Evening star., 1932-09-03
. ONE DEAD, ONE HURT
AS STORM BREAKS
SEVERE HEAT WAVE
Nearby Maryland and Virginia
Counties Sustain Some
Damage.
SHOWERS FORECAST
TONIGHT AND SUNDAY
Temperature Above 80 Degrees Ex-
pected Again Today as Mercury
Begins to Climb.

A man was killed, girl injured and
some damage done in nearby counties
by the electrical storms which brought
a break in the heat wave late yesterday.
The mercury began climb again
this morning, however, though Weather
Bureau forcasters said it probably would
not reach above 90 degrees. The mini
mum last night was rs degrees, only z
points below the minimum on two OF
last weeks hottest days. At O'Clock
the thermometer registered rs degrees
and at 10 O'Clock was at 83, points
below yesterdays 10 o'clock reading.
The humidity was higher today, how
ever, it was pointed out.
Showers are Forecast.
Showers are due tonight and Sunday,
the forecasters said, and Labor day Will
be fair, and probably quite warm.
Little or no rain accompanied yes
terday's storm into the District, but
heavy rains were reported in the COM
munities northwest and southwest OF
here. Considerable damage was report
ed in Arlington County, Va, while tele-
phone communication was seriously
interfered with in Montgomery Coun-
ty, Md.
The lightning victim was Edward
jackson, Al, colored, Of 432 Ninth street
southwest, who was struck while walk
ing near Fourteenth and Water streets
southwest. The rescue squad took him
to Emergency Hospital, but he was dead
on arrival. The man was said to have
been a railroad worker.
Young Woman Struck.
Mrs. Flossie Summers, Is, of 718 F
street southwest, was slightly injured
when a bolt of lightning struck near
her home and the electricity was COM
municated to her through water piper
as she stood at her kitchen sink. AT
Emergency Hospital it was said her
condition was not believed serious.
Northwestern Montgomery County
was perhaps hit hardest. Hail, rain,
wind and lightning combined to make
what old residents said was one of the
worst electrical storms they had wit
messed. The high wind, rain and hail
beat down many fields of corn and up
rooted trees around Cedar Grove, Nd,
and at Clarksburg, between Rockville
and Frederick, electric service was para
lived for time and number OF tele-
phones were reported out of service.
Famous Tree Hit.
A curious freak of the storm took
place when lightning struck the famous
tree at Fourteenth and Constitution
avenue which had cost the Government
$4,000 to move from the Agriculture
Department grounds. This cucumber
magnolia" was wrapped in burlap, and
when struck by lightning the burlap
caught fire and blaZed conspicuously,
though both the tree and leaves were
green.
j. Wise Byrnes, superintendent OF
greenhouses and grounds for the de-
partment, inspected the tree today and
said apparently it had not been seri-
ously damaged either by the lightning
or the resulting fire. The blaze was
easily seen from the Department of
Agriculture, where many employees
watched the fire.
Telephone service in Northern Vir-
ginia suffered as a result of the water
on dry cables, but actual damage was
very little. Oficials Of the Chesapeake
g. Potomac Telephone Co. Of Virginia
reported that there were lot lines and
333 stations out of service in this sec
ton this morning. In addition to this
there were 10 toll circuits out of service
Most of the trouble centered about the
Alexandria and Clarendon exchanges,
they said.
Few Poles Down.
The Virginia Public Service Co. re-
ported a few poles down in the vicinity
of Falls Church. One primary system
was put out Of service, but was quickly
restored The Falls Church section lost
a number of trees.
Lightning struck twice in Arlington
County. One bolt followed wire into
a closet in the home of Otto Blanken-
horn, 204 Warren avenue, Aurora Hills,
igniting some clothes in the closet. The
fire was extinguished by the Jefferson
District Fire Department. The other
place struck was the practically empty
car barn at the Washington Richmond
Highway and Four-Mile Run. The
lightning followed a wire in, burning
most of the insulation from the wires
in the building Fire apparatus re-
sponded to an alarm, b,.t was not needed.
Heavy Rain in County.
Only is of an inch of rain fell in the
District. Meanwhile, however, neigh
boring counties in both Virginia and
Maryland were experiencing severe rain
and electrical storms. In Arlington
County debris was strewn across the
highways and i the sewers and small
streams were overfowing.
The temperature here dropped speed
fly after the storm came. Less than a
half hour later the mercury had drop
ped from 96 degrees to go. At 3 pm.
the thermometer had fallen to "a and
at 3:30 it had descended to rs.
The storm came after week Of
bllstering heat which had been blamed,
directly or indirectly, for four deaths
and about 90 Dr0StratiOnS
Before the storm the city had swell
te--i throughout the morning and
e2rl- cfternoon. At noon the thermom-
etc egistered 81 degrees and at l
o'c1o-E it was 90.