Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 054.pdf/269

 of the obelisk just now mentioned, the lightning broke through the roof above the Composite story; at the ends of another set of iron bars placed lower than the former, from which it tore out a large portion of the stone. It then struck the iron bars of this story, which are placed immediately under, and in contact with the stones, broke one of the iron bars directly across, and bent the larger part of it from its horizontal direction to near an angle of 45°. Its rapid progress being here in some measure prevented, at the end of one of the iron bars, it threw off the upper part of one of the Composite pillars just above its capital and a large portion of the cornice projecting over it, and that with such a force, that part of a stone which was placed here and formed a portion of the cornice, and weighed seventy two pounds, was projected, not only the whole length of the body of the church, but beyond it, across St. Bride's Lane; where it fell upon the top of an house, and broke through the roof and lodged in the garret. The horizontal distance from the steeple to the place where it fell, was at least 150 feet; the heigth, from which it fell, somewhat more than two hundred. This piece of stone was of a very irregular figure, and must have required an amazing force to rend it, detach it from the building, and throw it to such a distance. The shaft of the pillar, the next to the East of that whose upper part had suffered so much, was likewise violently struck; and a large portion of its diameter broke out and thrown down. The Ionic story has suffered considerably, more particularly the pilaster fronting the North East, and placed directly under the Composite column, whose top was