The Sun.
London, England, 1856-08-12 00:00:00

THE /MINDER-STORM IN THE NORTH.

The _Northern I.Vhig gives the following addi-
tional particulars of the destructive effects of the
thunder-storm which passed over the province of
Ulster on Thursday last :-
4. The morning of Thursday was delightful, the -sun
shining out with great brilliancy and warmth, until,
between 11 and 12 o'clock, the thermometer ranged from
125 deg. to 90 deg. in the shade. ShGrtly before 12,
however, while the sky was perfectly clear, a few low
plats of thunder were heard towards the south-west,
where, in the course of a quarter of an hour, clouds were
seen to gather slowly on the edge of the horizon. In a
short time the volleys followed each other in rapid suc-
cesion and with a louder report, accompanied with
flashes of lightning, up to 2 o'clock, when very large
drops of rain began to descend. From this time until
nearly 5 teolock the storm became more intense, the
rain fell in torrents, and the thunder and lightning con-
tinued almost without intermission, having extended
over a period of five hours. We regret to say that the
accounts which have reached us from different localities
show that this storm has resulted in serious loss both of
and property. One man at Dromore, and two chil-
dren at toe Falls, are reported as having been killed by
the lightning. At Dunmurry two men, named Barnett
and Green, in the employment of Mr. Hunter, were
struck by it. Barnett was seriously injured, one side
being completely paralysed, but it is hoped that both
may recover. On Collin Mountain, a bullock, the pro-
perty of Mr. Henry Graham, of Falls, and two horses
were killed. The lightning entered the house of Mr. A.
Aickin, at Malone, passing down the chimney into the
parlour, and breaking a quantity of delf and glass,
which was upon a table; one of Mr. Aickin's servant
men, who was at the byre door in the rear of the house,
was injured by it. Two pikes of hay on the farm of Mr.
W. Coates, Falls, were burnt ; and a similar casualty
occurred on the farm of Mr. J. Ireland, also in Falls
district. In Lisburn the storm was severe, and the hotel
there was struck by the ele,Cric fluid. At Derriaghy,
about two miles from the last named place, Mr. S. Duf-
field's son was leading a horse, which was so startled
by the thunder that he became almost unmanage-
able ; the lad, however, held on by him, and, in his
efforts to restrain the animal, was severely crushed
against a wall. In the vicinity of Lurgan and Ban-
bridge there was a violent hailstorm ; and at Newforge,
where two men were killed by lightning preciseiy ten
years ago, the hail fell to the depth of several inches.
At Ardmillan the rain was very heavy, and the hail of
extraordinary size. The wires of the magnetic tele-
graph, along the line to Ballymena, have been so much
damaged that the communication with that town has
since been interrupted, and a similar interruption has
occurred in the telegraphic chain between Belfast and
Liverpool. During the continuance of the thunder and
lightning on Thursday the electrical agency in the at.
tnosphere so influenced the wires that it was found im-
possible to transmit messages to Dublin and other places.
The storm seems to have passed; for the most part, in a
south-west direction. Dundonald, Holywnod, Bangor,
and other places, escaped it altogether. In the neigh-
bourhood of Moneyrea the thunder raged for more than
an hour on Thursday evening, after which the weather
became calm. About 4 o'clock yesterday morning the
storm again broke out in that district with great fury.
The electric current struck the Presbyterian meeting-
house, which it damaged to some extent. The walls are
uninjured, but a few slates have been forced from the
roof, four seats are a little displaced, and all the walls
are more or less shattered. The foregoing particulars
are all that have yet come to hand of this storm, which,
for duration and violence, has not been equalled in this
part of the country for many years."