thorough investigation Of tn,
searchlights to determine the exac
damage done to the chimney ant
whether there was any danger Of 4
collapsing under its weakened condi
ton. It was found to be safe, how
ever.
In other parts of the city, while al
far as could be ascertained no damage
was done, there were countless mum
bers of homes without electric lights O.
the use of their telephone. Severa
street lights were PUT out of use.
When the flash came several younl
ladies of the local telephone exchang
were so badly frightened that the.
tainted and a physician was called t
attend them.
Those who were situated so that the.
were able to see the horizon over tn
breakwater towards the New Yorl
, shore, witnessed a rare display ant
wonderful splurge Of colors About
minute before the flash came the SIX.
turned a vivid blue-green and theme
to greenish- black. and then with tn
flash changed instantaneously to fiery
red. The whole lake was illuminate'
with the radiance of color and then Il
an instant all was turned to inky
blackness.