144 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO I764. 



XLII. On the Effects of Lightning, in Essex-street, on the \%th of June, I764. 

 By Thomas Lawrence, M. D. p. 235. 



'■■ The storm, which came from the south east, broke first on the two houses at 

 the bottom of Essex-street (which look from their south windows on the river) 

 and beat down several feet of the east-flue of the chimney on the west side, and 

 separated the remainder down to the roof of the house fi-om the western flue by 

 a wide crack. Hence the lightning went higher up the street, and at the dis- 

 tance of about 1 8 yards from the chimney just mentioned, went through the 

 eves of a house, in a direction from the north-east to the south-west, as appeared 

 by the breach, and forced the ceiling of the garret inward by a kind of pointed 

 bulge, without breaking the laths. It continued up the street, perhaps along 

 the leaden gutter, over the eves of the houses for about 30 yards, and it seems 

 turned downward by the side of a leaden pipe made to convey the water from 

 the top of the house, and tore a wooden case at the lower end of that pipe, 

 tracked the wall near that place, and broke several panes of glass in the kitchen 

 window next it. The wall that was cracked was blackened, and there was a 

 strong smell of sulphur in the street. 



On the east side of the street the lightning broke the south garret window of 

 the bottom house, threw down the eastern flue of the chimney down to the 

 roof of the house, and took away part of tlie western flue. The lightning 

 seemed to have passed between the garret window and the chimney, as the 

 window was damaged on the west side ; but the chimney, which stood west of 

 the window, on the east side. The tiles on the roof of both houses were 

 broken, both on the south and north side in a deep furrow, as if a heavy 

 plough had passed over them. 



The house last mentioned has a door on the east side, which opens into a 

 garden looking into the Temple ; from this door there are several stone steps 

 down to the garden. On the left hand of the steps is an iron rail. The light- 

 ning, conducted it seems by the rail, and from thence by the baluster at the top 

 of the steps, struck ofl^ the corner of the stone step at that place, without any 

 discolouring of the step ; the piece struck oft' might be 3 or 4 pounds weight. 

 Part of the lightning, conducted farther along the iron rail was carried by the 

 descending baluster, and a large piece was struck off from the corner of the 

 stone step at the bottom of the stairs. This iron rail is within 3 feet of a leaden 

 pipe, which comes down from the top of the house, and is not continued to the 

 ground. 



The lightning went up the east side of the street without any effect, till, at 

 about the distance of 70 yards from the bottom house, it struck the flag pave- 

 ment near the iron rails of the adjoining house, and broke oft' a piece of the 



