Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-07-26
GREAT DAMAGE
DONE BY STORM
Street Car and Telephone
Service Knocked Out and
Many Buildings Struck

WaynesbOro, Pa, July 26.-The
severe electrical storm. accompanied
by a dashing and heavy rain, which
passed over Waynesboro and was
general throughout the vicinity,
Wednesday afternoon and evening,
did great damage here and in the
surrounding country. The great vol
ume of water washed out corn fields
and gardens between here and Shady
Grove, and farms between here and
Rouzerville were also caught in its
grip and the lowlands and gardens
were inundated. The da1nge by
lightning was considerable.
The c., G. and w. Street railway
line was put out of commission for
awhile due to fuses being blown out.
the line from Waynesboro to Pen
Mar.
The telephone line between Marion
and Chambersburg was torn down in
several places, and put out of serv-
ice.
A sharp flash of lightning struck
the home of II. n. Martin here and
tore the chimney completely off the
house. Falling bricks tore several
holes in the roof and the chimney
crushed fence when it fell.
The dwelling occupied by Simon
Hess, between Waynesboro and
Rouzerville, was struck by lightning
and the chimney torn off.
The bungalow of Jacob Florence,
in the outskirts of Rouzerville, was
struck by lightning and one gable
end smashed in.
A large locust tree in front of the
Poe residence in Rouzerville, was
struck and completely splintered
The occupants of the house, Mrs.
Poe and daughter, were stunned.
The local Bell telephone system
had one hundred and fifty telephones
put out of commission.
The end of John Sheldon's house,
near Rouzerville, was shattered by
lightning. Inmates of the house
were severely stunned.
-Four fine cows were struck and
killed on the farm of William S.
Weisner, Roadside. The cows were
standing beneath a tree, this also
being badly splintered. The loss to
Mr.. Weisner is about $3.50.
A resident of Rouzerville while
watching the course of the storm,
noticed two cows standing in a field
beneath a large tree. AS the storm
wa sraging the cows walked from
beneath the tree, and no sooner had
this ben done, than a sharp flash of
lightning struck the tree and leveled
1t to the ground.
The barn of Edward Diehl, in the
northern section of the county, near
RoXbury, was struck by lightning
and destroyed with all crops, farm
implements and half a dozen pigs.
The barn on the c. L. Walter farm
at Antietam Junction was struck by
cold stroke and boards and timbers
were shattered.
The home of Alvey Stephey, west
of Waynesboro, was struck by lightn-
ing and the family had narrow es-
cape from injury. The bolt seemed to
strike a wire attached to a dinner
bell on the top of the house and was
carried into the upper and lower
rooms. Windows on both floors were
torn out, the glass broken and fur
niture thrown about in confusion.
Several doors were torn loose from
the jams and papers on a stand on
the second floor of the building were
set on fire. BY quick work of Mr..
Stephey, who was in the yard when
the stroke came, he succeeded in get
ting the fire out by throwing on sew
eral buckets of water. Mrs. Stephey
and Miss Madeline Shank, a little
neighbor girl, sitting in a lower room
both were stunned by lightning. The
child had just moved from a chair,
which was torn to pieces by the
stroke. Doors were also torn from the
cupboards an dthe house was left
in a wrecked condition.