The Sun.
London, England, 1849-07-27 00:00:00

THE THUNDER STORM.

Yesterday the metropolis was visited by a terrific
storm, which lasted a considerable period, during which
I.ne the flashes of lightning and peals of thunder fol-
lowed in rapid succession. Shower upon shower of rain
fell, completely washing the streets, and thoroughly
cleansing the sewers. At one period a shower of hail
occurred, and many of the bail-stones were of large di-
mensions. At the same time the wind blew a gale, and
much damage was done to the shipping and small craft
lying in the river.
LANBETEL—The storm in this part raged terrifically
for upwards of an hour; and shortly before two o'clock
the lightning descended the chimney of the house be-
longing to Mr. W. Tucker, No. 7, Duke-street, Stamford-
street, and tore away a portion of the parapet wall. The
electric fluid then camo in contact with the bell wire,
along which it travelled like a sheet of flame. The
occupants ran out into the street, crying out " The house
is on fire!" The lightning also passed down the chimney
of the premises belonging to Mr. Joseph Shirley, eating-
house keeper, at a time when a number of persons were
dining in the parlour, who rushed out en masse into the
street, believing the building to be in flames. The
engines of the West of England and London Brigade
promptly attended, but fortunately them services were
not required. It is most extraordinary i&at no one
received the least personal injury.
COMMERKAL-ROAD EAST.—The lightning struck a
stack of chimneys belonging to No. 13, Thomas-street,
Commercial-road, in the tenure of Mrs. Ann Haines.
The electric current then took a downward direction,
ripping up the brickwork as far as the back kitcher.
The nailding at the same time was shaken to its very
foundation, and the inmates believing it to be on fire,
ran into the street calling for the engines. Mr. Fogo
and Mr. Mackay, immediately upon receipt of the infor-
mation, each started to the place with an engine, but
fortunately the building had not become ignited.
WHITECHAPEL.—The effects were terribly felt in
\Vest-street, North•street, Whitechapel, where several
houses were shattered, and nearly reduced to ruins.
One fatal and melancholy case occurred in this street.
About a quarter past two o'clock, Thomas Johnson, a
cabinet-maker, 21 years of age, was talking at his
own door with a young man named Callow, when
both were struck down by the electric fluid. Callow
crawled a little way from tha spot, and contrived to
gain his feet, but fell again with a sensation of numb-
ness all over his body, but Particularly in his legs.
An alarm being immediately given, Johnson's father
hastened down, and found his sin stretched a blackened
corpse. The fluid struck him on the right side, tearing
open the sleeve of his coat, and cutting his shirt as if
with a shears. The scene, when visited by our reporter,
was one of extreme desolation and wretchedness. On a
rude stretcher, near the window, lay the lifeless remains,
looking more like the corpse of a man of fifty than of
twenty-one—so extraordinary was the change produced
by the manner of death. His father, heart-broken, sat
on the only chair in the miserable apartment, whilst the
poor neighbours who came in with prompt humanity,
knowing the wants of the poor family, dropped halfpence
liberally into the old man's hat. The deceased had been
fur a long time out of employment, and both he and his
young wife, who is now in the last stage of pregnancy,
had to endure many privations. The inhabitants of the
house No. 22, in the same street, had a most providential
escape. The lightning struck the western gable, shaking
the whole edifice, and riving the roof almost in two. At
the same time a young woman, named Ellen Wells, who
was sitting near the fire-place on the ground-floor was
violently dashed into the passage, a distance of about
seven yards, sustaining little or no injury, but what fright
occasioned. She was, however, deluged before she re-
covered herself, the rain rushing in like a cataract from the
severed roof. The house was struck in several places,
one stream of the fluid tearing its way through the par-
lour wall, within a foot of the young woman's head.
Those in the next house, No. 21, had also a fearful visi-
tation. Thomas Webb, a shoemaker, with his wife and
three children, were sitting at their employment, when
the electric matter dashed down the chimney, tearing
away the fireplace, the floor, and ceiling, and escaping
at the window, without doing the slightest injury to life
or limb; but, between the flooding and the destruction,
the poor people have been altogether ruined. One man,
who was struck down by the'' lightning, was conveyed
to the London Hospital in a state of utter blindness,
from which, however, he soon recovered, but it was found
that the shock had deprived him of reason. In several
houses in the Whitechapel, Mile end, Stepney-, and
Tower Hamlets districts, the destruction of property
was immense. The long drought had rendered the
people negligent of the state of the roofs and gutters, the
consequence of which was, that sudden and heavy
lodgments of water broke in, in many in
stances, through two and three floorings. The fluid
played a curious but very alarming freak at the
corner house, No. 17, New-street, back of St. Philip's
Church, near the London hospital. From all that can
be ascertained, it would appear to have entered at the
lower part of the house, where it roamed about ad libi-
tum, taking it more leisurely than is its usual habit. It
then visited every apartment in the house, running
rapidly along the walls, and ringing the hells, until it
finally escaped at the top window, which it shattered to
atoms. Mrs. Malley, the lady of the house, though
much alarmed, happily escaped unhurt. The police are
momentarily reporting new casualties, the result of this
terrible visitation.

BOROUGH.—WhiIst the storm was at its height,
a loud noise was heard as of all explosion in the imme-
diate vicinity of the Borough-market, which was suc-
ceeded by a fall of some heavy substance upon the roof
of St. Saviour's Church. The alarm was occasioned by
the lightning striking the south-west pinnacle of the
clock tower, dislodging a piece of stone near the base,
about sixteen inches square, which was shivered into a
thousaLd pieces, and sent flying in sundry directions.
Those pieces which fell on the roof passed not merely
through the slating, but also through the external ceiling.
The churchwardens, who were at the time holding a
meeting in the vestry-room, were somewhat alarmed, but
upon making minute examination it was found that the
damage done to the sacred edifice was not very extensive,
but it is as yet impossible to tell whether the pinnacle
will have to be taken down or not. No part of the inte•
rior of the church or of the Ladye Chapel sustained the
slightest injury.
Tim STRAND.—At the time of one of the heavy claps
of thunder. a cry was raised that the electric fluid had
set fire to the premises of Mr. Harland, a boot and shoe
maker, No. 3, Holywell-street, Strand. The firemen,
with heir engines, soon attended, when they ascertained
that a fire-ball had gone down the chimney, sending the
soot out of window like a body of flame. The damage
done to the premises was inconsiderable. A daughter
of Mr. Hart, of No. 7 in the same street, was struck down
by the lightning and severely shaken.
TuE PARKS —The trees in the ornamental parks
were many of them considerably damaged by the elec-
tricity, and some of the branches were shivered, but
not were wholly destroyed.
The state of the thermometer during the day was
maximum 65, minimum 49; and at noon, about an hour
before the storm set in, the quicksilver stood at 63. The
barometer at the same period was 29.63.

GUN AND PISTOL STOCKS.—A vessel arrived off
the Tower from Rotterdam, has brought 13,150 gun-
stocks and 350 pistol-stocks, comprising the entire cargo,
consigned to order.
TEIGNMOUTII. --On Tuesday evening, whilst a child
about six years of age, named Evans, was playing on
the beach, it got possession of a small flat fish, which it
attempted to swallow, but in doing so was unfortunately
suffocated before assistance could be procured.
COMMISSION or SEwEgs.—At a special court held
yesterday, Mr. Woolrych, of the Inner Temple, was ap-
pointed order clerk, in the room of Mr. klertslat, re-