Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-01-31

Il
the time grea ion and formed the subject of a
report by NJ Aago % ne Institute of France IL subse-
quenty led to debate The House of Commons. Since,
the question whether navy of the country was was
not to contn expos o the ravages of lightning, and
the Treasury iarge annual expenditure, merely to
gratfy the predcesan personal anmosty of few per-
sons could be o moment to the vital interests
OF the country lily the greatest scientific
authorities OF Fmcn I'll any other country can boast
were the sioh Of Mr. Is s The result was general
order In lS4Z a NJ every in the Queens service with
the new conducsors since hieh time, although have
made very critical inquire we cannot find that any ship
of the Royal Navy has suffered from lightning although,
as it appears Dyofcal returns to precept of the House
of Lords in Juie, 1Sf9 her Maestys ships have been
exposed to the Obstructive cy Of ofiightning in all parts
Of the world. Nom thirty forty of the Queens ships
certainly have saved by Sir Snow Harrss conductors
from the destruhon iorpely attendant lightning in
the navy. Thescases Of the Fisgard Scylla and Con-
stance must be tcsh ~ the recollection of naval men;
and hence, as We have already observed, the benefc,"
results Of Sir Snlw HaNs system Of conductors to the
q 's e ss hoa HAD ssss
lCaliSpY E1st spars 4d Deem crippled forign
station, perhaps of the people either killed hurt
as was COMMONLY the case in times past when man Of
struck by lightning the country would have lost
the services of the ship fG the me the Treasury must
have paid the cost of expensive re pensions would
have been justly awarded to those crippled hurt and
in of critical emergency occurring serious inconve
nience may have arisen. From all this the country is
free and compelled to admit that in award
ing the first medal of e Great Exhibition to Sir Snow
Harris for his invention of permanent system of
ductors for ships scientifically disposed throughout the
vessel the jury natal matters of which believe
Baron Dupin the president made fair and honorable
award
After the foregoing had appeared in our daily pa
per of Tuesday last, We received the following:
Messrs, GALES sRaroN Having read in Tuesday
Integencer very interesting article Sir Snow Har-
rss Lightning Condacrs," it brought to my mind his
torical anecdote related to few years ago by late
distinguished officer d gallant navy Commodore Ja-
cob Jones' have it in print and if it possesses
the novelty ourselves it is at your service for
publication.
As is well known n the annals of naval history,
Commodore Jones, while in command of the soop-ofwar
Wasp," after short but hardfought action, captured
the British sloop Proc, his superior in force,
knowledged by the enemy themselves. Shortly after the
action both vessels were captured by the sevenyfour
Pocters" Commodore Jones being unable to escape in
consequence of injuries sustained in his late encounter
The Wasp and "Frolic" both taken prizes to
Bermuda from which place the American officers were
sent home and exchanged The Wasp repaired
and fitted out as British cruiser and attached to the
squadron that time engaged in the blockade of New
York harbor of which the Poicters the flagship.
While attending to these duties the ship and crew
met with awful fate. In the midst Of violent thun-
der storm, at night the of ship few miles dis
were startled by tremendous explosion Immediate
ly succeeding burst of thunder and lightning when the
whole heavens lumined in the direction of the
" Wasp" for few moments, until night again spread hei
sable mantle the troubled waters. The i-fateo
Wasp' never again seen, and not until the deer
shall yield up its viii all the secrets Of that ata
night be revealed The ocean was dotted with fragments
but not soul survived to tell the tale.
Commodore jones' in relating this anecdOte to me, sug
gested for the catastrophe. While in command
of the Wasp" he careful that conductors rig
ged to every mas for he considered the ship in especa
danger from the effects of lightning the mzzcn
stepped through the magazine In his engagement will
the "Froic" his spars and rigging were much cut t.
pieces and in her subsequent repairs at Bermuda by he
capors doubtless the precautions not observ
ed The bolt that struck the mast must have communi
Gated Immediately the magazine and destroyed at
both crew and ship. W.