A Letter from the Rev. Henry Miles D. D. F. R. S. to the President, concerning the Storm ofThunder, Which Happen'd June 12. 1748Author(s): Henry MilesSource: Philosophical Transactions (1683-1775), Vol. 45 (1748), pp. 383-387Published by: The Royal SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/104559 .

Accessed: 14/05/2014 00:35

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

.

The Royal Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to PhilosophicalTransactions (1683-1775).

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 194.29.185.221 on Wed, 14 May 2014 00:35:34 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

I. X Letter fiom the Rev. Henry Miles D. D. F. R.S tO the Prefildentt concerzz irg the Storm of Thunder, rhsch happen8d JU4T2 I748.

S I R, Read June 23*T BEG Leave to communicate to you and I748. 1 tO the Roya-l Society fome Account of the Effects of a Thander-Storm) on two adjoining HouCes) at Stretham in Sz¢rrey, the 12ti Inkant, a little after 5 in the Morning.

The preceding Day had been remarkably hot, and in the Afternoon very cloudyX with the uEilal Indi cations of an approaclling Storm, in the Evenin¢. At g at Night,- the Wind SoutherlyX nzy Barometer Rood thus; one, which is the moec fenfible, at 29 Inches 70 Je; the otller at 3o. 1eq, o. The Tller-. mometers (of sifon's ConPtruction) one nvithout- doors, at 43 Degrees, another within, at 49 De;,rees above o. or the freeztng Point.

At orwe next Morning, a Perfon apprchenSve of the ThunderX upon looking out at Wirldonv, xvas furprized to find an unufual cleat Sky, csery-where equal to what is obferved in froRy Weather, or after a high Wind, except that in a few Places Some Thunder-Clouds thenred themfelves juPc above the Horizon.

At 2 we heard Thunder at a Diflcance : At half an Hour paR 3, when I got up, I perceived the Storm approaching apace from the South, where the Wind then w.s, but the darker Clc>uds feemed to bear ofF

E e e chiefly

[ 383 ]

This content downloaded from 194.29.185.221 on Wed, 14 May 2014 00:35:34 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

[ 384W] chiefly to the Eafl: anct Well of 1ls, fo that I did not thlnk we thollid hear of any MiSchief near us. At 4* we had a Emart Shower of Rain, and about 5 tWO loud Claps of Thunder over our- Heads, but pretry hlgh; tlle Lighttling was very pale, and tlle fla(hcs larbeX defccnding in a fpiral -PorrtX almoR perpendicallar to the Herizon to the Eat[ward of [IS xvhich is the Situation of Strethvm, and at abort 2 Miles diflant from ils. At a littte before my ISa- rometers Rood thus, 29. - I70 1 oo and 30 120 1 oo; and continued fucceffi1vely rifing and htling during the Storm) but very inconftderably.

Upon hearing two HouSes were damaed, fituate at the Foot of the Hill on sallich the nzineral WeJls are, fronting the Eaft, b-y the Wood-SideX I swent next Day to viesv thetn. The HouSe tO the Soseh7 which is a public tIollSe lQept by Mr.--SIogaardX feemd tO

have received the greateft Shock. Some of tlle Pa mily being up, fle front Door Rood partly open, when the Storm bcgan: The upper half was of GlaSsX fram'd like a SafE-Window, having two niding Shut ters, one on each Sidej which had not bee-n taken down. The Glafs between th¢m was nlatterd tofPteces, but the ShuttelXs^ no-ways touch'd, except that a Nail lrl ont of them was forc'd in a little way To tlle D:oor-PoIl, on thz left Hand, hang by an irotl Pin an iron lJar,-fwhich; fcrvecl to faIten the Door at Night: This Pin was driven {out -of the PoR, and the :Bar con-tiderably bent7 and in divers Places meltcd an frnall SpOtS as were the Hinges- of the -Door) chiefly upon the Edges in both, and the IL)oor-PoR Mplit. A Sheet of Lead on the Pediment, or ShelZ ter over the faid Door was raifed, and paxtly rollee

up

This content downloaded from 194.29.185.221 on Wed, 14 May 2014 00:35:34 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

1: 385 ] up at one Corner; the Cornice underneath beinU torn offwitllout bcing fplit, a good Part of the Tilc- inr rlear thc Eaves and over the Pcdiment xvas loofened, and fome Tilcs beat off, and tilre Lathitlg and fome of tlle Moldings of tlle Windows llad takell Fire.

