330 Mr. P. Clare on some Thunderstorms 



out the usual signs of an approaching storm. It appears, 

 however, that about this time a violent storm of thunder and 

 lightning had commenced in the neighbourhood of Bolton, 

 twelve miles north-north-west of Manchester, accompanied 

 with very heavy rain and large hail-stones, and continued for 

 nearly two hours, extending westward, and to the west-south- 

 west and north-west, for many miles ; it also extended five or 

 six miles to the east, as far as Bury, a distance of nine miles 

 north of Manchester ; but the rain and hail were not quite in 

 such profusion as at Bolton, or to the north-west of it, never- 

 theless a boy and horse were killed by the lightning about a 

 mile and a half beyond and to the north of Bury: the boy 

 was about ten years of age, and riding on a horse with milk 

 cans attached to it; and when they got to Littlewood Cross 

 they were struck by the electric fluid, and both boy and horse 

 killed on the spot. During the storm a house near Union 

 Square, Bury, was also struck by the lightning, but not much 

 damaged. 



At six o'clock the rain ceased at Bolton for nearly an hour, 

 after which the thunder, lightning and rain recommenced to 

 the west, north-west, and east of the town, and continued for 

 some time. The damage done within the borough of Bolton 

 was much less than might have been expected, considering 

 the severity of the storm; yet there were not less than seven 

 houses and mills struck with the lightning; but the damage 

 actually done was not to any great extent, as the fires which 

 it occasioned were soon subdued. The effects of the storm 

 were however more appalling in a west and north-westerly 

 direction, to a distance of several miles, where the rain de- 

 scended in torrents, causing the water to rush down the hills 

 with immense force, covering whole meadows, carrying abun- 

 dance of hay with it, and overflowing the banks of rivers to a 

 considerable extent, by which one of the trains was stopped at 

 the Horwich station on the Bolton and Preston Railway for 

 about twenty minutes. 



In the district below the Rivington Hills the water advanced 

 so unexpectedly, so rapidly, and with such impetuosity, as to 

 remove whole bales of cotton from the mills, and also pieces 

 of cloth from the print-works, to a considerable distance. 

 Other casualties also occurred, comprising the following, some 

 of which are of a melancholy character. 



At Horwich the flood rose to such a height, that the water 

 burst through the windows of the cotton mill of William Ben- 

 nett, jun., at Wilderswood, doing damage to the amount of 

 several hundred pounds ; other mills in the same neighbour- 

 hood also sustained considerable injury from the flood. At 



