FATAL STORMS

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 146, 18 December 1933, Page 8

FATAL STORMS

AUSTRALIA DELUGED

LIGHTNING KILLS HORSEMAN

(From "The Post's" Representative,) SYDNEY, December 7. Severe electrical disturbances, the ' like of which are seldom seen even in •' Australia, have marked the storms that have swept New South'AVales and' Victoria during tho past week. Unfortunately the heavy rain -has been attended with serious.loss of life in Victoria, and iv Now South AVales a, drover was killed by lightning .iv most dramatic, circumstances. In Melbourne a boy was caught in the swirling street i waters and washed into a huge drain. He was carried along for more than a ; mile, and he was alive to tell the tale : when he emerged into the daylight at the other end. • His was certainly the most remarkable experience.-Enormous , damage has been done in many districts . in Victoria, and repairs to roads and - bridges will cost thousands of pounds. " In some country towns there was one cloudburst after another, and thousands of stock were drowned. On Mouday there was a particularly severe electrical storm in Melbourne. A power house was struck and all the . lights in the district it served were extinguished. When a house at Middle ' Park was struck a hole, 14in in dia- . meter was made in the concrete wall. ] It seemed as though a ball of flame ' struck the top of the house. The lights were fused, and the house shook as '. though it was in the centre of some great earthquake. At Ripponlea light- ' ning. struck an axe which had been - left embedded in the trunk of a tree. A- shower of sparks flew from the axe aud residents nearby were greatly, startled by the sound of a loud report. The axe was. thrown from the tree but tho tree itself was undamaged. At East Brunswick all tho windows of a hotel were broken when the place was struck. The noise of tho explosion was ear-splitting and-could.be heard over a wide area. The most dramatic incident of the storms was reported from Billabpng Creek, near Parkes, in New South Wales. Thoriias Wilson, aged 18. years, and his horse were killed instantly when they were struck by lightning. Wilson was returning to the homestead with a mob of sheep, when the tragedy occurred. The weather for some .days had been overcast .and rain had fallen, and although it was hot and muggy on Monday afternoon it did not appear as . though a storm was imminent. Suddenly there was a great flash-of lightning followed by a peal of thunder. Wilson and his horse fell dead. There : was not another disturbance that day. . An eye-witness said that the'flash of : lightning and the explosion were preceded by a buzzing, as if a swarm of i bees-was passing. The noise resembled tho explosion of dynamite. For a . brief period Wilson and his horse were surrounded by sparks and tho whole scene was brilliantly lit. Wilson did not move, and slowly his horse sagged under him, and both toppled to the ground. About 60 of the y sheep were also affected. They rolled on to their sides and then on to their backs. Some oi the sheep remained-in that position for more than half an hour, but eventually all of them recovered. An examination showed that Wilson had been struck on one side only. Portion of his hair had been burned, and' his clothes were still smouldering when people rushed to his assistance. , It was apparent that he had -been killed instantly. Iv New South AVales .and Victoria . many districts accustomed to drought ; conditions at this time of the year have ; been deluged, and the rain has eoine \ at a most inopportune time. It :is ■ feared that there will be extensive ] damage to crops. The rain in some • quarters of Victoria was so intense that ■ the settlers were in.a state of panic for , more than three days. Many were rendered homeless as a result of the storms, and it is thought that the Government' will have to come to the assistance of many settlers who were not in a good position financially. For some time now they have been living from hand to mouth as it were, and this new blow is all the more severe. ■Whereas this time last year they were crying out for rain, they have now had too much of it. It is indeed a topsyturvy world.