History: Lightning strikes two buildings
Contact: Vickie

----Source: The Clark County Press Date: 5-8-1875

Electric Flashes Two Buildings Struck by Lightning A Lady Seriously Injured

Yesterday, just before the hour of noon, a heavy thunderstorm passed over this place, during which two houses, one owned by W. C. Allen and the other occupied by Mr. G. W. Montgomery were struck by lightning. The houses must have been struck almost at the same instant as there were but two flashes (which seemed, in fact, but one) during the storm, and were so regarded at the time. Mr. Allen was down town at the time the buildings were struck and was among the first to reach the house occupied by Mr. Montgomery, passing his own house on the way, and it was not until he had rendered all the assistance in his power to his neighbor that he returned to find it on fire. The lightning struck the kitchen chimney of the house occupied by Mr. Montgomery, which it completely demolished, and with it a portion of the roof and of the end of the building, besides tearing off plastering in adjoining rooms and otherwise damaging the premises. His daughter, a young lady, occupied at the time in preparing dinner, was seriously injured. Her escape from death is almost miraculous. Her shoes were torn to pieces and one foot was bursted open at the heel as if by a torpedo. The injuries sustained are not considered as likely to be more than temporary. About the time the crowd called together by that occurrence had begun to disperse, Mr. Allen’s house was discovered to be on fire, and a general rush was made in that direction. By vigorous work the flames were soon subdued. The fire was found to be in the studding and rafters, and it was necessary to tear away a portion of the roof to get at the fire, which was the greatest damage done to the building. Nearly everything was removed from the house before the fire was extinguished, and of course, many articles were more or less damaged. The building appeared to have been struck on the front of the upright part near the comb of the roof, the electricity following the rafters and studding to the plate of the wing, passing to the farther corner of that portion of the building, and then following down on the inside of the corner=board nearly to the ground where it bursted through, after which no trace of it is to be seen. Serious as the matter was, it might have been worse, and with those who were the sufferers in this case we feel thankful for a narrow escape from greater misfortune. Did sp[ace permit, we should like to enumerate some of the freaks of that subtile agent on this occasion.

 

 


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