Bad Storm in Burlington County, 1858

From the New Jersey Mirror 26 Aug 1858

The storm on Tuesday afternoon of last week, was very severe in different parts of the County. Near the Red Lion, a man named George Bartlett, was struck by lightning, and instantly killed. He was a carpenter and had been at work on the house of Josiah Prickitt. When the storm came up, he went in the house, and took a seat near the chimney, in the kitchen, Mr. Prickitt sitting only a few feet from him. The fluid ran down the chimney, immediately by the side of Mr. Bartlett, killing him instantly, while Mr. Prickitt was but slightly stunned. In various parts of Springfield, the wind and hail did considerable damage.

Fields of corn were completely prostrated, trees and fences blown down, and a large quantity of window-glass broken. In the house of James B. Warner, 71 panes of glass were broken, and in the house of George Gandy, 49 panes were demolished and scattered, by the force of the wind and hail. At Francis B. Warner's, a chimney was blown down, and the roof of the shed or kitchen partly destroyed. The hail was as large as hickory nuts. A field of corn on the farm of Joseph Smith, was blown down, and twisted and torn to pieces, in a singularly destructive manner. On the farm of George Pancoast, occupied by John Pope, near Columbus, the storm was very severe. About half of the trees in the apple orchard and a large walnut tree near the house, were blown down, the pig-pen, sheds, &c., destroyed, and much other damage done. In Burlington, the instruments of the Telegraph lines were demolished, the magnets bent and the coils of insulated wire crumbled with the intense heat and force of the lightning. In the room adjoining one of the Telegraph offices, two persons were knocked down, and a female in the Railroad office, screamed lustily, as she felt the fluid touch her foot. The lightning struck the wires two miles below the city, knocked four telegraph poles into thousands of splinters, and ran along the wires to the offices. The lightning struck a tree a few feet from the house of George B. Deacon, on the Burlington road. We learn that Mr. Deacon, his son William, and a daughter, were standing in the doorway, at the moment. The son was knocked insensible into his father's arms, and the daughter was considerably stunned. The son remained insensible for some hours