George W. Ward was an American geologist of the 19th century, and a victim of the Thames Valley catastrophe.[1]
Biography[]
Death[]
George W. Ward succumbs to the heat from the lava flow while on Cookham Bridge
Ward had opted to visit the United Kingdom for six weeks to study the geology of the southern counties out of personal curiosity. By the 20th of August, he was staying at the White Hart in Cookham he encountered a clerk who worked for the General Post Office. Both bicyclists, their conversation eventually drifted to the topic of Ward's work with the Geological Survey in the Western States. Ward eventually explained the nature of fissure eruptions, explaining how much more potent they were than Mount Vesuvius's eruption that destroyed Pompeii.
The next day, both Ward and the clerk were on the Cookham Bridge when they spotted the advancement of a thirty-foot wall of lava coming from the direction of Marlow. Both opted to flee on their bicycles, but Ward accidentally caught his leg in his pedals and chose to dismount and flee on foot. The clerk spotted him from a distance being vaporised by the oncoming flow of lava. (PROSE: The Thames Valley Catastrophe)
Legacy[]
Ward's conversation with the clerk indirectly saved the latter's life; The clerk raced to Hampstead and managed to save his family before the lava completely consumed London. (PROSE: The Thames Valley Catastrophe)
Notes[]
Behind the Scenes[]
- Ward was created by Canadian author Grant Allen.[2]
Appearances[]
- The Thames Valley Catastrophe (first and final appearance)
References[]
- ↑ The Thames Valley Catastrophe by Grant Allen - Project Gutenberg Australia - Retrieved 25 December 2022
- ↑ PseudoPod 665: The Thames Valley Catastrophe - 13 September 2019 - PseudoPod - Retrieved 25 December 2022