Thunderstorms in the Rushden District

A RUSHDEN HOUSE STRUCK TWICE

HOUSES STRUCK BY LIGHTNING AT KETTERING, HINWICK, AND WELLINGBOROUGH

BOY KILLED AT NORTHAMPTON

  The Rushden and Higham Ferrers district, and in fact the whole of East Northants, was visited on Tuesday by thunderstorms of exceptional severity.

  At Rushden the chimney of a house in Green’s Yard, High-street South, was struck by lightning.

  A house on the Rushden Court Estate was struck by two separate flashes of lightning.  The house in question is situated on the Bedford-road, near the Court Avenue, and is occupied by Mr. Hester.  Shortly after six o’clock the lightning struck the big chimney and shattered it completely.  The electric fluid passed through the roof and set fire to the rafters, though, fortunately, the rain, which was at the time falling in a perfect deluge, speedily extinguished the flames.  Passing through the rooms of the house, the lightning scorched two pictures which were hanging on the walls.  The ceilings of three rooms were so shattered by the electric fluid that re-plastering will be necessary.  Curiously enough, lightning struck the house a second time during the same storm, on the latter occasion the other chimney being injured.  Mr. Hester was away at the time.  Mrs. and Miss Hester were in the house, and naturally they were considerably alarmed by the occurrence.  Happily no one was hurt.

  The most distressing incident happed at Northampton, the lightning killing a lad who was playing cricket with his companions in the Queen’s Park district.

  The rainfall was very unevenly distributed.  At Northampton there was no rain, with the exception of a gentle sprinkling which came from the fringe of the heavy clouds passing the town in the evening, but at Wellingborough a fall of no less than 2¼ inches (equal to 225 tons of water on the acre) was registered.

  At Rushden and Higham Ferrers rain came down in torrents, with terrible thunder and lightning, early in the afternoon and again in the evening.  About 6 p.m. there was an exceptionally severe hailstorm, the ground for a time being nearly covered with hailstones of a large size.

  At Raunds the thunder was heavy, two claps being terrific.

  At Hinwick a farm house, occupied by Mr. J. Lodder, was struck by lightning.  The chimney was demolished, and the kitchen was considerably damaged.  Mr. Lodder, who was in the kitchen, had a narrow escape, being scorched on the head, and he was for some time in a dazed condition.  He received medical attention.

  At Irchester hailstones of an enormous size fell, breaking many windows, owners of glass-houses being the greatest sufferers.

  A house, 84 Bath-road, Kettering, was struck by lightning and the roof set ablaze.  The house was occupied by Mr. Tom West, who is well known in amateur athletic circles.  During the storm some workmen employed in the currying factory of Messrs. Stimpson Bros., on the other side of the road, were startled by a loud crack, and upon looking out of the window, saw flames immediately spring up from the roof of Mr. West’s house.  One of the men quickly gave the alarm, and another ran to obtain a ladder.  It was found that the slates had been ripped off by the current, and the rafters were well alight.  The fire was quickly put out, and save for the hole in the roof and the blackened rafters, little damage was done.

  Wellingborough was visited by a terrific thunderstorm in the afternoon when many streets and houses were flooded.

  Another storm commenced about five o’clock, and continued almost without intermission until after eight.  At times rain fell in sheets, the lightning was dazzling, and the thunder claps terrifying.  The storm (or storms, for the lightning played from all points of the sky) burst right over the town.  With the gullies already full, the floods of the afternoon were increased, the streets in localities ran like rivers, and basements were flooded to a great depth.

  At 6.30 there were some appalling lightning flashes and thunder claps.  Two houses at the Midland Station end of the town were struck by the electric fluid – one house in Senwick-road and the other in Colwell-road, a stone’s throw away.  In the first case, that of No. 4 Senwick-road, occupied by Mr. Godfrey, the lightning struck one of the chimney pots, through which a hole was cleanly drilled, and then glanced off down the roof, ripping off the slates and shattering the rafters under.

  At the grocer’s shop of Mr. Panter, in Colwell-road, the destruction was more considerable. Onlookers say that what appeared to be a ball of fire burst over the house, and Mr. Panter, who was in the back part of the house, says he distinctly saw the electric fluid dart down the side of the house and disappear in a water-butt. The lightning seems first to have struck the chimney pot, and then, bursting through the slates, which are broken and scattered , went through the rafters, splitting them into fragments, into the bedroom below.

  Mrs. Panter, who was in the room at the time, states that the crash was deafening as the lightning, entering a small wardrobe, burst open the door of that receptacle.  The room was also filled with a sulphurous gas.  A hole in the wall of the wardrobe shows where the fluid entered, and some steel hooks were broken to pieces.  The spouting on the wall outside was loosened and had holes drilled in it, whilst several other rooms in the house bear evidence of the place having been severely shaken.

  Near Scaldwell five beasts and two pigs were killed.

  At Holcot two trees were struck by lightning.

Transcribed by Gill Hollis