Part-edited transcript:
SIX KILLED BY LIGHTNING
Man and Baby in His Arms Struck Dead.
FATE UNDER TREES.
Three Children on Seat Perish While Singing.
LOVER HURT - GIRL DIES.
Lightning played appalling havoc with human life in London yesterday.
Six persons were fatally struck by light- on Wandsworth Common while shel:ring, and several were severely injured, poring the progress of a terrific storm.
It is believed that, though the victims were in groups, one terrible, blinding flash of forked lightning killed all - a man, a woman and four Children.
Pathetic in the extreme was the fate of three ' - chldren who were struck down whilst singing lie rrilY with two others beneath a tree. Following a fearful lightning flash, their singing suderaY ceased, and the children were found ' gi ddied together - three of them dead.
Two of the other victims were a man a baby - apparently father and child, the little one was tightly clasped in man's arms.
A young man and his sweetheart, who een A a wa u on lk the coirimon, were among the victims his fiancee was killed, but he escaped with severe injuries.
The storm, which lasted about two hours, was one of the worst London has experienced for many ears. (Photographs on page 1.)
CHILDREN DIE SINGING.
The victims of the lightning on Wandsworth Common comprised two groups, and so far as can be gathered they were all struck down by the same blinding, forked flash at five minutes past one. They were within a radius of 300 yards. Under one tree, near the Windmill, just off the Windmill-road, six were struck by the lightning. A man woman and baby were killed, while another man, woman and baby were injured. - The killed here were:- Florence Grist, twenty-three, of 3, Lindore-road, Bat. Albert Bettes, thirty-one. Florence Bettes, three and a-half years, of 1, Chivalry Road, Wandsworth Common. It is presumed by the police, The Daily Mirror understands, that the last two were father and child, for when the two were found the baby was tightly clasped in the man's arms,
[wphotographs]
HENRY HILLIARD KATE MUNDY
for when the two were found the baby was clasped in the man's arms. Tie injured were: r.ereY West. also of 3, Lindore-road, Battersea. Munday. twenty-one, of 15, Steelworks-road, Battersea and her baby, these three were taken to Bolingbroke Hospital where the man and woman's condition are reported to be very serious. *e West ng woman Grist wo is e, sweethearts and had been out together d for a on the common. tree under which these people were killed injured was itself practically wrecked. w a rs Mundy had baby in her arms when she struck, but the infant was not hurt either by lightning or when the mother fell. When Mundy was picked up the child was still her arms. second group f ms of the lightning t he s common r were o fire c very young children g, te tiny mites, who took refuge under a large Ti e near the Pond, Bolingbroke-grove. were seen playing a game called ring of beneath a lime-tree. _As_ soon as they thunder stopped their play together er close to the trunk of the tree.
MOTHER'S FRANTIC SEARCH, had heard them singing, perhaps their courage, up. There. was a dazzling ase-d of lightning, and the singing suddenly e They fell in a huddled heap, and a constable ei l;ir dashed to their assistance, together with - a b e e t an, had himself less than a moment before h i thrown against a tree by the hild same flash of the eY lightning in g which struck the cren. were at once conveyed to Bolingbroke near by, and there 1)r. Prior found that thr ee of them were dead. These were: Legge aged five, and Lizzie Legge, aged four. Moth er and sister of 20 Curie-road Battersea and Walter e aged three . and a half, of 18, i a ar, t' rri e - road, o ßa n t t t e i r t se iniUred were: teEmily Budd, aged four, of 94, Winstanley-road. Bat-4'12 and . YourY Hilliard, also of 18, Currie-road, Battersea, and cse B ee r brother of the little boy killed. and arena i Legge were the only chen they learnt their children's fate was pathetic in the extreme. The clothing of none of the five children was burned. Immediately the storm was over dozens of anxious mothers and relatives, assisted by the police, searched over the common, fearing that others may also have been killed or hurt, and there were many happy reunions between parents and their children. Mr. William Wilkins, of 10, Cologne-road, New Wandsworth, S.W. ' was actually struck by the lightning flash which killed Miss Florence Grist.
" I was standing about five feet away from the trunk of the tree under an overhanging branch, protecting my two little children from the rain," lie said last night, " when I was knocked to the ground. I struck my head rather heavily and partially lost consciousness. I was brought to my senses by my children screaming. Fortunately they were not hurt, but merely frightened at seeing their father on the ground. (in getting to my feet again I saw a man, woman and child lying on the ground apparently ilcail under a tree a few yards away. The clothes were burned and were smoking. " There was a wonderful buzzing in my ears telephone wires being blown about by the wind, but I managed to shout for assistance."
Beyond a shock and a burn behind the ear, Mr. Wilkins is none the worse for his alarming adventure
LIGHTNING FLASH ON LONDON COMMON. flooding acres of land and inundating many houses on the river banks. Riverside houses in Garrett-lane had two feet of water in them, and in some homes chairs were floating. Towards the close of the storm hail fell, and in the Wimbledon district was the size of small marbles. Owing to the bursting of a large water main in Norwood-road a number of houses were flooded. The water rose to about 2ft., and-for some time the tramway and omnibus services were suspended. Extraordinary scenes were witnessed as a result of the flood. The roadway was inundated for a distance of over 500 yards, and shopkeepers had to barricade their doors and windows.
At Tooting-broadway thousands of tons of water fell in a quarter of an hour, and for a hundred yards the Mitcham-road was flooded, the water rushing into houses, shops and cottages. Thousands of wooden blocks stacked on either side of Tooting-broadway were scattered right and left by the fury of the gale, and for a considerable time trams, motor-omnibuses and all descriptions of vehicular traffic were held up Floods were so deep at Wimbledon Park Station that for nearly two hours trains were held tip. Electric trains which ran into the floods stopped when water reached the motors.
One of the remarkable effects of the storm was that the fire-alarms began ringing in the fire stations in various districts simultaneously, and caused a general turnout of engines and firemen on false errands. Call after call came in rapid succession, and every one had to be answered by the attendance of two engines and a horsed escape.
HAVOC BY LIGHTNING.
Here is a record of the damage done to buildings struck be lightning: thininey pots and bricks torn from house in Teddington next door to Baptist Chapel. Tiles of another Teddington house (Minster-road) all spli,t. many falling into the garden. Concrete wall of garden had large hole torn in it. Occupant of the house. a porter, struck on left arm. Roof of house in Elm-road, Thornton Heath. set on fire. House in Melport-road considerably damaged. House in Sunderland-road, Forest Hill, considerably damaged, and water-pipe melted and drains in the yard uprooted. Bathroom of house at Cowes set on fire. Water-pipe melted, and the fire extinguished by water thus released. House completely flooded. Chimneys fireplaces and shelves destroyed in house in Spencer Hill. Wimbledon. Chimney stack struck at Bellingham Railway Station. Huge piece of stone, weighing 3cwt., hurled on the ilne. This had to be moved before trains could pass Booking office, roof and the stationmaster's house also extensively damaged. Joint chimney stack of two houses at Durlis-road, Catford, were struck and roofs damaged. Small fire follows striking of chimney stack belong. ing to drapery establishment.
Some two tons of masonry dislodged from Royal Masonic School Buildings at Clapham Junction.
Hole a foot square made by thunder bolt.
Thunder bolt crashes through room of a house in Sudlow-road, Wandsworth. It passed into a first floor room, making a hole about a foot square. Gas pipe broken and the gas ignited. Fire extinguished with difficulty by Mrs. Crimson, occupant of the house. The east end of St. Mark's Church, Lewisham, was struck be lightning, a large stone cross and coping stone being shattered and thrown in all directions. B
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