Lightning Kills Two Persons

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 August 1949, Page 6

Lightning Kills Two Persons

Lightning struck a crowded baseball field at Baker, Florida, today. Two players were killed, and 50 persons suffered burns and shock. The 300 spectators were thrown into a panic The crowd, including scores of women, v'ent into hysteria when a bolt of lightning. followed by an awesome clap ox thunder, left players prostrate or reeling over the Held. The lightning ripped a furrow 20 feet long and several inches deep. The lightning struck just as the teams were filing out to begin play Spectators ran screaming into .the arena as flashes of electricity and sparks spread throughout the stands. Qlliers ran yelling over the field, hindering ambulance men who were trying to attend to the injured players.— New York, July 31. a

Shortage Of Sterling Because of its shortage of sterling funds, the Government of South Africa has announced that it is unable, to make any further allocations for imports of knocked-down British motorvehicles for assembly m South Africa. Several British firms have plans to extend the assembly of their cars in the Union, and the announcement has come as a severe blow to them. Reports from South Africa suggest that the Union’s sterling position, is rapidly deteriorating, and that the available reserves are now not much more than £2,50.0,000. If this situation continues or deteriorates, it is expected that tne Union Government will be forced to make further drastic cuts, in South Africa’s imports.—London, August i.