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appears to me, that the weather-cock and its apparatus had the principal share in occasioning the great mischief done to the upper part of the steeple. I am of opinion, that the lightning first took the weather-cock and was conducted, without injuring the metal or any thing else, as low as where the large iron bar or spindle, which is inserted into the top of the steeple, and comes down several feet of its length, terminates. There the metallic communication cealing, part of the lightning exploded, cracked and shattered the obelisk, which terminates the spire of the steeple, in its whole diameter, and threw off at this place several large peices of Portland stone, of which this steeple is built. Here it likewise removed a stone from its place, but not for enough to be thrown down. From hence the lightning seems to have rushed upon two horizontal iron bars, which are placed within the building, cross each other, to give additional strength to the obelisk, almost at the base thereof, and not much above the upper story: here, on the North East and East side, it exploded again at the end of the iron bar, and threw off a considerable quantity of stone. And here, for the sake of explanation, I must observe, that the spire of this steeple, where it rises above the bell tower, is composed of four stories, besides the obelisk placed over them. The lowest and second are of the Tuscan order; the third is Ionic; and the fourth or uppermost Composite or Roman. The stone piers of these stories are connected together and strengthened by iron bars placed horizontally near the height of the capitals of the pilasters, and each story has only one set of these bars. From the cross bars near the base
