JW8 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [annO 1764. 



ship, which by the report was as great, and being close on the deck was more 

 terrifying than the former. 



At day light we found that the foremast and mizenmast had escaped, and the 

 mainmast had suffered as follows : All the main top gallant-mast, from the rig- 

 ging at the top of it, to the cap at the head of the maintop-mast, was entirely 

 carried away, part falling overboard, and part into the ship in different places. 

 The maintopmast had great pieces carried from it, from the hunes down to the 

 cap, at the head of the mainmast, so that it could but just stand, being hardly 

 strong enough to bear its own weight, and that of its rigging. The mainmast 

 being composed of three pieces, towards the top of it, those of the sides being 

 of oak, called the cheeks, were not hurt ; but the middlemost part, being of 

 fir, was shivered in several places, and pieces were carried out of it 6 or 7 inches 

 in diameter, and from 10 to 12 feet long, and this in a circular descending 

 manner from the parrel of the main-yard down to the upper deck of the ship, 

 the pieces being taken out crooked, or circular, or straight, according as the 

 grain of the wood ran. 



No part of the top-gallantmast or topmast, that was covered with the lamp 

 black, were touched with the thunder, the greasy part only being carried away. 

 The head of the top-gallantmast, from the rigging upwards to the spindle, was 

 entire, as was also its heel, for the lightning did not touch the heel, but missed 

 the whole both of top-gallantmast and topmast, that lay between the cap and 

 upper end of the greasy part of the mast. Of the topmast great pieces were 

 carried out, of many feet in length, and Q or 10 inches in thickness, and this 

 on different sides of the mast, for the whole length of the greasy part. Froin^ 

 the top of the mainmast to the upper end of that which is covered with turpen- 

 tine, there was no damage ; but thence downwards, the cheeks were started off 

 from the middle part, and pieces taken out winding aslant down the mast, and 

 out of the fir part many feet in length, and 6 and 7 inches deep, and near the 

 upper deck a piece as large as the body of a man, and 11 or 12 feet in length. 



Neither the yards nor any part of the rigging was hurt ; for though the mid- 

 dle part of the top-gallantmast, which was 1 8 feet long, and Q inches diameter, 

 was entirely burst to pieces, and carried away ; yet the rigging, which surrounded 

 the upper part was neither burnt, scorched, nor broken. Neither did it touch 

 the caps on the mast heads, nor the top, or round scaffolding on the mast, 

 which in this ship was 18 feet broad ; and these as well as the yards were covered 

 with tar and lamp black, and made of three inch deal. 



At the time of the first clap there might be more than 6o men upon deck, 

 and some of them very near the mast at the very time of the clap. Some of 

 these were stunned and beaten down ; and in their arms, where they thought 

 themselves hurt, they had a numbness, which continued some time, but not 



