AN ELECTRICAL STORM.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 279, 14 November 1911, Page 6

AN ELECTRICAL STORM.

ERII.I.IANT DISPLAY OF ATMOSI’HEIIH EI.E< TKH. ITY.

An exceptiotially c'.ecti ii-a. -f... m visiteii Hawke- Bay ia-t night. Soon after sunset heavy i-hnids banked up to the southward and almost continuous lightning :I himinated the distriet. The electric al di-turl.an.-c played a frolicsotm game with the telephone installatioi at Hastings. At about a quarte? pas; light one brilliant flash trav ellid along the wire* ami blew th< top from a wooden cable box on r pole on the Southland road. Ther it burst the i-'i fibre fuses right ..at. The operators at the Exehangi remained at their posts althougl thev were considerably alarmed. (Im- operator says he felt a siiddei warmth in the room ami turning: round found all the lamps on thi board alight. The lightning cut ofi communication with about thirty subscriber-, and linesmen wen- out this morning efleeting repairs. Although heavy clouds were bank ed up in the sky very little rain fell After the storm the stars were shin ing brightly ami the night was de lightfiilly cool. A copper wire connecting Mr. <1 Ebbett's private residence telephone was completely melted I>y tin- heat <>f th elci-trie current.

AT NAPIER. For several hours last evening Napier residents were treated to a line display of ’sheet" lightning, intermingled with iw-i-Ksional pealsof thunder. The storm slowly ap proaehed from the south, ami about IO o’clock heavy showers of rain be gan to fall. Il is a ciniou- fact that in some places in Napier a very heavy rainfall was recorded whili in other parts there was little oi no rainfall. Mr. 1-. Azz.opardi. oithe Bluff Hill, recorded a rainfall ot ..*’. inch vv Kite a neighbour a few luin died yard- distant recorded hardly any.