Thunder: Storm. 261 
water-cistern over it. The building for these 
purposes was made of bricks, with a lime- 
cement, which holds water. Its foundation, 
and the bottom of the vault, were about one 
foot below ground. The walls, three feet 
thick, were about twelve feet high, strengthen- 
ed by bond-timbers. The top and bottom of 
the cistern, and all its walls, were covered with 
large flags. The whole was about eighteen 
feet long, eight feet. broad, and eleven feet 
high. above ground; and there was in the 
vault at the time about one ton of coal. 
_ About half past, twelve at noon, after re- 
peated peals of distant and approaching thun- 
der in the lower country, the heavens became 
suddenly enveloped in thick darkness; and it 
was thought prudent to open all the windows 
and doors of ihe house, as the best preparation — 
for receiving the expected storm. No sooner: 
was this done, than a tremendous explosion 
occurred ; the effect of which was the re- 
moval of the outside wall of the described 
eistern, from its upright position shewn. by 
the sketch G, (fig. 3) into the inclined position, 
intended to be represented in the sketches H 
and K, as it now stands, with its coping 
entire, among the shattered fragments of the 
end-walls, It may be necessary, as the 
sketches are not perfectly correct, to say, that 
