The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1865-05-23 00:00:00

RAMBLE HAIL AND THU]

On Sunday the village of Ogley Hay. near Walsall,
was visited by a terrible thunderstorm. At a to*
minutes past 'even o'ebrank, shortly after the commencer
meat of the sermon at church, several fearful olaps
thunder, literally shook, as an earthquake, the chore"
from the very foundation. At last the incumbent (the
!tee. T. Jackson) was utterly unable to proceed with hie
sermon. In a few seconds the elenrie find struck the
roof of the church with • tremendous mash, eoatteriag
the mortar between the rafters in a "loud of dust, 504
dashing some pieces of wood with great forte to the
floor of the church. The Nicene from sudden death te
several persons who were but a few inches from the
spot where the wood fell, may be regarded as most pro-
videntiaL As it was, however, • little boy was ennui
for several minutes by the electric fluid, whieh, pus*"
by the side of his feu, singed his hair, burnt ltio
shoulder slightly, went down to his left foot, burnt
and nearly /separated the pole from the upper leather et
his boot. In a few minutes he revived, and in about
half an hour was enabled to hobble home. Nei
language can describe the terror and confusion obi&
ensued upon the crash of the falling pious of timbers
Female, screaming, and children crying, rushed, 103,0
to the west door, and others toward, the chancel. Com-
parative quietness was at last restored and the service
was concluded by a thanksgiving prayer for their
merciful deliverance and the singing of the Doxology.
The injury to the church is inconsiderable. Violent •ialta-
tions of rain, hail, and wind, accompanied by vivid flashes
of lightning and loud thunder, have been felt thrughost
the south of Scotland and the northern counties of
England. The extraordinary storm near Glasgow was
felt with greeter or less severity in all the south-western
districts of Scotland; and at Jedburgh the river wale
flooded in the course of • few minutes, as well as the
drains and sewers of the town, covering the streets
with two feet of water, and doing mush damage. •
small boy was carried away with the current, but re-
ceived no injury beyond being stuck for • short time ta
a bed of sand. At Haddington and Galasbiels the
storm was severely felt, and at the latter chicle the
electric fluid struck Langlee-house, and set it on fire.
The house of Mr. Stirling was also set on fire in •
similar manner, the gas pipes being broken and the gas
set alight. Mr*. Stirling had the presence of mind be
rush to the meter and turn off the gas, which at once
checked the threatened danger. The adjoining house
was also damaged. At Preston and its vicinity the
storm was felt in all its fury. About three o'clock the
sky grew dark, fearful flashes of lightning, and loud
peals of thunder followed; shoot a quarter-past three
o'clock rain literally fell in torrents, nearly every 'street
in the town was flooded, houses, collars, !so., were inun-
dated, and in some localities shopkeepers had quantities
of goods destroyed. In the principal square of the
town several houses were flooded, and pumping engines
had to be got to clear the water from them. Imme-
diately after the rain there was an unparalleled fall of
bail. People were actually afraid of their house and
shop windows being broken by it. Hailstones half-an-
inch long were picked up. The railway station was in-
undated. For some time while the rein was falling the
tails were completely out of sight, the water reached up
to the fire-boxes of the engines, and ran through the
station in a torrent. Several buildings in the town were
severely injured by the lightning, which was also
attended with loss of life. In one instanoe the fire engines;
had to be called out to save a house set on fire by the
electric fluid. The roof of a cotton factory was smashed.
In many of the mills the operatives were so alarmed
that they dare not work. The coachhuilding est.
bliehment of Mr. Dallas, was slightly damaged. At
one of tbe villages near Preston • man was killed by
lightning ; and at another a cow was struck dead in •
field. The heavy rain and the extremely large hail
stones did most damage in the town. One tradesman
had £lOO worth of goods spoiled and another £5O
worth, and in several of the houses in the lower parts
of the town the furniture was floating about in the flood
of water. A great quantity of glass was broke by the
enormous hail stones, some of which were an inch la
diameter. A portion of the embankment of the Preston
and Longridge Railway, near the Preston workhouse
was washed down, and towards Maudlends station the
line was blocked with sand, old railway sleepers, he,
Blackburn experienced very severe weather during three
days, but the only accident of importance reported is
the burning down of • new barn, and the destruction
of its contents. At Stafford five sheep out of 90graaing
in a field were struck dead by the lightning, which was
found to have completely scorched the herbage for some
distance round them. The injury done at Stockton-on-
Tees consisted chiefly in the d struction of chimney pots
and slates. In one instance the electric fluid tore away
part of the ridge of the roof of • house, entered • shop,
and damaged a number of gilt mouldings. A joiner
sharpening a chisel at a bench was struck down, but not
much hurt. A farmer named Burnett, near Barton,
North Lincolnshire, was struck dead by lightning within
• short distance of his own house. When found he was
on his face, whioh w.a much discoloured. The boot on
his right foot was torn open from the top to the toes,
and a small wound appeared on his forehead, probably
caused by falling face downwards. On Sunday the
storm was fearfully intense in Liverpool. At Malton
during the whole of Sunday night indications of a
coming storm were observable, sheet lightning playing
in the south and west for hours. The weather up to
noon on Tuesday had been unusually hot for the season.
The storm came from the Welds, and travelled in a
northerly direction. At noon the darkness was so
intense that gas had to be lit in business places. For a
quarter of an hour there were continuous flashes of
forked lightning, with very heavy rains. Crops of all
kinds will be immensely benefited. On Sunday, about
fiv,, p.m., • heavy storm of lightning, thunder, and
rain visited LiverpooL It lasted only a short time, but
its violence, and the noise and force of the explosion. at
Hoylake, near Liverpool, were such as no see there re-
collects ever occurring before. There WWI one fearful
flash; the explosion and flash were simultaneous, and
it would appear took effect in the yard of the Royal
Hotel. The electricity either entered the roof or the
window of a low stable and killed a valuable horse,
the property of one of the visitors, split • large rug
which hung against the wall, and set fire to it and the
hay and straw around it.. There were six or seven men
sitting in an open shed opposite the stable, and they,
perceiving smoke igsuing from the stable, applied water
and extinguished the flames. These men had a most
providential escape, as the explosion must have occurred
within ten feet of where they were grouped together.
On Monday afternoon another, but milder, storm visited
the same locality. On Sunday evening, Stafford and
the surrounding neighbourhood were visited by a
severe thunderstorm of several hours' duration,
but fortunately unattended with loss of human
life. About seven o'clock there were ninety
sheep, belonging to Mr. Adams, of St. Thome. near
Stafford, quietly grazing in one of his fields. In the
course of about an hour and a half afterwards five of
them were found piled one upon another in s heap, and
quite dead, having been struck by the electric fluid,
which completely scorched the ground for some distance
around where the sheep lay. On Monday. as the four
o'clock express train from Edinburgh to Glaagow was
nearing Croy station, the engine driver Was signalled
when passing the 4.15 p.m. express from Glasgow to
proceed cautiously. Shortly after the warning had been
given a fearful noise was heard ; flashes of lightning
gleamed through the hazy air, followed by quick crashes
of thunder ; the carriages of the train were at the same
time assailed by what seemed to the affrighted
passengers within a terrific shower of hail, and in an
instant a perfect deluge of water came sweeping down
from the shelving rocks on either side of the cutting.
A waterspout had evidently burst in the vicinity of the
line, and before the speed of the train weld be
diminished to any considerable extent it shot right into
the centre of the suddenly released waters, which, foaming
and seething, rushed into the cutting in solid sheets.
The water gradually rose outside the carriages, reaching
in a short time the footboard, and afterwards fluting
into the first-class compartments, while the hissing
noise produced through contact with the works of the
engine increased the alarm moonset the passengers.
The difficulties of the situation were still further com-
plicated by the sudden descent of a quantity of stone-
work from the heights above, arising probably. from the
giving way of a dry stone dyke which, spreading across
the rails, destroyed any hope that might have been
entertained of a passage being effected down the line
after the water had filtered away. Ail this was the
work of a few minutes. The engine driver at once
fixed his damper over the furnace, thus preventing the
ingress of water, and avoiding the explosion which
might otherwise have followed. The train was b-v. and
by backed out of the water ; and while it was evident
that the journey to Glasgow must be for some time
delayed, all positive danger was at an end. The water-
spout had evidently been limited to a comparatively
narrow area, within which, however, it had operated
with terrible force, for on reselling Croy it was found
that here the elemental strife had been even more
alarming while it lasted. The telegraph wires along
the line had been destroyed, so that communication
with Glasgow was cut off.

