Account of a remarkable Thunder
storm.
In a letter from the Reverend Anthony
Williams,
Rector of St. Keverne in Cornwall
To the Reverend William Borlase, Dei. F.R.S.
(From Philosophical Transactions 1771 (61st. Vol.)
and read Feb. 7. 1771).
St. Keverne Aug 27. 1770.
Dear Sir,
I have received your's which I must confess I
ought to have answered much sooner.
For several days before the thunder-storm which
fell on St. Keverne spire and church on Sunday the
18th day of February last, the wind was very hard
at North and North West - accompanied with violent
showers of hail, which had done some damage to the
roof of the church and many houses in Churchtown.
On the Sunday morning above mentioned (the wind
being at North West from 5 o'clock during
almost the whole day) the wind was excessive hard
and about six I saw some few faint flashes of
lightening (lightning) which as the day came on, if
it continued, became imperceptible.
The weather
being so bad prevented a great number of people
from coming to church which in all human
probability was a happy circumstance, for about a
quarter after eleven o'clock, while I was in
the latter end of the Litany Service, we had a very
fierce flash of lightning followed at a distance of
four or five seconds by the loudest thunder I
remember ever to have heard, but which did no
damage, nor seemed in the least to disturb any of
the congregation, though at the same time the roof
of the church was lifting and the hail made a noise
terrible to be heard.
In half a minute after this,
as nearly as I can possibly guess, the whole
congregation except five or six persons were at
once struck out of their senses. I myself received
the shock so suddenly as not to remember I either
heard the thunder or saw the lightning.
The first thing that I can recollect with any
degree of certainty is that I found myself in the
Vicarage seat which is very near the desk, without
either gown or surplice, bearing in my arms as I
then thought, a dead sister, and God knows it was a
miracle she was not so. I perceived a very strong
sulphurous smell almost suffocating and a great
heat.
At this time the confusion amongst the
congregation was inconceivable, some running out of
the church for safety and returning into it again
(for the stones from the roof were falling on our
heads both in and out of the church) some on their
knees imploring the Divine assistance giving
themselves up to a certain destruction and a great
many in different places of the church lying quite
motionless, whom I thought then to be quite
dead.
In the afternoon my thoughts being a little
composed (I believe for full two hours I could not
be said to be rightly in my senses) I walked to the
church to see what damage was done; and such a
scene presented as is horrible to think of, much
more to see.
The churchyard was almost full of
ruins; the spire, which was about 48 feet high from
the battlements of the tower, was carried off half
way down and the remaining part cracked in four
places, very irregularly down to the bottom. The
North side of the tower from the battlements to the
arch of the bell chamber window way quite out,
except in the corner stones which remained firm and
unmoved; the lead on the top of the tower was
greatly damaged, melted in several places and as if
it were rolled together.
The arch of the belfry
door which was very strongly built, with a
remarkable hard iron stone laid in lead, was also
greatly damaged; some of the stones were cracked
crossways and iust removed out of their places,
others were quite hove out and the lead between the
joints not only melted but loosened so that you
might pick it out with your fingers.
The traces of the lightning were here discovered
along the surface of the earth: the stones were
thrown from the spire on the tops of many houses in
the Churchtown but did no great hurt. In a
gentleman's house one stone weighing 14 Ib fell
through the roof into the chamber but did no
further hurt than to make a hole in the roof and
plaistering.
It is to be observed that the stones from the spire
were scattered in all directions, as well as
against the wind as with it, some of which, but not
very large, were found but a little short of a
quarter of a mile. The spire from the top six feet
downwards was solid, through which passed an iron
spike to fix the weather-cock on.
Did not the
lightning first strike on this spike and was
conducted through the solid part of the spire, and
having not iron to conduct it any further, burst in
the hollow part of the spire and threw the stones
about in all directions.
It is remarkable that the
spike was found in the bell-chamber and the
weather-cock in the battlements, and that the bells
were not in the least damaged, though a deal board
that lay across the beams to which the bells were
hung was split longways in two pieces.
Every seat
in the church had rubbish on it, some more some
less, and stones of large size, some 150 Ibs in
weight, and upwards, scattered here and there
amongst the congregation which damaged the seats,
but did no hurt to the people though they sat in
those very seats where the stones fell.
The
lightning entered at the three ends of the church
at West, made its way through the body of the
church and went out through the three ends of the
church at the East. The holes where it came in and
went out are not large, neither are the walls much
damaged.
The belfry window was shattered to pieces,
not one whole pane I believe to be found in it.
Many other windows also suffered greatly the glass
and mullions being much shattered. The lightning
entered also through two places in the roof, over
near the singing loft, and struck upon the top a
pillar just by it; the traces of it are to be seen
from the top of the pillar almost to the bottom.
There were then sitting by this pillar, two young
men, one in the singing loft and the other under
him in the church, who were both lightly scorched;
he in the loft from head to foot, and the other in
the face only, but it is remarkable that his hat
which hung on a nail just above him was cut in two
pieces.
In the other place the lightning entered just above
the desk and pulpit and fell in like manner on a
pillar which stands in the Vicarage seat, but here
it. was a great deal more violent and as the object
of its fury was my sister I hope you will excuse my
being very particular.
Upon this pillar rested a
large oak seat the bottom of which was burst into
six pieces and one of the pieces being a very large
one was thrown from its place to a distance of
about 20 ft and appeared to be: burnt and other
pieces did not fall. From thence the lightning came
down the pillar with great force, tore the seat
into many pieces, knocked down my sister and made
its way through the bottom of the seat into the
earth.
She had pattens on and the wooden part of
one of them was broke into 5 pieces. The holes
through which the ribbon is put to tie them
together were just burnt out and the ribbon found
in the seat without the least damage or so much as
the knot loosened. Her shoe was burnt and rent from
the toe to the buckle, but the buckle which was of
silver remained unhurt. Her stocking was burnt and
rent in the foot just in the same manner as her
shoe and scorched along to the garter and the two
little holes were burnt through in the leg of it.
Her apron, petticoats etc. were burnt through and
through and she had several slight burns on several
parts of her body, besides two bruises on her head
and breasts caused by the rubbish that fell into
the seat. As she was carrying out of church she
greatly complained of a deadness in her legs, which
as she could not move them at all I supposed was
broke.
However they were not broke only a little
burnt and turned as black as ink; which by timely
care, not only came to their natural colour by
Tuesday noon, but could support her also to come
downstairs, and excepting a hurry of spirits grew
quite well that week.
Not more than ten persons out of the whole
congregation were hurt and none of them to any
great degree. One young fellow who was more
frightened than hurt remained ill a long time but I
believe he is now quite well. The lightning touched
his watch in his pocket, the marks of which may be
seen on the crystal and silver parts to this day.
Nobody remembers to have heard any more thunder or
seen any more lightning after this, though the
weather continued very stormy all that day.
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