Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1829-08-03

I Since accounted for
From the Salem Massachusetts Gazette. -
ELECTRICITY
On the Phenomena of Thunder rforns and on The proba-
bic sources Of atnsospherieai Electricity
The spark and hs attendant report, observed
when jar, or battery Is discharged are effects
perfe' tiv analogous to fash OF lightning and
its consequent thunder; and The variety Of
sounds wnic h charac,erses This last, iss'qually
the characteristic Of every single explosion
when i, reaches the ear from dis!ance A
piece of artillery, discharged in any situation
where the surrounding objects present irregu.-
lar sources of reverberation, produces an ct
feet which might be mistaken for the roar OF
thunder
An observation Of he varieties Of the natu-
tural phenomenon will confirm the idea At
sea, where there is no diversity in the rever-
bera'ing objects, the sound is regular and
decreases in intensity at every reverberation,
until it gradually dies away; but in other si;ua.
!ions, where the bodies capable Of reVerbera.
ting are nu,ner US and IRE guIarly placed, a
succession OF sounds is heard, ying in loud .
and nature Of The sources OF reverberation, and
having no relation to the interval Of time.
When the fash is imm. diateIy 10 lowed by the
renor,. a single ex plosion OF pc, uiAr crashing
sound is usually all that is heard, for the dis
charge has .hen aiken place very ne ar the obser
yer. aud damage will IN such cases mos frequent
" he found to have occurred IN h. immediate
n,;phborhood. When the found does no, i'm
med;a,eIy follow he fash, the rumbling and
IRREGULAR noise most frequmily occurs, for The
distance Is then sufficient y render the rever-
bera,iou from its exteut tie most prominent
feature OF The phenomenon
The interval between ihefla,h and the ex
nlosion off rs da,a for caIc,lo ting the dstsnoe
of a thunder stroke. Fni iigh. moves with
such velocity, that the timei' requires. to ra>
| verse any ordinary distono@ may he consider.
cd as nothing but souad travels only at the
ra,e of ll4a fee, in a secod The Ash and
the rrporr are really cotemporsneous bu'
the one is Immediately see,;and the other re
ouires a second Of Time tolraverse li42 feet
Cons ouently he interval d elapses between
the ASH and the repor; eng multiplied by
l42. or this last BY the rsbrr of seconds in
The interval, will give thedis'ance Of the ex
,l,sion r. m he obser,ern feer. Thus, SUD.
nose ire flash oflighning cake pace five sec.
onds before the thunder isnrar|, then Zines
,lAa EQUALS $40, or mi $50 feet, which is |
The di.lsnce of he explosa from The obser
yer. Thn distance It mahowrver, be proper |
10 s,s,e, cann.t he consieed as measure Of
hi, removal from danger or i, is the meas
,rt Of an explosion wifi aas taken p... and |
those that follow may bcir in very DINE rev
situations. for The ihhd, clouds are some
times cont,nued over scaSderahle exten. VI
country, and two or I'd re3fashes arc nov un
Frequently sren in disssparts OF me a''"''
} phere a, nearly ,h- s3e ime. ;,
when the spark witch causes llehtning 10 =,
seen, i, is OF the zig1s form, assumed oy ="
powerful sparks whe they tra'e'se .o"
siderable space of air. and in this It's na'uts'
exhibition, the spark sometimes "aVe'se :,
: mos, prodigious in,eial. The appes!a"ef o. o.
{ two dis met streamssN no very cons'oe'eo'e
, distance from each cher, is sometimes pro.
. duced, when part Of long zigzags eonces'et
1 by an intervening clhd /; and the suooeh a"I
. universal fash, caleS shee,-igh'ning reso'
from the ,eflec lion Of an expl,so whien
" more completely concealed. OF Tins last kin
also appear those brijht flashes which occ
n on summer evenings and are not acIom
!, MED by thunder; Circumstance wnich
d,fFit uit to account Gor, unless It may
from their great dis,sAee flom the car"
= face. .rA
By far the greater number Of flashes OF ~
!. ming are harmless discharges from one
70 10 al o. her, and the insta,crs i" wnieh II $50
II tie earth are comparatively rare /; hence "
;. pears tina, the clouds. or different porte
:, the atmosphere. are opposi'ely electric
i, has been ncei,ed with good reason, 81 Il
;. Morgan, the celebrated. electrician, hatN
:. the lightning strikes The earth, The latte
:, mere!v &C, a. disrharging rod to sh"rssn an
"a s. tik. ng interval between TWO charged Use
" Air MORGAN has indeed aupposeds - by