STRUCK IN THE STREET

Evening Star, Issue 18137, 29 November 1922, Page 11

STRUCK IN THE STREET

LIGHTNING TRAGEDY IN SYDNEY. MAN AND BOY KILLTD. Two persona were killed and two were ■injured by lightning in Sydney recently. Those killed were Walter Henry Spring, aged thirty-eight years; a carter by occupation, and a boy named Leslie Wylie, aged ten years. Another boy, Leonard Richardson,., aged fifteen years, wap injured, together with a young man whoso name was not known.

Spring was driving a horse lorry, laden with 1 sand, through a gate, near a now building in Campsio street, at 4.30 p.m., when there was a bright flash, of lightning, followed by a deafening roar of thunder. The lorn,' was struck, and Spring was killed instantly. The other three wore standing nearby, looking on. The dead boy’s mother was in front of the house, and witnessed the accident. Wylie was lifted off his feet and thrown down tho street about 30yds. The other two were also thrown down. (Mrs Wvlio carried her boy, who was still alive, inside. Another lady, who witnessed the accident, tried to lift Spring's body from the lorry, but could not. ■ The injured man, who was very' badly shaken, but not otherwise hurt, rode a bicyclo' to the Oanterbury-Bankstown ambulance room at I’ampsie, about ft mile awav, and told of the accident. 6hi«{ Officer Wood and Ambulance Officer Bergin were on the scene in two minutes. As they were driving along the street they were often temporarily blinded by tho lightning. They saw that Spring wso dead, but tried to revive him. After a few minutes’ work they gave it up, and went to help Wylie and Richardson. . They were both unconscious, but Mr Wood brought. Richardson round. Mr Bergin failed to revive Wylie. The bodies of Spring and Wylie were taken to the Croydon morgue, and Richardson "was taken to tho Croydon .Hospital,where Dr Gordon admitted him in a serious condition. Spring loft a widow and family. „ . , ~ .. It is said that lightning iicycp strikes twice in the same place. Butit is a remarkable coincidence that trio biggest lightning accident that Ims occurred m Now South Wales happened within a mile of this latest tragedy. On November 20, 1916, it began to ram heavily, just after tho last race _at the Canterbury racecourse. The lightning and thunder were terrifying, and twelve people were struck; and cue, Mr John L. Gilbert, was killed.