AND LIGHTNDfG C0NDUCT0E8. 61 



The lightning struck the coping of the.chimney at the dis- 

 tance of two or three feet from the conductor, and shattered 

 into fragments two of tlie large stones; many of the frag- 

 ments were thrown down on the roof of the building, and 

 some of the large ones made their way through the water 

 cistern, and fell into the engine-room. Being acquainted 

 with Mr. Collier, I had every facility afforded for obtaining 

 the full particulars of the accident whilst visiting the bnild- 

 ing, and examining the chimney and conductor. 



Note, — Whilst the scaffolding was up for repairing the 

 chimney, the upper part of the conductor was removed, and 

 replaced by a cylindrical copper-rod, terminating upwards 

 in the shape of a sharp spear-head. Not the slightest trace 

 of the effects of lightning could be discovered on any of the 

 old metallic points. 



10. Case C. — Her jNIajesty's palace, Osborne House, 

 was struck by lightning, June 8, 1849, having eight tall 

 sharp-pointed conductors attached to different parts of the 

 building at the time of the occurrence. The accompanying 

 plan* of the palace shows the positions of those conductors, 

 and also the positions of the cast-iron water-pipes, reaching 

 from the roof to the drains in the ground beneath. Some 

 of these water-pipes have been made available as portions 

 of the conductors, the upper parts of which consist of stout 

 copper-rods, reaching several feet above the roof. 



The conductor on the top of the flag-staff tower rises 

 118 feet above the terrace level, and is 20 feet taller than 

 the tower itself. It is also upwards of 30 feet taller than 

 the clock-tower that was struck by the lightning; but from 

 the latter its distance is about 220 feet. 



The clock-tower, as will be seen in the elevation accom- 

 panying the ground plan, was Struck at the highest point of 



* The plan referred to has not been found amongst the papers of the 

 deceased author; it has, however, been considered advisable to follow the 

 original memoir. 



