Evening star., 1949-05-16
More Rainfall
Likely in Wake
OF Storm Here
Lightning Puts Hole
In Mans Boot, Hits
z Arlington Homes

1llC "CdLlcI oUledu SAW pros
poets for more rain today in the
wake of an electrical storm yes
terday in which man and two
homes were struck by lightning
. and a large portion of the Falls
Church Arlington area was
blacked out for nearly two hours
Striking shortly before S pm,
the storm brought wind gusts up
to Al miles an hour and 1.2s
inches of rain.
Sunday strollers and visitors at
the Zoo and other spots were
driven to cover by the sudden
storm that turned the afternoon
into twilight.
Huddled with others in the
stands of the Meadowbrook Saddle
Club in Chevy Chase, Md. Garth
Vial, 20. of route 4. Alexandria
was struck by lightning. One OF
his riding boots was knocked of
and he was treated at Suburban
Hospital, Bethesda, for foot burns
-Four other persons nearby were
shaken up by the bolt.
The bolt apparently was at
tracted by a spur on Mr.. Wars
left riding boot. 1t then travelled
across to the spur of the other
boot, knocking a 212-inch hole in
the boot and injuring the youths
foot. Mr.. War later returned to
the saddle club. but was then
taken to Alexandria Hospital,
where he is being treated today.
Lightning Hits Apartment.
Mrs. Donald j. Leonard was Sit
ting alone in the upstairs living
room of her apartment at $500
North Fourteenth street, Arling-
ton. when lightning crashed
through wall about 5:30'p.m.
Shattering a mirror and sending
glass flying, the bolt ignited cur
tains and a window shade. Mrs.
Leonard extinguished the fire with
a pan of water. Two holes. one
about 212 inches in diameter and
the other about u inch. were
found in the wall.
About the same time, stranger
natural phenomenon occurred at
the home of c. F. Woodroe, 4909
North Washington boulevard,
Arlington. Lightning penetrated
the attic. setting fire to papers
stored there. but minute inspec-
ton of the roof and walls failed
to disclose damage of any kind.
Mr.. Woodroe carried out the burn
ing papers. and the damage was,
negligible.
Some of the storms highest
drama was played in the control
room of Radio Station WRC.
Twelve times between S and $50
pm. lightning struck the tall
transmitting tower near Hyatts-
vile.
Each time. Harold Yates, the
engineer on duty, momentarily
interrupted the outgoing flow OF
radio energy. But the charges
of electricity were so powerful
that they leaped spark gaps and
jumped about inside the metal
shielded building.
Phone Gables Burned Out.
Mr.. Yates stuck to his task to
meet another crisis. Another bolt
burned out telephone cables feed
ing the downtown studios. Mr..
Yates had a receiver tuned in on
WRC's FM station. located else
where, and When the AM program
was disrupted, he fed the FM show
into the receivers of ais .egular
listeners until the damage was re-
paired.
Most of Falls Church and parts
of Arlington were darKened when
lightning struck the Idle wood
substation of the Virginia Elec-
trio Power Co.. burning out a
transformer.
About 500 homes near Wiscon-
sin avenue between Rockville and
Bethesda also were without cleo
tric power for a time.
Several hundred telephones
were knocked out in the Ana
costa area when water seeped
into temporary splice in a
1,500-pair cable. Most of the
trouble was repaired by midnight.
Minor disruptions in telephone
service also occurred at nearby
Virginia and Maryland points.
The Metropolitan Police radio
failed for few minutes but an
emergency generator in the Tenth
Precinct supplied power until the
damage was repaired.
At Silver Spring, an automobile
show, sponsored by the authorized
automobile dealers of that city,
was forced to close Az hours early
when wind whipped sides from
exhibition tents. Some OF the tel
vision equipment on display was
damaged.
During the storm the tempera-
ture. which had stood at "a de-
grees at 2:48 pm. and rs at 5
pm, slipped to 81 degrees by
5:55 pm.
Today's forecast called for
cloudy and humid weather. with
scattered showers in the afternoon
The temperature was expected to
reach the middle 70s. Tonight
should be partly cloudy with a low
mark of 60 degrees, followed by
continued warm weather and a
chance for more showers to-
morrow afternoon.
Man Faces Inquest