STORMS IN ENGLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20991, 30 September 1931, Page 12

STORMS IN ENGLAND.

LARGE AREA FLOODED. CORN CROPS BEATEN FLAT. FLOOD AND LIGHTNING HAVOC. The heavy rainstorms which occurred in England in August gave that month the distinction of the wettest. August for over •fifty years. The rainfall was particularly heavy in the Lancashire district, where tho (est cricket match England v. New Zealand, fixed for August 15, Imd to he abandoned. A torrential downpour of rain on tlio night of August 8 played havoc with the corn crops in south-west Lancashire. Corn was flattened out and twisted, and scores of acres of both corn and potatoes wero standing in water, the floods being unprecedented for mid-August. A hundred acres of corn were beaten flat by heavy rain and a hailstorm iti North Lincolnshire on August 9. It, was one of tlio worst summer storms in memory, and serious flooding occurred. A deluge at Hnslingden, Lancashire, resulted in extensivo damage owing to culverts carrying overflows from mill reservoirs being inadequate to deal with tho rush of water. In the Acre district—on the Accrington side of Haslingdcn—water burst through manholes and broke through the paving and (he flagged footpath of a street, and also the paving of tho main road. The foundation below tho paving of (lie street was washed away. Water rushed through tho kitchens and sitting rooms of some houses, and collars were flooded to a depth of 7ft. 6in. Houses Struck By Lif.Htning. Between Preston and Blackburn, in Lancashire, roads wero flooded on August 8, and in the Samlesbury district, which was tho centre of a thunderstorm, motors were stranded in water almost two feet deep. After tho downpour there was hot sunshine, and tho floods quickly cleared. At Rossendale the thunderstorms also caused serious flooding. At CrawshiAvbooth village, between Rawtenstall and Burnley, tlio drains became choked. The Friends' meeting-house was flooded to tho height of the doorway and tho pews wero submerged. In the graveyard only tho tops of the tombstones were visible. St. John's Church, about forty houses, and a hotel were also flooded.

Two houses at Grimsargh, near Preston, wero struck by lightning during the worst thunderstorm experienced there for many years. At Lyndalo, on tho main Longridge-Preston Road, the residence of Mr. T. Robinson, a chimney-stack was completely demolished, a solid mass of bricks being Hung over a path on to the roof of the next house and then to tho end of the garden. Several rooms in the house wero damaged. Row of 17 Dwellings Damaged.

Mr. and Airs. William Hill, of Nowchurch, near Leigh, saw what appeared to be a ball of fire flash through the living room and pass out through the open front door. A shower of bricks fell into the street. It. was found that lightning had struck tho chimney, doing considerable damage and setting fire to the curtains in the front bedroom. Downstairs a cupboard was wrenched from the wall and crockery and pictures smashed. A remarkable thunderstorm broke oyer Manchester one afternoon and lightning damaged a number of houses, among them a consecutive row of 17 at Clayton. A man who was looking at the row of houses from a short, distance states that they were enveloped in blue flame. If seems as though the lightning struck one end of tho terrace and travelled along the roofs of all 17 before it wont to earth. The roofs had already been welted by a heavy shower. When the discharge of lightning had passed it was seen that it had corrugated the ridge line of slates, presumably bv lowering the roofs bet ween each pair of party walls. Many slates were displaced, as the householders soon discovered in the heavy storm of rain which followed. in unc of the houses a large hole was made in the roof and the wife of the occupier suffered shock. The chimney pots of the row were, so much shaken that (lie landlord had each stack examined. Most of them had to be taken down. Liverpool Shops Flooded. In a street near by I lie discharge split •a chimney pot and blew the hot coals of a fire out of the grate and round a woman who was bathing her baby. Neither of them was hurt, but the electrical equipment of Jhe house was destroyed. Serious damage was done in Liverpool by a cloudburst and thunderstorm which lasted only a few minutes. Cables being laid in trenches to the new electric power station at Clarence Dock were damaged by the water as it rushed in torrents into the trenches, ripping the covers from cables and destroying internal parts. Cellars and basements in offices and shops and houses in many parts of the city were flooded and damage done to meat and other stock in shops and stores. Vivid flashes of lightning accompanied the storm. Holy Trinity Vicarage, Hereford, was struck by lightning during a terrific thunderstorm. Tho chimney-stack was split in two and tiles were ripped off both sides of the roof. Family's Alarming Experience. While sheltering from a violent thunderstorm which broke over Ureal Yarmouth a family of four excursionists from Norwich had an alarming experience. Mr. Frank Banharn, his wife, daughter and son aged six and five respectively, were visiting tho resort, on a day excursion and when the storm began stood under the eaves of a bathing machine on the beach. A flash of lightning struck the machine and one of the sides was ripped off, wood splinters being Hung in all directions. The wreckage fell on to the, party, who had lo be taken to a first-aid tent on the beach, where it, was found that they were suffering from severe shock and minor injuries. They rested in tho tent and when (hey had recovered I hey wore taken to the. station in a taxi and returned to Norwich by train.