The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-06-25 00:00:00

THE LATE STORK.

From all parts of the Western Counties we receive
accounts of the fearful nature of this •isitation,
from which it appears that for very 'flatly yearn no
storm of equal violence hat been experienced in thin
part of the country. The following are Additionial par.
tieulars to those we have already published :
HERE REGIS.—DZATH BY LIGIITNINU.—An inquest
was held on Monday, June 17th, at Dere ItegiA, on the
body elan old man, named William Ilillettomed $3 years,
1114 wife being 86 yearn, who was killed by lightning
on S.,turel..y evening, at a place called Here Brick Kiln.
It appeared that the old man, whims wife and niece
slept in the same room, said he would get up, but
while doing no his niece, who went downstairs to get a
candle, heard • noise. She went up and found her
uncle on the floor living, but speecillm.s and insensible.
The li;tatting had struck the chimney, came through
the ceiling of the loom making a bole not larger than a
shilling, had struck loom,
iron rod of the bed, and ran
ronnt to the deceased's head and struck him on the
top of it, passiLg do en hie left side and leaving a livid
mark. It had set fire to the bet curtains and burnt
them ; then it went through the floor, making a small
hole as if a bullet had been fired through it. It bad
then passed down the clock case of the room below.
Here the fluid seem* to have separated as it returned
up the chimney,and making a small hole through to the
bedroom of the next house, where there wan a most
providential escape to a man and his wife and three
children who wens sleeping there, and over whom a
lArge portion of the plaster of the ceiling was shattered.
Tee deceased lived twenty minutes att,r being struck.
The jury returned • verdict in accordauce with the
facie of the ease.

iiiiIIROBT.—The thunder storm on Saturday night
was violent at Bridport harbour, and the lightning did
sonic tlaina7,e at the house of Mr. White, at the Har-
bour post office, happily without killing or mai 11l ill g any
individuaL In the midst of the storm, between 11 and
12 o'clock, the lightning struck this b use. A window
Wall broken and a bell wire Cal melted, the ceiling and
wood work along the course of the wire being blackened
by the current. Reaching a spare bedroom, the hang-
ings of the bed were rented asunder, the iron curtain
rod was thrown to the ground, and one of the bed posts
at the bead was split asunder. In the back parlour the
effect was the prostration of • marble mantle piece, and
sinathing to atoms of a pier glass, the fragments being
mattered about at the further end of the room. In a
bedroom in which two of Mr. White'. daughters were
sleeping,. the partition wall at the bead of the becllves
. . . .

fractured to the extent of about a foot and a half in
diameter, and the great debris strewed over the bed,
arousing, in great affright the *lumberer', who took
refuge unhurt at the Bridport Arms. The effects was
traced to the underground kitchen, where, however,
no serious damage occurred. Rain fell in torrents, and
at Mr. Holt'., Bridport Aims, the cellar was flooded.
Cauwitentat.—A bout a quarter-past twelve o'clock on
Saturday night a most extraordinary burst of thunder
was beard as il the whole challenge were cracking to
stoma. This, followed by the tone of the rifle
bugle, the cry of fire, and the screeches of women, made
• truly appaling scene. The fluid was seen to be more
prevalent on the north side of the town, and • large ball
or stream of liquid fire was seen by many persons both
in and out to fall from the clouds, and instantly the
whole town was illuminated by the light of • firs, which
raged with fury on the premises of Mr. J. W. Rowe,
sail cloth minufacturer, North-street. Hundreds of
persons hastenedto the spot with all speed and rendered
good active service (especially thaw connected with the
rifle corps.) The following is • brief summary of the loss,
but it will take some days to clear away the ruins.
Nearly 400 bolts of caner's, mostly No. 1, best bleached
value £3 per bolt. A large quantity of twines. A
large quantity of unbleached yarns. Nearly twenty
tons of best high mark flax. Also upwards of fourteen
tone of mixed quality tow. The premises that were
destroyed cois.prised ten different departments, occupied
as flax and cloth store rooms, folding room, weaving
room, and beaming rooms. llpwarls of sixty pairs of
looms, and beaming or stretching rooms were wholly
destroyed or injured, also a large machine and utensil
used in folding cloth, Ito., were destroyed, and several
tons of wood prepared for the lathe for purposes used
in the factory. Mr. Rowe is insured in the Hants,
' Sussex, and Dorset Fire Insurance Office, but we hear
I not up to anything like the present estimated loss,
I which is likely to be from £4,000 to £5,000. The public
truly sympathise with Mr. Rowe in his great loss.
During the whole of the night the thunder and light-
ning continued, and about G o'clock on the Sunday
morning, the storm again burst forth in its
fury, and another ball of fire fell into the
stream of water close by the side of the house of Mr
Elliott, dairyman, with a great hissing crash.
li.ufserra.—On Saturday night, the 15th inst., this
neighbourhood was visited by the moat terrific and
destructive thundenitorin on record during the last
twenty years. The day had been exceidingly hot and
oppressive, and there were premonitions of an approach-
ing storm the whole of the afternoon and evening. ,
Thunder was heard for souse time rolling heavily in the
distance and gradually nearing till about 11 o'clock,
p.m., when it burst in awful grandeur, and raged for
several hours, accompanied towards its close by a perfect
deluge of rain, which lasted tall 7 or 8 o'clock on Sunday
morning. The lightning was vivid and continuous,
illuniinating every object, more especially fields and
trees, with matchless grandeur. Numerous casualties
have been reported, amongst which the following are
the most important :—Mr. Chipman, of Dillington
farm, has had four bullocks killed; Mr. 11 ,ward, of
Horton, eight.slicep:. Mr. Borrough, of Park farm, one

