Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1846-06-11
From Sears Magazine for June.
Protection from Lightning.


lightning, and the solcitude to discor-
er and adopt means of security against
1t, are proportionate to the evils it pro-
duces rather than the frequency of their
occurrence. The chances which any
individual of the population Of a large
2 city incurs of being struck during a
storm are infinitely less than those
which be encounters IN his daily walks
of being destroyed by the casual fall Of
the buildings near which he passes, or
by the encounter of carriages crossing
his path, or from the burning of the
house in which he lodges, or from a
thousand other causes of danger to
which he exposes himself without APP.
prehension. Still, even those who
possess the greatest animal courage are
struck with awe, and affected more or
less by fear, when exposed 70 the war
of the elements in a violent storm; and
there are none who, in such cases, will
not Willingly avail themselves Of any
means ofprotection which they believe
to be availing. Augustus entertained
such dread of lightning that in storms
he took refuge in caves, thinking that
lightning never pene'rates to any consl-
derable depth in the ground.
Strong fear, operating on ignorance,
has prompted, in times past and pre-
sent, a multitude of absurd and una
vaillng expedients, among which, new
ertheless, chance seems TO have flung
some in which analogies to the results
of modern science are apparent
When cloud menaced thunder, the
Thracians shot their arrows at it. The
arrows being metal, were conductors,
and, being pointed, had the virtue of
attracting lightning. Pliny states that
the Christians had secret method by
which they could draw lightning from
the clouds, and guide it at their pleas
ure. Numa possessed the method, and
Tullus Hostilius, committing some ov-
ersight in the performance of the cere-
mony, was himself struck For Numa
substitute Franklin, and for Tulus,
Richman, and the Roman legend is
converted into true historicl record OF
the last century.
1t was formerly believed that persons
in bed were never struck by lightning ;
and modern meteorological, Mr.. How
ard, apparently favors such an idea, by
relating two cases in 1928, in which
beds were completely destroyed by
lightning, while the persons who lay in
them were uninjured. Against this,
however, many contrary instances may
be cited. On the 29th of Sept. l779,
Mr.. Heartily was killed in his bed, bv
lightning, at Harrowgate, while his
wife, who lay beside him, escaped
On the 9th Sept. 1919, a servant was
killed in her bed at Confolens, in
France. In 1897, house was struck
with lightning, in Kensington, neal
London, where man and his wife were
killed in their bed.
The Romans believed that seals Skin
was preservative against lightning
Land tents were made Of this materia
for timid persons to shelter under ii
storms. Augustus was always previ
ded with a seals skin cloak Howev
er Intellectual may be such an expedi
emf, experience abundantly proves tina
the dress is not withon. considerable in
fuence on the course which lightning
follows, and may, therefore, augmen
or diminish the peril Of the vearers.-
When lightning struck the church a
Chateau-neuf-les- Moutiers, during thu
celebration of mass, of the three priest!
who officiated at the altar two were
stack dead, and the third was uninjur
eds The Investments Of the last were o
silk. gsssf "a
There are some wellattested fact'
which lndicate relatiorbetween colo
and the movements ofshe electro flu