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Show STORE IS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING i Three Men Narrowly Escape Death When Bolt Enters a Building, Ripping Open the Roof and Setting the Place on Fire Heavy Electric Storm Strikes Hooper. Hooper was vls!d by a terrific electrical storm between seven and : eight o'clock last eening. i A most narrow escapo from instant death was experienced by three of Hooper's rltizens C G Parker. Rich, ard Young and Wallace Wadswoith. who were standing in the Parker store when the building was struck by a bolt of lightning That all three' wcro not instantly killed seems a miracle They were standing beside a large wooden box upon which It Is a custom to place oil cans after they have been filled for ustomcrs and which was consequently conse-quently well 8oaked with coal oil Suddenly there was a blinding flash and the last that any of the trio remember re-member was their being enveloped In a sheet of blue-white flam accompanied accom-panied by a terrifying crash. All were severely stunned by the shock and did not fully regain their senses for several moments. Parker was the first to recover and realize that the box had been set on fire by the boltiof lightning, and that the blaze had already been communicated commun-icated to the woodwork or the store Seizing a patent fire extinguisher which was near nt hand, he succeeded succeed-ed in putting out the flames befoie mur-h damage had been done Meanwhile Mean-while Wadsworth and Young .had re-coered re-coered their wits and assisted In extinguishing the Hre. Mr Parker was rendered deaf and has not fully recovered his hearing. All the men fell the effects of the shock for several -hours following the Incident and are inclined to logard their escape as a most narrow one. It was found that the lightning had struck the edge of the store roof and, passing downward had entered the pil-soaked bow The ioor was badly splintered marking the course of the bolt. This Is the first severe storm that has visited Hooper this year, others having invariably passed to tbj north. |