The Sun.
London, England, 1832-08-03 00:00:00

FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE RIVER.

Yesterday afternoon a most awful calamity occur-
red on the river Thames during the violent thunder
storm which passed over the metropolis. At the time
mentioned, a Waterman named WEBB, of Kidney Stairs,
Limehouse, was rowing a gentleman up the river, when
they were overtaken by the storm nearly opposite Wap-
ping New Stairs, and before they could get on shore for
shelter a flash of lightning, which preceded a heavy clap
of thunder, struck the boat, and shattered it t pieces.
The waterman and his fare were both knocked backwards
at almost the same instant by the shock and were killed.
Several persons who witnessed the accident immediately put
off in boats, and succeeded in removing the unfortunate
individuals into other wherries before the boat went down,
and conveyed them to the Waterman's Arms public-house,
in Wapping High•street. The gentleman was quite dead,
and his death is supposed to have been instantaneous.
The electric fluid appeared to have struck him on the head,
and then passed down his body. A part of his hat was
shattered, and the deceased was much scorched. WEBS
lived for a few minutes after he was brought ashore, and
uttered a few words very indistinctly before he expired.
He was also burnt about the body. A medical gentleman
was sent for by Mr. GEDDES, the landlord, but be came
too late to be of any avail. The gentleman is said to have
been holding an umbrella over his head. He appears to
be about the middle age, and 13s. were found i❑ his poc-
ket ; but nothing could be discovered on his person by
which his name and address could be ascertained. The
bodies are now lying at the Waterman's Arms to await the
result of a Coroner's inquest.
FURTHER PARTICULARS.—THIS DAY.)

The names of the unfortunate individuals who were
killed by lightning on the river, are Mr. George Allison,
the landlord of the Anti-gallica❑ public-house, at Lime-
house Hole, and Francis Webb, a waterman, of Kidney
Stairs. Mr. Allison was in his 34th year, anti has left
a widow and five children; and Webb was in his 43d
year, and has left a widow and six children, without any
means of support. Mr. Geddes, the landlord of the
Waterman's Arms, was proceeding down the river
in a boat, when he saw Webb in his wherry,
rowing Mr. Allison up the stream in the mid-
dle of the channel, and when right abreast of the
Thames Police•office, near Wapping New Stairs, Webb
passed him, and almost instantly afterwards he heard a
loud clap of thunder ; Mr. Geddes turned round and saw
the deceased persons fall backwards. Mr. Allison never
moved or spoke afterwards ; but the Waterman partially
recovered himself, and beckoned with his hand to Mr.
Geddes, who rowed towards him ; but by that time a
waterman named Raise who was crossing the river, and
heard Webb call out in a faint voice, " sculler, sculler !"
had taken the wherry in tow, and conveyed it to 'Wapping
New Stairs. The lightning appears to have first
snuck Mr. Allison on the back of the head, shivering his
hat and coat to atoms ; and, after partially expending
itself on Mr. A., passed off to the Waterman, who was
sitting forward, and there is no doubt he was struck by the
electric fluid in front of his person. The lightning ap
' pears to have gone through the keel behind where Mr.
Allison was sitting, and has burnt a small hole in the
bottom. Mr. G dies slightly felt the effects of the shock
when the lightning sttuck Webb's boat. It is somewhat
extraordinary that scarcely a thunder-storm has happened
during the last three years, without an accident occurring
about this part of theriv,!: