Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 86, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 July 1903 — Wednesday's Big Storm. [ARTICLE]

Wednesday's Big Storm.

The rain Wed. night which passed over this section was preceded by an intense heat and humidity almost to the point of prostration. It was also accompanied by vivid lightning and heavy thunder, bat so far aa fatalities or bad strikes were made. We have had telephone oommunioation with both the north'and south ends of the oounty, this morning, and find that the rain was very general over this oounty. and has done an inestimable amount of good to the growing crops, corn especially being in need of rain. At Rensselaer there was perhaps a heavier rain than any other part of the county, the amount of rainfall aa reported by the U. 8. Government Rain Guage, being one and one tenth inches on the level.

During the fierce electrical display whioh aooompanied the rain here, the lightning burned off a live wire at the Front and Washington street crossing, whioh fell across the road. W. IS. Parks was the first man to drive over it, and when hia little grays struck the wire the shook brought them to their knees. Will thinks the original article beats the Fourth of July fire works all to pieoes. It was not a [minute before another man drove over the wire and it also brought his horse to its knees. Several persous about town of a nervous or susoeptable nature were very wide awake to the faot that something of an eleotrioal nature was doing, aud were shooked to a greater or leaa extent. Perhaps the worst oase of this is that of the venerable mother of the LaRue Bros. (She was badly shocked that for a time ebe was semi-un-oonscious, and it worried her al 1 night. The vicinity of Parr was visited by a severe wind storm about five o’olock Wednesday which is said to have laid some of the oats that were heavy, pretty low. A good horse belong to Mark Reed of the place which was loose in the road, was struok by lightning and killed.