, 1880-08-18

the plaster inwards and right across
against the opposite wall. Here the
drawing room door was standing turning
back inside the ROOM. 1t tore the door
from the hinges add brought it half
across the room somewhat in the d.
rection of the main window, knocking
over tables and k~nickknacks and destroy
ing all that was perishable Having done
with the door 1t followed the waiuscoting
into the landing outside the drawing room
and running up the angle of the wall pass
ed through Mrs. Ponsonby's iron bedstead.
Here again the hole in the wall being
small inside, and large out, gives the up
pearance of the force acting back against
the current. The iron bedstead saved
Mrs. Ponsonby and her room from any real
damage, for passing to tine foot of the bed
il contented itself with knocking the book
out of her hand, slightly singeing tie cover,
and burning q piece some two inches square
off the toe of one stocking without
in any way harming her. Then running
a few feet zig-zag along the floor, it forced
q hole through it and, following the under
side of the floor, passed to the window
sash of the room below, forced the mortar
out and passed out down to earth. Here
again, the hole in the floor shows evident
upward force, the hole being clean below
and splintered above. The window also
was blown iawards, A line in the grass
at the other window OF this room runs
across to the kitchen, where O few stones
were forced up and a couple of woman
servants were knocked fiat without, injury.
The other half of the current that we
left in the root again divided on getting to
the lower end of the shivered beam. One
half of this merely ran down the outside
of the house, tearing of the plaster, and
exposing the limestone and mortar OF
which the house is built, then going to
earth near the porch making q score in the
grass Is feet long. The other halt had
great fun. 1t found itself In the visitors
room, which is ceiled by strips OF paint
ed canvas tucked on 20 the lathes stretching
from WILL to wall. Dancing from nail to
nail, it burnt away the strips, allowing
them to hang down like the air scenes
in a theatre. 1t then threw a lath or
two into the drawing room and passing
down the wal got into the dining room.
Here we know not what course it may
have followed had not Mr.. Pa sword
been hanging breast high in bis room on
the other side of the dining room wall.
The force was enormous. The lightning
bored a hole as big as walnut right through
the wood, burning the limestone and
blowing the mortar and plaster INTO the
dining room hard against the opposite wall.
At the same time the door on the other
side was split and the pieces thrown into
the dining room. The steel sword scab-
bard was fused opposite the hole aud from
here the fluid seems to have jumped across
Mr., P's room, passing out to earth at
three places though only forcing the wall
open at one. !.
All the windows except Mrs, P's and
those of the pantry below were broken.
All picture glass was broken and some
frames turned colour. Nothing was burnt
only scorched in the direct track OF the
fluid. The fluid left the house 10 nine
places. A man OF the cow shed sixty
wards off to the southwark was knocked
down. All the animals had been much
excited a few minutes previous. Mrs. Pf
escape was miraculous. She suddenly
saw q blue flash as if the whole room wa
a sheet of fame, then a crash OF falling
furniture, and then she found herself 90
the barbecue, but was full of wonder
how she got out and down stairs over all
the debris. .fef. adj,
r shouId add that the steel sword JEcab.