STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 183, 3 August 1921, Page 5

STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

HOUSES AT MOUNT ALBERT. TWO CHIDENETS WRECKED. A FENCE DEMOLISHED. OCCUPANTS BADLY SCARED. The fork lightning that punctuated last night's storm was felt with great severity in the Mornlngside district, chimneys of two adjoining houses in Ethel Street being striped bare, and the substantial dividing fence separating the properties being splintered to matchwood for a distance of 40ft. The occupants of one of the houses, a newly-married couple, who only recently took possession, had an unenviable experience. The lightning penetrated tiie darkest recesses of the house, which rocked as if it was going to crumple up, the chimney collapsed, mid the falling bricks crashed on to the roof as if they might be coming right through into tlie interior of the building. The wife fainted, and ultimately the young coitplo rushed, out into the deluge tfc-.it accompanied the electric disturbance for safety, and there they remained until the worst of the display had subsided. In the other house the occupants, Mir. J. \V. Mortimer and family, had retired to bed, the time being about 10.30 when the room occupied by husband and wife was lit up. and the home swayed from side to side as if it might topple over. The rumbling of thunder that accompanied the flashes masked the liavoc that was being wrought outside, for in the morning MY. Mortimer was surprised to find that the chimney had been wrecked, son;.? of the bricks penetrating the iron roof, and the damage to the dividing fence and the other house effected without his having heard the crashes tha.t accompanied the destruction Hie fact of the matter is that the destroying agency must have swept the two sections at the same time, for both parties, -when conferring this morning, both agreed that the time of the disturbance was about 10.30. In addition to house and fence property damaged, Mr. Mortimer lost several fruit trees, the lightning having made a clean sweep of them, striking them holus bolus to the; ground. This morning all that remains of what was once a dividing fence is a heap of splinters, the lightning having made short work of posts, four by throe cross bars, and palings. A resident of the Mount Albert district states that the thunder at 12.30 this morning, although distant, was also severe. It seemed to be rumbling, he said, over on the West Coast, somewhere about Kirikiri. He was drinking a cup of coffee at the time, and swears that the house rocked at the time as the result of the thunder. A resident also reports a similar experience. A' cyclist riding home along the Swanson road shortly before seven last evening certainly saw forked lightning, and has an idea that it struck 1-is bicycle, for after witnessing the jagged streak, lie toppled off his machine, and was stunned for some few moments. The lightning dealt severely with about a dozen telephones in the vicinity of Page's grocery store, Kingsland. Certain of "the- apparatus fused, with the result that the connections were reii' dered useless. WAS IT A TirrNDKRROLT. A "cntlemau walking home about hattpast ten last night states that he was approaching the intersection of John Street and Jervois Road when a brilliant ■ball of lia-ht flashed into view just ahead, and crashing down with a terrific roar sank out of" sight behind a bush a fewyards distant. ' The phenomena was ot such duration and appeared to be so near that the pedestrian was for a short time completely dazed, and was considerably relieved when some few minutes later, after a hurried walk, he entered liis home. ULUWCH TENDER HOLED. AN UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE. During the recent stormy weather up north, "the Northern Steamship Company's small tender Tahawai. a boat of about 25 tons driven by oil engines, was Struck by lightning and had to be beached to -save her from foundering. She is stationed at the mouth of the Awanui River. In the absence of details it is presumed that she wa.< lying at anchor when the accident happened. Three holes were knocked through the bows at the water-line, and to save the boat from sinking she was run ashore at the fish factory, where she was safely beached. The damage is not extensive, but. the incident is interesting from one fact, that it is extremely rare that a vessel is struck in this manner by lightning. An experienced shipmaster said this morning that he had never known of a similar case, although he had often been in ships struck by lightning. On one occasion on the old barque Dilpussund, which was well-known in Auckland, a terrific explosion right over the Bhip was followed by a shock which knocked him flat and the man at the wheel was also bowled over. The lightning evidently struck the niizzen mast and passed down into the water over the ship's side, by way of the lightning conductor with which the masts of sailing ships are always fitted. No damage was done, but one strange effect of the shock on the narrator was a strong metallic taste in the mouth for quite a long lime after the explosion.