A lightning strike in Kreischerville did more than knock bricks from a chimney. It tore through a house and left the building shifted from its foundation.
During a heavy storm in July 1904, a bolt struck the chimney of a home owned by Mrs. William Serbert. From there, it punched through the roof, ripped across the upper floor, sent plaster flying from the ceiling and walls, and then zigzagged downward into the lower part of the house.
The force splintered doors, moved the stove, and left the structure so badly damaged that someone who witnessed the strike feared the occupants had been hurt and turned in a fire alarm.
Firemen rushed to the scene, expecting disaster. Instead, they found the house wrecked, but the people inside had escaped.
Lightning Bolt Wrecked House in Kreischerville
KREISCHERVILLE, New York. — Last night the heavy storm which passed over this city left considerable damage in its wake, and it will take some time to repair it. Many of the sewers and cellars which are being dug were filled with water and dirt in a short time.
The lightning was sharp and a number of times people thought it struck nearby, but as far as could be learned, the only damage done was the splitting of an electric light and telephone wire on State Street, near Fayette Street, and as soon as the storm was over this was repaired.
The electric lights were not turned on until the storm was over. The crossed wires made the fire alarm ring a number of times.
In Kreischerville, one flash struck the chimney of the house owned by Mrs. William Serbert. The bolt knocked the chimney off, went through the roof to the upper floor, where it sent the plaster flying from the ceiling and walls, and then took a zig-zag course to the lower floor, where it splintered the doors of the place, moved the stove and finally shifted the house from the foundation.
Someone who saw the accident thought that the occupants had been hurt and as the house was a wreck, turned in the fire alarm. The firemen responded, but they found that the people had escaped.
Source: Perth Amboy Evening News. Perth Amboy, N.J. July 12, 1904.