horse; M 7. John Stone, Coiiibe7 tine horse; Solomon
Kitch, of Broadway, one pig; Mr. W. Champion, of
A lloweushay, two sheep, as well as two colts seriously
injured; aud Mr. Elswood, of Broadway, • horse
seriously hurt about the head. At W vitent the electric
fluid struck a cottage inhabited by Mr. Hawker, which
was speedily reduced to ashes, one of the inmates
narrowly escaping with her life, and at Holditch a flock
of nine geese were killed. Vast numbere of fine trees
have been riven and torn in a most remarkable manner,
and sonic of the pieces hurled • considerable distance.
CHAMD.—One of the most terrific thunderstorms that
can be remembered by the oldest inhabitante visited us
on Saturday night. It commenced about 10 o'clouk
and lasted upwards of five hours. One of Mr. Tome's
men was stiuck by the fluid in the leg while in
Coombe-street ; his trousers were scorched and a place
laid bare on his kg as large as the hand, having the
appearance of a raw wound. He is now very lame. A
cottage in the occupation of Mr. Hawker, at Chard-
leigh was struck and burial to the ground.
whilst its inmates had a very narrow escape. A. great
deal of damage has been done to cattle and buildings
far anal neat for miles, and Saturday night will not
be easily forgotten.

THE CHAMPIONSHIP.
TrEADAY, June 18.—The fight for the championship
having been fixed to take place this morning, the
coinhetants and their friends betook themselves to the
country at an early hour. The claimants for the
riaession of the championship were Sam Hurst, the
Staleybridge Infant," and Jew Mace, of Norwich.
The first-named threw down • challenge to the winner
of the fight between Heenan and Tom Sayers, but it
was not accepted by either of those notabilities, for
reasons which must be patent to those even who neither
take any interest in, nor have any knowledge of. such
contests. Another member of trim prize ring, Tom
Paddock, took up the challenge iint forth by Hunt,
but suffered defeat. So much difficulty is now ex-
perienced to "bring off a mill," as it is tulinicaUy called,
that • large number of persona were intentionally "put
off the smut," and only the expressly initiated got to
the North Kent Railway station, at London-bridge,
at 6 o'clock this morning, from whence they were
conveyed somewhereilown the line, but as the expedition
was under sealed orders, and the destination was de.
pendant upon the presence of, and the celerity of
1 the police, the actual place where the fight would
wino off WAS not known at the time the parties
left the metropolis. Both the combatants were
present, having been in safe care somewhere in town
during the night. It was understood that the train
would go on to "a place" where a steamer or other boat
would be in waiting to convey all concerned where it
might be thought most advisable.
The fight came off on Tuesday in an island in the
Medway. The contrast between the two men as they
entered the ring was even more startlingly dispropor.
tionato than that between Heenan and Sayers. Hurst
stood nearly six feet three inches in height, and
weighed 16 stone, while his gigantic swarthy chest
and limbs, in which the muscles stood out in great
folds and knots like bosses of bronze, made his figure
look even larger and more formidable, if possible, than
it was in reality. Among ordinary men Mace would
have seemed a terrible antagonist for any to *qv with,
but, dwarfed and almost overshadowed by the giant he
hail challenged, his venture imemed little short of sheer
madness. His height is barely over Mt. Sin., his weight
only ten atone and a half. When at last, after shaking
hands, the men stood alone in the centre of the ring, it
PACOICII IdnioNt like conniving at murder to permit a
contest between two men n diSPrOPOrtiOnell iii cisc,
height, strength, and weight. Yet Mace, as he stood
up almost in the shadow of his great assailant, seemed
confident, though, of course, very cautious.
Before the first mound, which hulled nearly 12 minutes,
was over, Hurst was half smothered in his own blood,
and his face so gashed that, ail let as appearances went
HMSO might have been assaulting him with a razor.
Still, as it was known Hurst lied to give only one blow
t. win the day, no one seeined inclined to back Max,
who might at any moment get a stroke that would an-
nihilate him. Vet the tremendous blow that meemed
always impending weer came. Hurst evidently knew
nothing of boxing, and his Antagonist therefore merely
drew /Wide with the miet perfect ',lvey froid from the
slow, awkward, movements of the posidenius arms
delivering him own strokes full on the head and face,
of,the giant with a force and rapidity that was terrible.
After there had been ten rounde, and the fight hail
lasted some threes4uarters of an how, Blunt's seconds
and backers saw that his chance Was hopeless and
urgently strove to make him discontinue. But, though
now utterly blind, hie features mashed out of all
recognition almost as • human being, and reeling from
his fearful lose of blood, the gory disfigured giant still
tottered from his corner, only to be gent tottering beck
by an antagonist that lie seemed capable of aneihilating.
Mace now no longer fought cautiously, but hit when
and where he pleeseil, and even closed with the