The Express.
London, England, 1858-06-14 00:00:00

SZAPT THCINDALSIORMS.

An electric storm of great severity visited Liver-
pool and its neighbourhood timely ced Saturday morninc, end
lasted for several hours. At *Penh heavy showers of rein
fell, which almost deluged the streets in some of the lower
Arts of the town. At Waterloo, Seaforth, and the neigh-
districts the storm appears to have been felt with
Fthviolates. About a quarter to five o'clock a flash of
eting struck the new methodist chapel et Waterloo. Pert
e root was carried away, besides a portion of the coping
atones. After striking the roof the electric fluid mewed the_
building, and struck the tablets at the head of the commu-
nion. The tablets., which an of wood, were set on ere, and
a portion of the ornannotal work at the top torn away and
peojeoted to :he opposite end of the building. Afterwards
the lightning ascended one of the ornamental windows
at the head of the ammonia' table, musing other di,-
map during its program. The doe was shook and
at ten minutes to five. Seheagematly,
stopped
oVe been attracted by the chaedefteir fa Mei e=f
the chapel, near which at broke $ **helm red,M the
opposite end to which it had aimed. The keeper,
who resides in tbe nelibbsotheeds halo *al
the heavy rains might injure She andell
a few minutes after the 00111111111011 Aare ffi
proceeded at once to the beadle( fe mare as teen"",
and ins astonished to lad the emmemslon labiate en an.
The dames were, however, eatiseeleheill with little .
The Wilg was insured. At du
the Meade iii
struck the &limey of a house, smashed the oblimsee
and damaged one of the windows. • wheat stack
to Mr. Binh, of Orrel, was set alre by the
rams bons front it in everysoon reduced le dine:hoe; draft* hese=
together
vs.
and was very eites,
with bilbeeiom or stand on which it rinieiL TIM loss will
emote, about 1001., which will be motered by insurance.
The norm °manned with more or lees intensity until
about half-now a o'clock, when it posted off, though It con.
tinned to rate heavily.
About eleven o'clock on the same (Saturday) morning, a
thunderstorm bunt over the town of liirmincham. With an
interval of about three quarters of an hour, at lasted nearly
three hours. The rain deseended in torrents, and in huge
drops, resembling the outpourings of • waterspout. The
thunder was prodigiously loud, very much resembling the
reports of the heaviest artillery sad the lightning, of the
forked kind, wag remarkably vivid, mad the fiches frequent.
For about five-and-twenty minnimaitie before and after
two o'clock, the storm was at tie • and about that
tints there descended with the rain risteorican
about the size of and larger than • pea, sad resegabliagbita=
pines of coal. The quantity falling et the time was mat-
mous, and in a few minutia Yammer pools el water were
formed in the lower tarts of the town, and very
serious damage has been dome by the bunting of
drains, surface pipes, do. In the course of the
storm several osaualties occurred from the lightning, but
as tar as we are informed without fatal resells. Several
stacks were fired about three nuke from the town, but the
Town-hall itself very narrowly escaped injury. Preparations
are in progress there for her 111.j/sty's visit ; flagstaffe fee
royal standards had been pleated at each extremity of the
bulking. Ons of these stab was struck by the electric cur-
rent, the ball and three or four feet at the top was knocked
off, and the staff was shivered all the way down. It is not
improbable that this obstacle broke the current and saved the
building. Throughout the entire line of her Majesty's routs
next Tuesday, preparations were in progress ; of course these
were all anspendtd, but it is hoped that no material damage
ham been done, the works not having made sufficient program
towards completion. Soon after 3 o'clo,:k the storm passed over,
and in the evening the heat was again great, but lees doss
and sultry than it had been on the night and morning imme-
diately preceding the storm.
Two men, one named Unwlit wore returning from
Ingleby to lerby with • dray, when the storm came on. The
horse and Unwin, who had hold of his heed at the thus,
were both struck down by the lightning the hone being
killed on the spot, and the man was picked up for dead, sad
conveyed to Derby, where it was found that one of his arms
was very much burnt. He remained Insensible for some
time, bat is gradually recovering. The other man escaped
injury. Several buildings in the town have been struck.
The Baptist chapel, in St. Mary's-gate, had a portion of the
ornamental stonework knocked off. A house at Hansing-
ton, on the outskirts of the town of Derby, was split from
top te bottom.
The west of Scotland was visited last Tuesday by a thou-
&esteem, which has seldom been gummed in violence. At
Oouroek, Damon, and Rothevay, the thunder and lightning
began on Tuesday afternoon, and continued during the
entire night, and at occasional enamels the rain came down
in sheets, with almost the force of a tropical waterspout
Tits storm appears to have been Inman in the (shunt of
AMIN where it raged for twenty-two hours. At Lamle/di,
where the steamer Jupiter lay at anchor, she quivered at
each successive flash and roar as if she hod WWI upon the
rooks, sad the crystal and crockery in the airwerd's pantry
rattled and dewed, although there was no heaving upon the
sea to produce such a commotion. On shore the very houses
shook, and the people were almost paralysed with terror.
The afyr deeeraser sate "On Tuesday 'towards
8 o'clon, the fiery gleams became In t, end
the thunder-lope followed as on the *Want, while *lecher
rains continued to tali. The dreadful warring of the eissmate
coatinued throughout the night, and about 2 o'clock on
Wednesday morning there was almost • constant sheet of
lightning and a perpetual roar of thunder. Few people re-.
member luring seen so much lightning at one thee. A
young woman named Pinkerton, residing fa ftl
Wallantown, was engaged mewing at • window, in moos el
the panes of which wee • se.all hole. The eismele field, at;
tweeted, it is believed, by her needle, passed through bar 1,
hand and into her arm, affecting her whole skis. Heraim
and hand are discoloured and entirely deprived of power. A
bone was killed by the lighttung, and some fowls at the
farm-house of Byres, pariah of Coylton, suffered the same
fate. Manyof the electric telegraph poste on the Straiten road
sear to Gamma were split maunder. The village of Dutton
wee Inundated as if by a waterspout aed scene fields of
potatoes and turnips were entirely destried. The soil wee
washed off, and was borne downhill the deluge of rain,
carte fag tem carts withlt into the harbour. Several of the
inhabitants had to leave their houses during the night, in
wesemienoe of the water having rims to a height of several
feet in their dwellings."—The Wirtortakire has Pens states
that" on Tasedey evening last Stemmer and the Rhine
dktriet =pinhead one of the most terrific thunderstorms
that hoe been remembered fee the last forty years. The peals
of thunder ware tatty fistful, accompanied with deluging
falls of rate, and the flashes of lightning were extremely
vivid sad cantianoos. The whole surface of Lochryaa
looked am beautiful sheet dens about midnight, when the
4hiaing woe moat brilliant. This Whom storm and heavy
tall of rain Wad for nearly 17 boors, ve lilt very little inter-
minim or abahomet."--New PeetimMiek, a boy and girl
were drouasl while amusing themselves near a burn which
had brooms greatly swollen daring the storm. On a farm
err Beseedft OMNI cows were killed by the lightning.