The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1856-12-24
CURIosITIES OF ELECTRICITY.


CURIOSITIES OF ELECTRICITY.
The peculiariies of that terrible but mYs.
terious agent, lightning, are made the snbiec,
of an interesting paper in recent number OF
the British Quarterly Review. Two clouds
are not necessary for the production of light
nlng, which is frequently discharged from
solitary clump of vapor, when connection
can be established with the earth. A French
Academician, named Marcolle, describes
case where mere cloudlel about foot and
half in diameter, killed poor woman by
dropping a thunderbolt upon her head. Il
has bee shown by Faraday that the electric
fluid contained in single flash might per.
| haps be supplied by The decomposition OF
one grain of water alone. NJ. Arago has di-
vided The lightning into three sorts. The
| first Include those where the discharge ap.
pears like long luminous lines, bent into an
giles and zigzags, and varying complexion
from white to blue, purple or red. This
kind is known as forked lightning, because
IT occasionally divides into Two branches
Charpeniier relates case where flash sew
cred into three forks, each of which struck
on points several hundred feet apart. Still
more numerous furcations have been report
| ed, for il Is said thai during a tempest at
Landeneau and ST. Pol de Leon, twenty
four churches were struck, though three dis
tinct claps were heard. This was eight
churches apiece for the three explosions
| The second class of lightning differs from
the first in the range Of surface over which
The fash is difused, and is designated as
sheet lightning. Sometimes it SIMPLY g,ds
the edges OF the cloud, whence il leaps; but
at others 1t floods with lurid radiance, or
else suffuses its surface with bushes of
| rosy or violet hue.
The third class of IieAinings are remarka-
BILE for their eccentfcrtfes, end have been
made the subject of considerable attention
among meteorologists, many Of whom have
denied their right 10 be treated as legitimate
ligh,niIgs, they differ SO widely from the or.
dinary sort of flashes. They exhibit them.
selves as balls or globalar Jumps of fire-not
momen,ary apparations, but meteors which
take their own time, and travel at remark
able rate. Ii is this incelenty which gives
them their doubtful character, as an eleclri-
cal bolt is supposed TO be one the leading
embems Of velocity. Among other anec-
dotes related Of this kind Of lightning is the
following incident, which occurred to tai.
lor in the rue St. Jacques, Val de Grace,
about the year l543. Nj. Babinet was COM
missioned BY the Academy of Sciences 10
investigate the facts, and reported subs,an-
italy as follows:
"Afler loud thunder clap, the tailor be-
ing finishing his meal saw the chimney
board fall down as if beset by slight gust
OF wind, and a globe of fire, the size OF
child's head, come out violently into the
room, at a small heigh, above the floor; The
tailor said il looked like good sized kitten,
rolled up in ball, and moving without
showing its paws. The globe came near
bis feet, like young ca, that wants 10 rub
itself against its masters legs; but by mo.
wing them aside gently he avoided the con-
tact. 1t appears TO nave played for several
seconds around his feet, he bending his body
overit and examining il aitentively. Alter
trying some excursions in different direc-
tions, it arose vertically TO the height of his
head, which he threw back 10 avoid touch.
| ing his face. The globe elongaling little,
then steered towards hole in the chimney
above the manile.piece, which hole received
a stope-Pipe in the winter, but was now
pasted over with paper. The thunder he
said, could not see the hole but neverthe.
less the ball went straight 10 the aperture, re-
moving the paper without hurting it, and
made its way into the chimney. Shortly af-
ierwards, and when he supposed il had time
10 reach the top, il made dreadful expIo.
sion, which destroyed the upper part of the
chimney and threw the fragments on the
roofs of smaller buildings, which they broke
through. The tailor's lodging was on the
Third story the lower ones were no, visited
al all by the ihunder-boll. ."
| Lightning, when it meets with an obslruc-
tion in its course, frequently skaters the nom
conducting object, dispensing and bursting
substances asuuder in every direction, as if
they had been charged with gunpowder-.
The stone pinnacle Of church in Cornwall
was struck by lightning, and one fragment
weighing three hundred pounds was hurled
sixty yards TO The southwark, another four
hundred yards 10 the norlh, and third TO
the southwest. In 1888 the .lopgalant-m mast
of H. M. ship Rodney was literally cut up
in;o chips by flash of lightning, the sea be.
ing strewn with the fragments as il the car
penlers had been sweeping their shayings
overheard Sometimes, in striking Tree or
mast, the electric fluid will slice il into long