In a Bed-Cllamber fronting tlle Road, on tlle fc- co1ld Floor where Mr. Howard lay, three LEloards of tlle Lining of the Rootn, on the EaR SideX were driven invards five ol fix Inches at one End; but at- the othwer the Nails were a little loofened only. In a Garret over this Bed-Cilamber, tlle up- per Part of a Bed-PoPr was nliverd; arld ncalXly over wllere tllis Bed Rood, a large FIole was brolQe ill til: Roof, on the Weft Side, juR by where one of the Cllituneysgoes up; tlle Chimneys llavitlg all additional Funrsels of Brick-NVork on tlle Top7 of a routldi(h :Fortn, and plafter'd: Thefe were firuck, and ilz clind to the NorthX eEpecially that svllicll 5vas on tlle South End of the Houre, tlle PlaRer leing beat off> and fome of tlle Bricks broke down. Tlacre werc about I 3 Perfon$ in this HouSeX nolle of which rcceisTcd any Hurt; tho' a Lad, who was ila tElc llitcllcuX into svhicll tlle Door open'd, beSore-tnen t;ion'd, and the Window of sz71lich (near svherc hc was Randing) had feveral Pancs of GlaSs broke, lnuR certainly be much expofed. He inform'd mea ameng other ttlings, that the Fire flew about him ill SparlQsX like thofc xyhich fly out of burnin", Char coal, b.lt largcrX and fllapping as they do. Some Pieccs of Glafs xvcrc {laesred luc) whicll I f5otllld to llave bcen tneited, s)ne of whicll I take the Libertr Qf lavint, bzfore you.

Bee 2 TI<:

This content downloaded from 194.29.185.221 on Wed, 14 May 2014 00:35:34 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

[ 386 The ad joining EIoufie., inhabited by Mr ];igxnsX

had the PlaRering beat off in the Front in Patches, and one of the Chimneys crackd for a great Length. Ia the Kitchen Window-Frame, one of the crofs Pieces7 -near the middle of the Window, had a Chip firuck offfrom ir abour 5 Inches in Length7 and at onc End alDout a Qclarter of an Inch thick, but thin at the other and near the Width of the FrarneX but none of the GlaSs brolQeX nor tlle Lead bentt tho' in a manner ContigllOus with the Splinter beat OSWJ The fame thing happend to a Parlour-Windown on the orller End of the HouSe; both the Shivers were found direAly oppofite to the Windows} at ten OL

tsrelve Yards diRant in tlle Road. In a- finall Garret (whicl:l is next to Mr. Howdrd'3

Houfe) where two Maid-Servants lay} the PlaRer was broken, to Appearance, inwards, on oppo{ite Sides of the Room7 and near the Feet of the Bed, which frood on each Side about three Q^arters of a Yard fiom the Wall. The 13reach on the Ea& Side, near a Window (fome Panes of the GlaSs of which were broken) was oppofite to the Vailings of the iBed} whish were fnged, and a Hole burnt thros them big enougll to receive the LEnd of one's fore 3Finger On the oppofite Side) juR by the Chim- ney, anoFher Breach was madeX of the Iime Heighta in the WallX which was continued downwards for about a YardX but the Curtains not at all finged, DireAly againA this Breach one of the Ma4ids (who had got up) fat on the Bed's Si-deX who was inflcantly Rtuck down, but receinted no Hurt: Upon enquiring of her} whether {he Seemed to £eceive a Blow on

any

This content downloaded from 194.29.185.221 on Wed, 14 May 2014 00:35:34 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

[ 387 g

any part;cular Part of her Body ? {he replied, fht} was Itruck all ocl alike.

But tllc nzefl rcnzarlrableX tllo'the leaA terlilule Efl5c2,appearedon thc Flameof a Panncl of Wain- Scot about five Fcet longX and about olle and a half ulidc, in the Parlour frontinD tlle EaLt: On tlais Pannel a LandScapc is painted, and the Mould- illg bclonDing tO it litld bccn gi!t7 but on tlae lal paintint, thc lloom tlc Gilding xras covcr'd witl tlle fdme Paint: That nvllich covcr'd tlle gilt Mould- inr szzas flripped off irl irregular raagcd Strealrs througllout fo that the Gilding appcared as frefh as it ulay be tllought to llave lookXd when it wras paitlted at firS: And as tlnC Gilding docs- not feem tQ have bccn aScAcd, fe neitllcr does the Paint ap pcar tO 11ave bcelz crackd any*where but where the Gilding Say under.

If it lc fuppoSed, that the Lead in the Paint was melacd by tlue Lightning, it svill be difiicult to ac- COUllt for itX that it lhould tot at all afjreS the Paint conti^,uous svith that which was upon the Gilding; tho' we fuppore a RefiArancc to have been madc by the Leaf-Gold and to have contributed to the producing the mcntion'd Effeds. :13ut: fear- inO I have been already too prolix, I ask Leave to fubScribe myfelfX nvith the greateR ReEpe2,

S I R} Yogr and the Royal Society's

tsotings yute 23*

I 7+8. moS h^nble and mofl o3eRent Serrant,

H MileSf

I

This content downloaded from 194.29.185.221 on Wed, 14 May 2014 00:35:34 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions