A THUNDERBOLT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1661, 30 January 1906, Page 3

A THUNDERBOLT.

REMARKABLE ELECTRIC MANIFESTATIONS.

STRANGE EXPERIENCES.

(Auckland Star.) The electric storm that preceded the tropical downpour of rain shortly after six o’clock last Tuesday night was accompanied by some tremendous flashes of lightning, and for Auckland, terrific peals of thunder. It was at Arch Hill, however, that the storm seems to have made its greatest manifestation, and the experiences of the residents of Cod-rington-street will long form the topic of conversation in that neighborhood. About the time mentioned there was a terrific clap of thunder, and a huge ball of fire was observed to travel

down from the sky earthwards at great speed. It appears to have made its presence felt in the vicinity of Mr Hogan’s grocery establishment on the corner. Mrs Hogan and her two daughters were in the back room and suddenly felt themselves shot away from their positions. Mrs Hogan was kneeling by the fire-place and was I knocked over, the shock temporarily stunning her, so that she did not know what happened next, and recovered her faculties to find herself removed into another room. One of her daughters was knocked off her chair and another who was drinking a cup of tea found the cup whisked out. of her hand and herself propelled against the wall. All were more or less stunned by the shock, and the blinding flash of light that accompanied the shock and the booming thud of it was succeeded by a sudden darkness all

around them. Outside the work of the electricity was remarkable. The two small sons of Mrs Hogan were looking out the window when the incident occurred, | and they saw what they took to be a great ball of fire descend in the yard. It filled the whole atmosphere and darted about like a living thing. The wiro clothes lines were fused, and the current travelled up the pieces to the buildings to which they were attached. omnfo fhft With, a

One section smote mo uuuao rending crash and tore out a portion of the wooden wall, splintering and smashing the pioces. A long piece oi j guttering was wrenched from its position, and sent clattering to the ground, and portions of the galvanised iron roofing of the shod adjoining wore dislodged. Curiously enough none of tho woodwork in this part seems to have been burnt it was simply splintored and smashed to atoms. At the other sido of the yards i 3 another shed—a stable —to which one end of tho rope was attached. Tho current travelled along |the line also,

and struck the shod witfl anotner craßu, ripping the long boards from their positions and forcing them out from tho joists for a distance of several feet. All tho things in the shed were scattered, and the woodwork around was shattered. Evidently some metal fused, for the woodwork in this shod was ignited, and Mrs Hogan’s small boy had to put it out. In the house itself, it should bo added, all the things on the walls of the room struck wore scattered about the place, and a good deal of the crockery was disr turbed or smashed. The windows were broken also by the impact, and generally a good deal of small damage ronti firm A Probablv about £5 will

waa uuud. cover the damage in this case. Next door is Mrs Bergen’s house, which also had a visitation. There were two small boys under the house fixing up the copper for the following day’s washing. They saw a flash, and the same moment were both thrown down. One boy had a spade in his hand, with which he was clearing out the ashes, and it was smartly slapped 1 against his leg by an invisible force. The atmosphere was filled with a thich muddy sodimont, and the tubs had to be cleared before they could be a-. ; - i was not the only damroora

wore smashod into small fragments at the same instant, and everything in the room was knocked from its position. In tho yard are two trees —of rather a big live maorocarpa tree and a stump of one deceased. To these wire close lines are attaohed, and on each tree is a deop mark whore tho lines are attached, indicating where the ourront struck and ripped off tho hark. Evidently the big tree attainted tho current, for up its side is a long , track whore tho lightning has ripped a channel through tho bark. In a j shed adjoining tho troe was a pile of bricks, and that scattered, tho things in the shed being upset, and a big earth holo dug out whore tho current struck the bricks. Over the feuco at the back in Mrs Chitlmm’s house was another indication of the strange work of the electricity. Mrs Chitham was standing, by a table in the kitchen, her father being near the half-open door, and her daughter also in the kitchen. Tho window ovor the sink was closed, and there was only one open way for the current to enter. Yet the current seemed to strike right through the window at the sink in a big glaro, and to their astonishment the woodwork around the enamelled sink was ripped away from its position. In the same instant Mrs Chitham, who was standing by the table using a knife, felt herself enveloped in a luminous cloud. A flash of light struck the knife and travelled up the blade and along her arm, leaving her face blackened with smoke of some sort. All this took place in the same instant, and there was a terrific thud accompanying it It reminded Mrs Chitham of the ex

plosion of an ammunition factory in -England she once heard. Fortunately, no other damage was done. The next circumstance of the affair is scarceley less strange. Apparently the current got side-tracked, for it was seen to dart across the road and

through the open doorway of Mrs Crowther’s house, and ran through the passage, which, fortunately, is a straight one, and leads out into the backyard. This enabled the current to pass unchecked into the yard, where it entertained itself by Jclimbing up a large gum-tree and stripping off some of its bark.

A side-current visited the house of Mr Frost, next door, and knocked him off his chair. In another place it fused the wire clothes lines. Its further

efforts there is no indication of, and when last seen the “ ball of fire ” was

travelling along the main North-road, where its movements were lost sight