Terrific Thunder-Storm.
The Times, 1824-09-08T00:00:00

(Frnm the Casmbrien.) On Monday evenitg (30th ult.), we experienced one of the most violent thatnder-storm: within the recollection of the oldest inhabitant of this towrn; and we lameint to state that the conse quences have been most disastrous along the vale of Glamorgan, whole fields of corn having been demolished by tihe rain, whici fell in torrents for five hours, besides the damage done to louses, mills, &c., whichl opposed itS impetuous course. The storm commenced between five and six o'clock, and so excessively hieavy was the rail, that thc turnpike-roads in several places between Pyle and wdunsea became impassable for carriages or horses for a considerable tinme. The mail and Camtbrian coaches vith great difflculty reached Neath that even;ing about twn lhoutrs later than usual, the coachmen declaring that they never experiencedl so vi,;- lent a storut, accompanied with such vivitd lightning, and terrific thundler. There they were detained until the water near Neath Abbey had stbsided, so as to render their proceedintt on their jour- ney safe to themselves and passengers, and they arrived at Swansea abuut one o'clock on the following morning, instead of ten on the preceding evening. W1'e have not heard of a.Ny serious iniury sus- tained in the imiediate vicinity of this tewn, but the subjoined let- ters give a eircumstwntial account of the effects of the violence at bjearh, &C. I NEATI!, Aug. 3L.-This town and neighbourhiood were visitetl last evening wito a storm of thunder, lightning, anti rain, not pa ralleled in the niemory of the oldest inhabitant. The commence. melit of the elemental war was very sudden, beween five and six o'clock. The rain fell im enormnous drops, which qyicklv became a perpendicular torrent, stripping fruit-trees nf their crop, and even tearing away t.;nall branc,les in its precipitate descent. The flashes of glihtmng were almost continuous, and of intense bril- liancy; the thunder-claps mnight he compared to the dlischarge of artillery, followed by a fire of musketrv, and the roll of drumns; only ali these sounds were far louder. sliarper, and deeper, thall tiieir artificial resemblances. The rain descended with such ve- locity and excess, that a partial deluge was the consertuence, and befot e eight o'clock a large portion of the higih road between Neath and the Abbey was deeply flooded, whilst the opemngs [on eacn side of Neathhridge, towards ilr. Tennazit's canal, gave pasaage to cataract of mingled *ater, tnud, and gravel, mnore than a foot in depth At tie little mountain farm of Ty-draw a cow-housse. contailiing a quantitv of dry hay, was set on fire by the electric fluid, and tiestroytd: no other damage of this 4eacrip. [tion has been reported: but the villagc of 1\1elincrythan hsas stf. fered great inconvenience, and some very serious injury, by thc unwonted torrent which rushed down of the Crythan (usually an insigni catt streamniet) withou: ten minutes' notice of is approach. One endof a snall woollen-factorv was carried away, with part of the maehinery, a rick of hay, and the poor in- dutrious owner's vbolc stock of wool, &c. to the destruction of hi6 means of subsistence. Iost of the cottages were ;nun. dated, some thiree, four, and five feet deep, anti one was filedl with water to within a foot of the ceiling. The consternation of the pioar inhabitants may be well conceived-obliged to abandon their habitations, to save their own and their children's lives, leaving their furniture and provisions to the mercy of the irresistible invader, and exposing themselves to the "' pitiless storn," as the onlv means of escape, wthere they had no upper story; for the irruption of the water was in someinstances too sudicn to admit of their removing any thing. it iS surmised that a water-spout mutist have burst upon the mouxtains in tha course of the stream, toacs,untft-i such an instantaneous swell. The bed oftthe stream at the village is now raiseti several feet ab3ve its accustomed level, by the accumulation of loose stones and other debris, from the higher levels of the dinglec; and the saeic incouthi materials have completely buried and demolished several fertile gardens, wliicli yesterday Pfternoon were smiling in luxuriant and orderly Ctulture. In the space of an hour tile course of the Crythan was completely altered, the torrent forming itselfa new channel through X meadow, whichl is wholly inundateJ. This moanifig an extraordinary scene presented itself in all directions where this ungovernable stream had roved in its tury-furniture, and frag- ments of furniture-.cooking utensils.iloaves and rakes of bread_ were seen floating in the cddies, or stranmedl on the shoals, wvhere a few hours before wvas nothing but dry uasture, to which a surnmer shower tvould have been a blessing. Bult the rnoat extensive injuirv was sustained by M3r. Gibbins, at the 1liehinerythan chyrmical works, wliere a large quantity of sugar of lead, packed in easks ready for ex- portation, was dissolved by the water, probably to the value of some nundreit pot5ntls -while the miscbief producedamongo t the very valua- ble and extensive chymical apparatus, wliich that gentleman had per- fected with great sleill and expense, cannot be Teadily estimated. So powerful wasthe flood, which completely invested the works,that it re- moved some very large and massive iron pans to a distance ef many yards. Carbeys? cotai4ning a large quantity bf acid, were floated away, anti deposttetl in every hlireetionmany of course, broken, and nearly all emptied of their contents. The stores continued with very little ititenasion for tive hours, a.t the expiration of which it o'cockt~i m id otexhustallitsfcry resources till about two oznsg. A th perod wenthe lightning was mosit intense, a strong sulphurss.neell pervahde d the atmnssphere, and pe- netrated the closest apartments within its influence. TERRIPIC TI; UNDER-STORM.