The Express.
London, England, 1851-06-25 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JUNE 25, 1851.

TERRIFIC HAIL AND THUNDER STORM
IN THE MANUFACTURING DISTRICTS.

A dreadful storm of thunder, lightning, hail, rain,
and wind, visited the manufacturing iistricts of Lancashire
on Sedulity evening, and was the means of inflicting great
damage on the valuable factory and other exosed property
with which the neighbourhood abounds. The principal
towns, though feeling the full force of all these elements
except one, escaped with but little injury. The extent of
the storm charged with hail was coogeralhely cholli 1
scribed ; but, taking a course across the vas of the Meng
and Etherow, in Cheshire, towards the Ma of York
which bound the north-eastern districts of Leasselare, esd
including in its range the manufacturing Tilton sad Ovum
of Clayton, Fairfield, Gorton, Ashton, Oldham. Miallara.
and Rochdale, it left its brand more or less WOO them dL
The particulars were not fully known in Mandiellee 111
yesterday, when they were the general theme of imoweem•
Lion at the Exchange. Hailstones, or rather piano of lee,
fell almost as large as the squares of a ches,board. Many
of them were afterwards measured by' the curious,
and though taken up in a half-melting state, they
measured from three-quarters of an inch to an inch
I arrow their surface. An attentive observer of the approach
of the storm, who was in the beautiful vale of Clayton, says
that as early as three o'clock in the afternoon a slight
gathering of clouds was perceptible in the south, and again
at six in Vie evening, attended with thunder and lightning,
hut they passea off. The barometer had been falling
steadily during Friday, and from nine o'clock on Saturday
morning to three in the afternoon, it had gone down about
one-tenth. The atmosphere became intensely sultry es the
la advanced. advanced. The main storm began to gather abed
half-past seven, and came from the west and south-west.
Immense Bashes of sheet-lightning were succeeded by the
more vivid flashes of what is called forked lightning, and
heavy peals of thunder, violent gusts of wind. and rain, and
hail. The drifting and meeting of the clouds amid the
flashes of lightning was exceedinglytogether
eedingly grand, and the sur-
charged clouds themselves open coming
bar.
appeared to fall to the earth almost in a
Though the storm lasted but for one hour, its violent*.
while it wax present, was almost unprecedented. The
wind blew down walls, and in some instances whole build-
ings; and the hail, wherever it came in contact with win-
dows at right angles, broke the glass, and some of the
"crystal" fronts of the large factories could not have boa
more effectually riddled had regiments of soldiery
in volleys of musketry. The tine large mill of
Benson and Worthington, at Fairfield, had mese them •
thousand squares of glass destroyed in one of Ills hienie.
The cotton factories of Messrs. Christy and Lea bid •
pod many squares of glass broken, and the catalpa is
Church-street, in which some of their work-pegie
reide, were injured severely, some hued iteh ed
spier of glass in these being destroyed. But few
hews@ in this village wholly escaped, and in two small cots
Loges 97 squares of glass were destroyed. At Gorton**
mill of Mr. John Ryland, had from 400 to 500 agwanmcad
Ors broken. At Royton, near Oldham, Mr. Bielel
vens, one of the partners in the Edge-lane Coal Complicit
wee a considerable sufferer by the storm. A great part of
the roof of his house, barns, and stables was torn o by the
wind, and some very valuable furniture destroyed. A mir-
ror worth 601., and a marble slab on the hall table, were
both smashed to atoms. The oil cloth on the hall floor wee
curled up into a roll, and carried up the stair-case by the
wind. A stark of chimneys was blown down over a bed•
room in which the children usually slept, two of wham
would in all probability have been destroyed, but that they
were on a visit at Middleton. The total amount of the loos wee
about SOM. At Chadderton, about a mile from Oldhaft.the
roof of a newly-built cottage was carried away, end the
gable end blown entirely down, the wall falling upon SOON
boys who were playing at dice outside. One of them.
named Joseph Williamson, had both arms and his jawbone
broken, and nearly all his teeth knocked out. Four
others, named Peter Holt, William Townsend, Joseph
Scott, and James Ogden, were severely injured, some of
them haling legs and arms broken. A small cottage close
by, which had been only recently erected, was entirely dee-
troyed, scarcely a fragment of the walls being left standing.
Other cottages at the same place sustained considerable
injury. The total amount of damage done to the cottages
at Chadderton is estimated at 1901. In Chadderton Park,
and at Tonge, 220 trees were blown down or torn up by the
Mob ; the ground was also torn up in many places. A
hewn at Warrington was set on fire by the light-
ning, but the flames were extinguished without much
damage being done. A person in Salford, named
lbhetson was struck speechless for two hours while sitting
in his shop, the window of which was smashed by the light-
ning. In Rochdale, six cottages were washed away, and
the ruins carried to the gas works, which were at mom
' stopped from working, the loose sand and earth hair=
into the syphon which communicates between the
pi condenser. A servant girl at the same place wee *track
We lightning, and remained insensible for some hours.
eattages tau Greetzahaw-lane, near Middleton, were
lamb desergod, slates and chimneys being carried away to
a dames of thirty or forty yards. A great number of
teem were torn up at Moor-close in the suss bourhood.
The wall of a newly erected Methodist is Gauge-
ehett
war, Manchester, was blown down, sad maim is
which arc kept the museum and library *l' Sal-
ford, hail a narrow escape. It is, as many of the of
the Express are aware, ono of the large public] pals
purchased by subscription for the working arm • sad •
gentleman who was present says a military bald hid boss
stationed on the lawn before the mamba dubs
the evening, attracting great numbers of redo in
the spot, who promenaded the grouse sod rented
till the approach of the storm, hoes whisk 11
of than took refuge in the library and reallerroues.l2
says, " It seemed as though the *des of the corn peewit
directly over the museum, and the Imeadsse of the perk
trees were swept round by it, or dear tops bent to the
ground, and the floods of rain which fell were loaded with
nonce, the boughs of trees, and other materials which the
wind had swept up in its course. The most awful Bashes
of lightning played about the building and trees, lighting
up the deep gloom of the scene, and st • ' tenor late
the hearts of many of the spectators." The b ildsns es.
coped any noticeable damage ; bat SO mist was it bins
struck by one flash of hgbtaiegs that lb noses le I
have been almost miraculous. The AN N& lass
posed to have been drawn aide by the lawashms of a ins
close to the roof, which it withered and stolipptd of ill Nip
in an instant. At Stockport, the home ef Mrs. Wide,'
near the Edgeley station of the Leaden sad North Midis
Railway, was struck with baillesse, which daMeepil
nearly all the windows. Mew cif the window of
Moan. J. liasehell and Sem' WED, and of tbe
in rad-
dense, were brakes by /IMMO pleas of la. traidi
fell the slam, woe round, bra maw eke
lozenge-shaped, sad wraghleg nearly an °item The
Eveleigh Seadayraheal arambere=tockyort, we
abodes the bral. At
windows wore lebyakera and MIS 111116161101Aia IVIII:71.•
blows deers. At Alkeiglec-bill soar fie
Mad did owl diner **the times of the poly opieellep
one hoe
_pepiera,moll stripping ei the bora is
Ohara At lilmildipa, • hmeilwas bilied=lele,
sad at Dray • ildbl wee Ore* Cod ha tb woo
the wehetemsse memo basest, bibs • pod deal stemehed.
la the diesethen of liallks. awl ea oiler puts of the hills
.1 Tearable, rani somileribli deetrustran of property wee
1 imeadimeeL

THE SCENE IN ST. JOILTS CHURCH.