The Hillsborough Recorder

The following account of the powerful effects of electric fluid, is extracted from the Worcester Aegis.

In Rutland, about 5 o'clock in the morning of the 7th of November, after a heavy rain from the N. E. and without any previous indications of a thunder storm, an uncommonly brilliant and vivid flash of lightning was observed through the town, by those who were awake, succeeded instantaneously by a tremendous explosion.

The thunderbolts after separating into two main branches, passed down the front and rear chimneys of the dwelling house of Rufus Putnam, Esq.—The branch which descended the rear chimney passed through two rooms in which all the family, except one, slept, and were then in bed. Mr. Putnam and wife were in the chamber, two small children and the girl who lived with them in the room below. These rooms are small, and the beds stood within two feet of the chimney. The fluid passed in almost every direction around these rooms bursting the windows and rending in pieces boards and timbers. The chimney was parted from top to bottom, and the rooms almost demolished. A portion of the fluid passed on the curtain rod, over the bed of the children, scorched the bed curtain, and did considerable injury to the wall against which the bed stood; covering the bed with fragments of boards, plaster and glass. It then passed out of the house in a number of directions from the house.

Indeed such was the awful scene of destruction in these rooms, that, no one would have supposed it possible that a single individual who slept there could have remained unhurt, or even have escaped death without a miraculous interposition of Heaven.

Branches from that which descended the rear chimney took a southerly direction on the plate and sill of the back room and woodhouse, rending the plate in pieces, and uniting at the S. E. corner. Thence it passed a small distance to a sty and killed two fatted hogs—thence to the barn, which stands a few feet S. E. of this range of buildings; and after separating into two branches, one of which taking a direct course injured a chaise and passed off through the yard—the other making a right angle with the above, passed across the barn floor into the stable and killed the horse, thence at almost a right angle into the litter and killed one cow; and leaving the other unhurt, it passed off nearly parallel with the other branch, through the yard some rods in a S. E. direction.

The branch which entered the front chimney, divided at the garret. Part descended the chimney, bursting it to the kitchen, and after doing considerable injury there, passed out in two places to the hearth. Another part burst through the chimney, demolished the wood work, near it in two adjoining chambers, tore up the floor and passed down into the lower room; and after doing much injury to them, and the ground timbers of the house, passed off easterly and northerly in various directions,—Indeed so great were the masses of fluid which entered the houses that there is scarcely a space in or about the buildings, where the effects of the lightning are not more or less visible.

About one hundred panes of glass and some window sashes were entirely demolished—some of the furniture in the house was destroyed. The clock which stood in the kitchen was thrown down, and the wire on which the pendulum was suspended was melted. The chimneys were so much injured that it became necessary to take them down.

When this house was visited by the people in the morning, it exhibited a scene of destruction, which excited in every beholder a mingled feeling of sympathy and gratitude. For amidst these ruins and singular judgment of heaven, the family have reason to sing of mercy, that they have escaped unhurt, if not unaffected by the shock.— Though they slept on non-conductors, it seems as if nothing but the immediate power of God could have protected them from receiving some injury from the thousand pieces of boards, timbers and glass, which flew in almost every direction around them.—We have here at one view, a most striking evidence of the power and benevolence of Jehovah.