thorogood - armidale express and new england general ......his boot. michael connall, labourer,...

Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser (NSW : 1856 - 1861; 1863 - 1889; 1891 - 1954), Friday 19 December 1879, page 6

National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article187716361

We mnch regret to have to chronicle the

death, by lightning, of Mr. BernardThurn, tinsmith, - Of this town, which

unhappy event took place on Mondaymorning, near �GoBtwyck head station.

We are informed that the deceasedleaves a young wife and child, to moorn

their loss.

An; inquest was held by the District

Coroner, Mr. -dames M'Lean, J.P., the

pame afternoon, when-the following evi

dence was elicited

Anthony Fnchs deposed : I am a tin

smith, and reside in Armid&le ; I know

the deceased, Bernard Thnrn ; I left Ar

midale with him this morning, at 6 a.m.

we were driving a spring cart, and proceeding to Walcha - we had gotpast Gost

wyck woolshed to a gully, and deceased

got out of the cart to look for a crossing

place ; it was just commencing to rain at

the time ; he told me to take hold of the[

reins and to drive, and when he had goneabout 20 yards, there was a great clap

| of thunder; I felt it strike my head, and!

looked towards deceased, and saw him fall

ing ; he fell on his face, and his hat was

off his head when he was lying on the

ground ; I called to deceased from thecart and got no answer ; I then returned

about half a mile to Gostwyck station for

assistance ; there were four or five men

there, and they told me to go and informMr. Rogerson, and they went to the cart;I am a first cousin to deceased, and have

been in liis employ about two and a half

years; I cannot say that I saw any light

ning this morning, but tbere was a veryheavy thunderstorm ; there was a fence

near where deceased fell, but no trees -

we had some galvanised iron, piping, and

spouting in the cart, and, also, some tin

Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser (NSW : 1856 - 1861; 1863 - 1889; 1891 - 1954), Friday 19 December 1879, page 6 (2)


spouting in the cart, and, also, some tin

ware ; I was in the cart, and deceasedwas about 20 yards from it when he fell;

deceased never moved after he fell - Isaw something tbe colour of smoke round

:

deceased, when he was lying oh the

ground, which appeared to come from his

body.To the Jury : When deceased left the

cart he had a whip in his hand; there was

brass mounting on the handle.

Leland Stumbles, constable, stationed

at Uralla, deposed : From information re

ceived, I proceeded >to Gostwyck Station ;

I there saw the dead body of a man in

the shearer's house ; I was informed he

had been struck with lightning abouthalf-past nine a.m. ■ this morning ; I ex

amined the body, and- found the hair

singed on his headland his face discoloured and marked, and also his cbeBt;his right boot- was shattered ; his legs

were also singed; I then searched the

body, and found a purse containing £2! 2s.

6d., a silver watch andgnard, apocket-book,knife, pencil, and rule, all of which I now

produce; I saw the hat of deceased, it

�was all shattered from the crown to the

leaf ; his undershirt, which was of cotton,was burned from the heck to the chest;the hair was singed from his head alongthe chest, and down the right leg to his

foot; the hair on the left leg was also

slightly singed ; from the appearance of

the body, I have no doubt but he was

struck by lightning; there was a very

heavy thunderstorm about, that time this

morning; from the appearance of. the

body of deceased, and his clothes, I be

lieve he was struck on the head, and thefluid descended downwards, going out at

his boot.

Michael Connall, labourer, residing at

Gostwyck, deposed to being called by the

boy Fuchs, and going back with a man



named Harper, and finding deceased as

I described.

James Harper corroborated the evi

dence, and deposed to assisting to putthe body in the cart, and bringing it to

Gostwyck.The Jury found the following verdict:

— "That the deceased Bernard Thurn

came to his death by lightning this morn

ing, near the Gostwyck head station, on

the Walcha road.",

We are informed that last Mondaymorning, a tornado passed over the farm

of Mr. Thomas Collins, about four miles

.

from Mr. Millis's, of Gyrah. It took

I the bark roof off his house, and conveyedit about 30 yards distance. A little girl

who was running away at the time fromthe place, was struck with a sheet of the

bark on the right shoulder, bruising berseverely. It also took-aWay 'portions of

other buildings on the farm.

"Mr. Martin Heagney, of Bally~<3lass,

one of ourmost practicaJfarrners, threshed

I

one way last' week, three bags of this sea-

!

son's wheat. It turned out very well, andwas bought by the firm of Richardson and

Co. Mr. H. informed us that he has

known wheat to be earlier. The wheatwas put through a new machiue to try

it,

which did its work in a faultless manner.

On Monday evening the members of

the Armidale Cricket Club met to arrange;1matters in connection with the Inverell

match, to take place on Boxing day.

Advantage was taken of the opportunity

to present Mr. Marriott, the late Trea

surer, with a bat, as a slight recognition

of . his valuable services for years past.

Mr. J. A. Antill, in a few well chosen

words, alluded to the esteem Mr. Marriottwas universally held in. The selection



committee consists of Messrs* J. A. Antill,

G.odby, and. WippelL—It will be remem

bered,-when'Mr. Marriott was appointedto his p'-esent position at Uralla, that a

very handsome silver watch and illuminated address were presented to him bythe leading citizens of the town; and the

bachelors gave a complimentary dance on

the occasion. Iti is not every one who is

I so fortunate to make so many friends.

The following appears ,

in a supplementin last Saturday's ' Singleton Argus'.:

Avoid Lightning: It is never too soon to

go in the house when a storm is rising.

W hen the clonds are fully charged with

electricity they are most dangerous, and

this fluid obeys the most subtle attraction

which acts at great distances apd in all

directions. A woman told me of a thunderbolt which came down her mother's chim

ney from a rising cloud when the sun was

shining overhead. ,N. P. Willis writes ofa young girl killed while passing under a

telegraph wire on jhe brow of the hill,

while she was hurrying home before a

storm. Saturday's sad accident at Mor-I

rissania should warn every mother that it

is not safe to let children stray out ofdoorsvtill the last minute before thestorm Vlls^People should not be fool

hardy Ifcout sitting oh porches or byopen windows, whether the storm iB hardor not. Mild showers often > carry a

single charge which falls with deadly effect. It may or may not be fatal to stayout; it is safe to be in the house, withthe windows and doors shut. The dryair iu the house is a readier conductor oflightning than the idamp air outside, and

any draught of air invites it. A hot fire

in a chimney at .racts it, so to speak, andit is prudent for those who would be snre

of safety, to use kerosene or gas stoves in

summer, and avoid beating the chimneysof the house.



of the house. People-are very ignorantor reckless about lightning. I have seen

a girl of eighteen crying with fear oflightning, and running every other mo

ment to the window to see if the storm

was not_ abating, unconscious that shewas patting herself in danger. If.

everyone 'would hurry to shelter as soon as

thestorm c'oud■

was half way 'up 'the

sky, when certain it was-coming nearerif they would shut the doors and windows, and keep away, from them after

wards, and fromi hell-wires, stove-pipes,

mantels, chimney breasts, heaters, and

mirrors, with: their silver backs, whichM®p'r*city, and keep away from

lightning rods and their vicinity, andfrpoLipetal water spoiits, with good rodson their nouses, they might dismiss, thefear of lightning from theirminds, so farfcs it is a thing of reason, and hot of

'

im

pression.�

thorogood - armidale express and new england general ......his boot. michael connall, labourer,...

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