The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-30 00:00:00

-Atik

THE LATE THUNDER STORM.
Accounts continue to be received from varieus parts of
the country of the disastrous effects of the tremendous
and almost unparalleled storm of thunder and lightning
which occurred on Wednesday, night and Thursday
morning. It appears to i.mfve been pretty general, al-
though some places were partially and some wholly free
free from the awful visitation. At Norwich the rain fell
copiously, and some lightning was observed, but no
thunder was heard. Uxbridge also was hut partially
visited. The fine old steeple of Devizes church was
rent in twain, the works of the clock destroyed, part of
the metal being melted, some of the bells injured, and
part of the roof destroyed by some fragments of the
steeple falling thereon. Ds consequence of these injuries
it is understood Divine service will not be performed
therein on Sunday nc7•t. The damage is suppostd to
amount to upwards of 1,000/.
Ls:QUEST—DEATH FROM IstorlTNlNG.—Last evening
an inquisition was taken befiass Mr. Wakley, at the Seven
Stars, New-road, Hammersmith, on the body of George
Brill, aged 60 years. who was killed during the awful
thunder storm on the morning of Thursday last.
The Jury having be en sworn acertnpanijd the Coroner
to view the body, which was lying in one of the lower
rooms on the premises. It presented marks of the
powerful effec:s of the electric fluid, which had struck
the deceased on the right side of the head. literally tear-
ing his hat into shreds. It had then passed down the
right side ..f his neck, down his chest, stomach, left thigh,
and leg, and then passed out on the inside of the left
heel. The skin along which it had passed was exco-
riated as from burning, and the boot was burst open and
torn from the sole at the heel. On their return to the
inquest-room, the following witnesses were examined:—
Thomas Alway, a labourer, residing at No. 10, CrOM•s
well's-buildings, Bradmore, hatronersmith, deposed that
he knew the deceased, who was a labourer on the roads,
and lived at Turnham-green. On Thursday morning,
about ten minutes before six o'clock, w bile passing arong
the New-road, he discovered the deceased lying on the
road, on his face, near to the end of Farm-lane, with his
coat tails turned up over his head. He was quite dead.
Witness did net see hint fall, but there was a heavy flash
of lightning, followed by thunder, a minute or two
before, which turned witness completely round, which, in
his opinion, must have struck deceased and killed him.
Thomas Weaving deposed that he was standing at the
gate of the yard of that house on the morning in Ties-
' don, when he saw thu deceased pass along, and in less
than five minutts afterwards he was called on to assist in
removing the unfortunate man. He noticed as he carried
him that there was some blood on deceased's left heel.
The COaONER said the effects of the lightning were so
apparent on the head, stomach, and heel of the deceased
that there could be no doubt as to the correctness of the
evidence given by the witnesses. It was most remark-
, able that in such an awful and terrific storm no other life
' should have been sacrificed ; and it was extraordinary
that, during the three years of his office, he believed that
was only the second or third case of the kind, amongst a
population of 2,000,000 persons.
The Jury immediately returned a verdict of " Died
from the effects of lightning."

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