Updated
December 12, 2008 9:39 PM
1871 June 20th This morning, at half-past eleven o'clock, the chimney
of the Burnden Colliery, belonging to the Earl of Bradford, and situate
a few yards off Manchester Rd, was struck by lightning, and a considerable
portion of it knocked down with such force that the bricks of which
it was built were thrown many yards and scattered across the road.
Just at the time the damage was done, the Farnworth omnibus was passing
to Bolton, and the greatest alarm was created amongst the passengers,
some of them being visibly affected by the inhalation of the electric
fluid which filled the bus. The guard of the bus, Schofield, experienced
a temporary paralysis of the right arm.
