The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-08-11 00:00:00

TERRIFIC THUNDER-STORM

severely

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COntillUed lor several minut7•s.)
The meeting wax t.ubsequently addressed by Mr. Ser-
gPatit Sylf-,, the Duke or Richmond, Mr. D'lsradi, and
others; and the company did not separate until a late
hour.

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(Toe noble lord I the flesh 1r:on-their bodies, and p

On Saturday week the metropolis. and, indeed, nearly
all the south of England, was visited by one of the se-
verest and most alarming storms of thunder, lightning,
hail, and rain that has been experienced for many years.
For some days previously the heat had been intense. In
the neighbourhood of London threatening clouds congre-
gated in the afternoon, in the S.S.E., though the wind
(below) was from the N. E. About twenty minutes after
three o'clock, the storm burst over the metropolis and the
western suburbs with awful violence. The rain, which
poured down in torrents, was accompanied at intervals by
hails. ones of very large size, many of those picked up
weighing front an ounce to an ounce and a half. The
storm was at its greatest fury between four and five
o'clock, and lasted from twenty minutes past three o'clock
till half-past six in the evening—three hours and ten mi-
nutes.

n ofa m skylightst.alace,
Somerset House. Burlington A'cade, the Bazaar (Baker-
street), Amongst the public buildings in the metropolis which
and havesuffereddomes, f ,
om moat
the hailstones,evere
street). the British Institution. Pall-mall, and the Pad-
dington terminus of the Great Western liailvrae. The
severely
by
the
are fracturesuckigh
Horticultural Gardens (Chiswick) the Botanic Gardens
(Kew), and those in the Regent's Park have also suffered

At Buckingham Palace the Picture Gallery, in which
are some of the mo,t splendid productions of the old
masters, was at one time in imminent danger, for when
the large hailstones, or rather irregularly shaped pieces of
ice, had removed all opposition to the ingress of the rain,
the gallery was flooded to the depth of several inches.

'foe Houses of Lords and Commons were inundated,
from the destruction of the fan-lights. The total num-
ber of squares demolished in the two houses of Parliament
and Westminster Hall is upwards of 7,000. At Messrs.
Cubitt's factory, Mil!bank, hom 12,000 to 14,000 squares
of glass were demolished. At Messrs. Broadwood's piano-
forte manufactory in the Horse-ferry road, Westminster,
nearly 8,000 squares of glass were broken.
The nursery-grounds westward of town suffered se-
verely. At 'Wslham-green (Fulham), during the storm,
there was a heavy shower of small frogs, which were taken
up in shovelfuls by some of the inhabitants. The damage
done to the banks of the Thames., by the rush of water,
especially about Chelsea and Miilbank. is very extensive.
The skylights of the Surrey Theatre were entirely de-
molished, and Astley's Theatre shared the same fate.
Every large establishment having roof-lights was equally
unfortunate. At Bermondsey the loss of property was
great. especially amongst the tanners, whose pits, &c.
were flooded, or, rather, washed out.
At Clerkenwell the cellars were all flooded. In Wig-
nail's-place the inmates were seen at the first•floor win-
dows, imploring assistance, many of the suppliants holding
children in their arms. Mr. H enter, landlord of the Two
Brewers, swam to their aid, and rescued several children.
A man named Smith, a French-polisher, followed his
example, and saved some. Ladders were also brought to
the spot, by means of which the women were extricated.
The premises of Mr. Godson, carcase-butcher, were nearly
swept away. It is impossible to state with anything like
precision the amount of property destroyed in this neigh-
bourhood by the disastrous event. Some premises gave
way from the pressure of the water.
At Duton Park, Windsor. the residence of the Duke of
Buceleoch. upwards of 2000 panes have been broken ;
nearly the whole of the extensive hot and greenhouses
have been totally demolished. A great portion of the
standing corn has been beaten down, and much injury has
been sustained by the market gardeners in every direction.
Throughout the whole district of Blackheath the hail-
stones fully averaged the size of large hazel nuts.
Several persons were struck down by the effects of the
electric fluid ; hut, though rendered fur the time insensi-
ble, soon recovered.
At Southend, Mr. Foster's hothouses were broken in
by the hail. The number of broken squares amounts, in
this place, it is said, to over 4,000. Mr% Hill, of the
same place, has had the front of his house completely dis-
figured, nearly all the beautiful plate-glass windows hav-
ing been broken.
The violence of the storm extended itself to the neigh-
bouring counties :—ln the neighbourhood of Reading..
Oxford, Newbury, Farriugdon, Cirencester, \Vantage,
&c., the storm was of a most awful description, and the
damage sustained to vegetation generally is incalculable.
In Worcestershire the storm was preceded by a whirl-
wind, which sca.tered dust and light articles through the
air. For three hours there was a continuous discharge of
thunder and lightning. The storm had the effect of sus-
pending the operations of the busbandmen.
At Nottingham, at five o'clock, the lightning began to
play, and in two hours the whole atmosphere became en-
veloped in thick dark clouds. Occasiortelly peals of heavy
thunder were heard, and flash after flash of sheet, and
sometimes forked, lightning succeeded, indicating that
storm of no ordinary description was discharging itself in
the heavens. From half-past eight till midnight the ho-
rizon, on all sides. was one et ntinued glare; but during a
whole hour, commencing at half-past nine o'clock, the
storm raged with unparalleled violence. The inhabitant&
throughout the town became terrified as the rain descended
in heavy torrents, the ligh:nings plated incessantly, and
thunders continued one heavy and appalling roar, as
though the elements had been let loose, and were waging
fierce war with each other. So frightful and terrific
storm for so long a period has not been experienced at
Nottingham for many years. Apprehensions of the most
fearful character were entertained, as the forked lightning
constantly dashed through the air, but little or no damage
was done either to the inhabitants or the buildings. At
Nuttall, four miles distant, a fire-ball fell upon a large
stack in the farm-yard belonging to Mr. Joseph Faulcone
bridge, and, although all the villagers turned out, took
every bucket and vessel capable of holding water, the
whole was soon destroyed ; and, had not the wind sud-
denly changed, the other stacks, a very large number•
would have been destroyed. At half-past nine o'clock, in
the midst of the hear est of the thunder and lightning'
.hree half bred horse.. the property of Mr. Charles Alla
cock, were observed to he galloping wildly rorind a fi
el
in the occupaton of that gentleman; and the next morn-
ing they were found dead, in tie centre of the etose.
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from this quarter, says :—All the country people OPPeI
to have be•-ii much terrified, and many of them state, Ora
they passed the great r part of the night on their Icot.;
being apprehensive that the day of judgment, with all
promierd horrors, was really coanntisciug•