The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1856-12-03


de Leon, twenty four churches were struck
though only three distinct Gaps were
heard. This WAS eight churches apiece
for the three explosions
The second class of lightning differs
from the frs, in the range of surface over
which the fash is ditfused, and is desgna-
ted as sheet lightning. Sometimes it
simply g;des the edges of the cloud
whence it leaps; but at others it Goods
with a lnrid radiencc, or else sutfuses It's
surface with bushes of rosy or voIe,
hue.
The third class Of lightning are remark.
able for their ccceutricitics, and have been
made the subject of considerable conten
ton among the meteorologlsts, manv Of
whom have denied their right 10 3e treat
ed as legitimate beginnings, they differ SO
widely from the ordinary sort Of flashes
They exhibit themselves rs balls or globu
.nr Jumps of irc--not momentary appari.
tons. but mctcors which take their own
tine and travel 1T remarkably slow rates.
1t is this ircc.erity which gives them their
dOubttul character, as an eICclIica. bot Is
supposed TO lie one of the leading en-
hcus of velocity. Among other ancc.
dotcS related of this kind Of lightning is
the following Incident, which occurred to
tailor in the Rue, St Jaqucs. Val de
Grace, about the year lS43. Nj Babnet
was commissioned by the Academy of
Sciences TO investigate the facts, and re.
ported substantially rs follows.
"Airer - iond thunder clap, the tailor
Icing finishing his meal, SAW the chimney
hoard fnll down, rs it over>ct hy n slight
gust OF wind, aud Globc OF fire, about
the size of chlld's head, come out quI-
city aud move slowly about the room, AT
small heigh, above the floor. The tai.
Tor said il looked like a good S.zcd kitten,
rolled up int" a ball, AID moving withou,
showing its paws. 1t Was bright and
shining, hu, lie felt no sensation ois heat,
The globe came near his feet. like Young
eat that wants To rub it>c!I against It's
masters leg1 but 10y moving them aside
gently, he avoided the contact. Il ap.
pears TO have played for several seconds
about lis feet, he bending his body over
ii and examining it aucntiveIj. A'tar
trying some excursions in different drec-
tions, it rose vertically to the heigh. Of his
head. The globe elongated little, then
steered towards hole in the chimney
above the mantle piece, Which hole re-
ccivcd stovepipc in the winter, but was
now pasted over with paper, "rhe thun.
der" he said, could not see the hole but,
nevertheless the baIl wen: straight to the
aperture, removing the paper without
hurting il, and made its way into The
chimney. Shortly afterwards, and when
he supposed it had tim" to reach thc top
it made Dreadful explosion, which des
troyed the upper part OF the chimney, and
threw the tragmel Is Oh the roof Of small
90 buildings, which thcy broke through.
The tniors's iodging was on the third sto.
ry the lower ones were not visited at all
by the thundcrbolt."
Lightning, when it meets VITA Az oh.
sliucton in lis course, frequently skaters
the non.conGucting object, dispensing and
bursting substances asundcr i'll every di
rcctiou, as il they bal been charged with
eunpowder The stone pinnacle OF a
church in Cornwall, WAS struck by light.
ming, and one fragment weighing three
To the Soulhward, another four hundred
yards 10 the north, and third to the
southwest.
In 1898 the topgallant mast Of ii. NJ.
ship Rodney was literally cut up into chips
by flash Of lightning, the sea being
strcwn with the fragments AS il the car
penters had been sweeping their shayingS
overheard. Sometimes in striking tree
or mast, the electric fluid will slice il into
long shred or filament, so that it will appear
like huge broom or bundle Of laths.--
Lightning bolts will occasionally dash
through resisting objects by tearing great
openings, as in a Cornish church, where
apcrtures were made in the solid wall OF
the beliry fourteen inches square aud six
inches deep, and rs truly regular rs II cut
out by art.
- In other instances small holes are dril.
led, which are surprising for their perfect
circuIarity o: form. Window panes have
bcen frequently pierced in this fashion,
without affecting the rest Of the glass.-
In forming these apertures, a burr or pro-
lection is left upon the edges. Juvenile
titCulSIdUS are WI inc Hdplt VI HldhiUR
holes in cards by passing discharges
through them, when a burr or projection
will be observed on both sides o. the ori
tce. Sometimes single discharge will
produce two holes in card, each punc-
iure marked by a single burr one on the
upper snd The other on the under side of
the card. In some instances the results
are such as TO suggest that fash may
be split up into several derry filaments be.
fore ii strikes an object. InI777 wea.
thercock Of tinnod copper was hurled by
a thundeibolt from the top Of n church In
Cremonia, and, upon inspection. was
found to be pierced with eighteen holes;
in niae Of them the burr was conspicuous
on one side, il was equally prominent ON
the other. while the slope q the burr sas
identical ia; alL =. ~,
Among the cnriosi,ies Of iigLtning are
what % termed "fplguritss." OF tubes
. 'rtssssEN -, ~ rs-