The Warwickshire Herald. — 1895-09-12 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.  RAILWAYS FLOODED.  A thunderstorm of even greater severity than the I two which recently occurred in the metropolis, broke I over London in the early hours of Saturday morning. The rein fell in torrents and the lightning was in(*want After a short time there was a break in the storm; but at half -past 4it recommenced. For , an hour there was no appreciable interval between 1 the successive flAshes of lightning, which were both forked and of the "sheet" variety. The peals of thunder were terrific and seemed to be i-ninadiately overhe id ; while the rain, with which was mingled hail, came down like a deluge. By 6 the storm had abated; but distant rumblAs of thunder were still heard and heavy rain-storme laving from five to ten minutes and then suddenly ceasing, weie frequent until past 8 o'clock. Later on the sun tame out; but the air remained very close and warm.  Between Walharn-green and West Bromp•on stations the water, in consequence r.f the sto,m, had collected in the cutting to the depth of about Mt., and the early trains had to plough thmagh it for a Considerable distance.  During the thunderstorm a horse was struck by lightning clgse to Addison-road station, and -.7as instantly killed. Passengers by the District Railway had the remarkable experience of travelling through a flooded line. This was near Hammersmith at the junction with the Great Western, the rain having poured down the incline and accumulated at the mouth of the short tunnel. The fire of an engine of that line was extinguished, causing a block, which, however, did not last long. -  Crouch Hill Station (Midland Railway) was inundated, the platforms being covered with water, which rose to the heir of Sf'  ight of sft. in., and completely blocked the line, so that from 4.30 until 7 it was absolutely impossible for trains to go through. On the North London Railway a considerable deal of damage and a large amount of inconvenience was caused, and very seldom has there been such a sight as was witnessed at Dalston Junction, Bow, Old Ford, South Bromley, and Poplar. From Old Ford to Poplar the line runs very low, and consequently the rain ran down the line until the railway had the appearance of a river. At Dalston Junction the water was or a very considerable depth, and the "swishing" of the trains through it caused much excitement among the passengers.  On the Great Eastern Railway several of the stations and goods yards were under water. At Millwall, where the lines run in connection with the North London Railway from Poplar, and where there is a large goods depot, the lines were completely covered. On the East London Railway, from Liverpool-street to New Cross, over which the District Railway trains run, the tunnels were flooded; whilst at Shadwell, Wapping, Rotherhithe, and Deptford, where the line runs down for the Thames Tunnel, the water was very deep. In several parts of the East End whole families had to leave their homes on account of the lower rooms being flooded. The rapidity with which the rain fell left no time to allow some of the unfortunate families to save their things, and many persons had to seek temporary shelter in the casual wards of the workhouses. Many streets were under water, and the shopkeepers were unable to open their premises when the time came for business.  The old churchyard at llJckney was partly under water, and some of the pathways used by pedestrians were rendered impassable. Several of the fine trees with which the churchyard abounds were much damaged. When the storm was at its height the firemen were called out, shortly after five o'clock, to 14, Gertrude-street, Chels a, where it was fund that the lightning had stru 1 the residence of Mr. M. A. Crouch. The house of eight rooms had become completely involved in flames by the time hydrants were set to work, and the next-door house was considerably damaged by breakage and dirt. Mr. Crouch's house was practically destroyed. When the storm was at its height a young lady named Hurley, belonging to a highly-respected family in Rochester, arose from her bed, and, going down to the river Medway, threw herself into the water. A man named Bourne, who was passing on his way to work, jumped in and rescued her, afterwards handing her over to the police. The would-be suicide was, it is alleged, suffering from religious mania, and had been for some time under medical treatment.  Some scores of houses in the neighbourhood of the Isle of Dogs were flooded to the extent of several feet, and old residents in the locality describe the storm as the most severe they remember to have experienced for years. In one instance there was a very remarkable escape. A child, nearly two years of age, was sleeping in a cot on the ground floor of one of the houses which were flooded. So rapidly did the water rise that before the parents realised the danger the cot was carried through a window which had been left open on account of the excessive heat. The parents missed the child, owing to the room being illuminated by a brilliant flash of lightning, and the father succeeded, though with considerable difficulty, in rescuing the child, very little the worse for its remarkable experience.  An elderly woman named Martha Willing, living in the East End of London, is reported to have died from the effects of fright, the result of the phenomenal storm. The deceased, who was a widow, and employed as a charwoman, had been in failing health for some time. She is described as having been extremely nervous during a thunderstorm, and on Saturday morning the unfortunate woman was found lying in her bedroom dead. Shock to the system acting upon a weak heart is supposed to have been the cause of death.  At Blandford three dairy cows, a horse, and 13 sheep, which were out in a field in the open, were killed.