KILLED BY LIGHTNING

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 29 September 1933, Page 7

KILLED BY LIGHTNING

LOSS OF FIVE LIVES

WOMAN’S DEATH AT PRAYER.

Lightning, which left tragedies in its wane, played extraordinary pranks when thunderstorms swept many parts of England and Ireland, and brought to a ciose a long spell of heat, a tew weeks ago. In ail, five persons—a woman, three men, and a boy—were killed. The woman, Mary Hynes, aged 27, met her death while oil her knees reciting the Rosary with other members of ner family m their home at vanir, lioxymount, Mayo. The Hash entered through an open door and flung those m the room m all directions. Marc rrynos was picked up dead. Jack JLangham, aged IU, was killed as he ran rrom the storm across a neld near Ins home at vSkellow, near Doncaster.

\\ hile Handley Dawson, aged 30, a horseman employed on Countess Maurers’ estate at rlioresoy, Nottinghamshire, was leading a horse to a stable a tiash of lightning enveloped both man and animal. The liorse was thrown on its haunches, but rose. Mr Uawson was killed instantaneously. The fourth and fifth victims were Joseph Brown, aged 73, farmer, of Limehurst, Ashton-unde r-Lyne, Lancashire, who was struck while sheltering m a shed on his farm, and Patrick iVlelia, aged 7d, farmer, of Rooscahill. Oughterard, County Galway. A party of potato pieKers, mostly w onion, on a farm at Dowsby, near Billingborough, had an amazing experience, the lightning striking among them as they huddled behind potato barrels. Winnie Whatmore, aged 22, was seriously injured. The fiasli ripped olf her clothing and tore away her hair. Two other women were slightly injured. While a storm of exceptional severity raged over Blackpool, Lancashire, lightning streaked down the whole 52oft. of the famous tower, running to earth at the lift bottom A descending lift shook with the shock. Sheep, cattle and horses were struck dead m exposed parts of the countryside.