ofThe Prince of WILIVA on Monday opened the new Wing
the Sei]ors' Home, London Hooke. _

The Marquis of Worcester was one of the moccasin'
candidates in the recent examination at Chelsea Elamite'
for direct oommisaions in the army.
• • • •• •

THE forty-sixth anniversary of the Queen's birthday
WAA obeerved on Wednesday with every mark of loyalty.
WHY AND Bacsues.— Why are eats kept in sporting
gentlemen's stables? To scratch the ritoehorses.—Psack,
WARN LINING FOR A PAIR OF Surrvss. —A. Russian
lady has just presented to the Pope • pair of slippers,
in which wire planed 160,000 f. in bank notes.
FATAL RISULT OF A POACHING AFFRAY.—On Monday
a man Lamed Joseph Baldwin, aged 30, a resident at
Norton, near Pontefract, died at the Leeds Infirmary,
in consequence of • gunshot wound he had received in
a poaching affray.
A FAMILY POISONED WITH SNORED HAM—At Lubeck,
Germany, the family of Senator Dittmar, have Veen
poisoned, by eating smoked ham no-cooked, wh•ch
turned out to be infested by trychines (small threadlike
worms.) Out of seven persons attacked, four are alrealy
dead.
' •

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Tait clerical party in Naples is at tkis moment ex.
oessively irritated against a conjuror. 11. Boone, jun.,
who the other evening, at the San Carlo Theatre,
imitated the miracle of St. Januarins. By univeriuil
consent Bosaa's miracle was declared to be far more
marvellous than that annually performed in the .aura
of that saint.
ADMIRAL KUPIR, in firwarding to the Admiralty the
reports of the captains of his squadron in reference to
the performances of the Armstrong guns recently en-
gaged in Japan, adds that his late experience has con.
firmed him in the opinion that the vent-pieces, as at
present fitted, and particularly in the 110-pounder gun,
are too easily put out of order to render the guns
perfectly efficient as naval weapons.
GRATIFYING INTILLIGINCIL —lt must be gratifying
to all those who have found out the value of RIOILITT'S
DIAMOND BLACK LIAD, to learn that it is used in the
Palaces of the Queen, and Prince of Wales. The Boyd
domestics were among its first patrons.
TIM BING Or PRUSSIA ADDRCSSIS HIS Gimil•La
in Berlin one day, and his words are in print in London
the next. The latest improvement. on magnetic action
have rendered this and many other results undeviating.
For instance, Herring's Magnetic Brushes; in restoring
Grey Hair to its natural color, and in eradicating the
agony of Tic Dolormax and Nervous Headache.
N.B. —Counterfeits are being made.
Offices, 32, Bestilhell-skteet, lienatu.

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