Evening star., 1946-08-07
Chapel
Struck as Storm
Lashes District
Streets and CeIIors
Flooded; High Water
Muroons ID in Bus

A severe electric storm accom-
panied by winds exceeding so
miles an hour last night lashed
the Metropolitan Area, caused
fires, slowed trans
portation and flooded streets
and Easements.
During the height of the storm
at 6 pm. the chapel on the sec<
ond floor of Providence Hospital,
Second and D streets Sc, was
struck by lightning, while four nuns
and a priest were. at prayer. and
a small fire started in a lighting
fixture. The Rev. James Rohrback,
seminarian medical student at
the hospital, quickly put out the
blaze with fire extinguisher, while
Sister Mary. superintendent of the
maternity ward, who was at prayer
with him, called firemen. Patients
were not disturbed.
In Silver Spring. Md, the Georgia
avenue viaduct was flooded and
approximately IA passengers in a
bus owned by the Oriole Lines
were forced to stand on the seats
when the bus was, stranded In
water which reached to the floor.
The vehicle. which was en- route
to Olney, eventually was towed
from the viaduct.
Truman's Plane Lands.
President Truman's plane, the
Sacred Cow, which was bringing
him from Missouri, landed at Ma
tional Airport during the storm. One
or two scheduled flights were
grounded temporarily until the dis
turbance receded
In downtown Washington, auto
mobile traffic and streetcars @were
slowed considerably as the sheets of
rain overtaxed sewers and flooded
the streets.
At several places on upper Six
teenth street NV. water rushed
over the sidewalk and temporarily
stopped traffic in both directions
as it swirled over the thoroughfare.
Firemen reported that trees were
down In several sections of the city.
The Fire Department received many
calls, mostly to pump out flooded
cellars, but said little actual elec-
trical damage was reported here.
Fire Destroys Barn.
In Sandy Spring, Md, however, a
fire caused by lightning destroyed a
barn owned by c. o. Stewart, kill
ing two horses and causing damage
estimated from $4,000 to $4,000.
The. Sandy Spring Fire Department
Responded but was hampered by
lack of water. A large quantity of
hay and seed was destroyed in the
fire, which burned the barn to the
ground. The storm was heavy in
the Sandy Spring area, and some
telephones were reported out of or
der for short time.
The short-wave radio in the Sill
yer Spring Volunteer Fire Depart
ment Building was knocked out Of
commission for several hours. The
department responded to one call by
citizens who thought their house
had been struck by lightning, but 1t
was found that the bolt had struck
nearby.
Lightning which struck a huose
at the corner of Franklin and Con-
necticut avenues, in Kensington.
damaged the chimney and set fire to
the roof. The Kensington Fire De-
partment was called and confined
the blaze to portion of the roof
and attic. None of the occupants
were hurt and damage was said to
be slight.
| Temperature Drops.
/ At pm. rainfall registered by
the Weather Bureau here was re-
ported to be slightly over IA inches,
but this total was said to include
showers which occurred earlier in
the afternoon. Yesterdays high
temperature was 81 degrees at 1920
pm, with low of 68 at 7:45 pm.
High humidity of 88 was recorded at
8 am, while the low was 64 at /
pm.
The District forecaster said today
would be fine" with clearing
weather in the afternoon and tenn
peratures at about 80 degrees. He
said it would be entirely clear to-
night with the lowest temperature
about 81 degrees.
Tomorrow'S forecast calls for
sunny and somewhat warmer
weather, with the temperature about
"a degrees in the afternoon.