The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1857-06-17
From he Student and Sehooimate.
tn UND e R.sTOR MS.
BY A. R. POPE.

fifteenth day of the month, 1852, that Benja-
min Franklin tried his famous experiment
with kite, and drew lightning harmlessly
from the cloud, aud so proved that the cleo
tricily of the cloud is the same as the cleo
tricity Of an electrical machine.
Many persons, learned as we'll as rnlearn-
ed, disbelieved what franklin asserted, at
first So his experiment was repeated in this
country, and in different parts Of Europe, TO
Test the correctness Of his opinion. And,
though the result 10 science was always thSN
same, the sams safety was not always enjoys,
ed by the operators. Several persons were
more or less injured by the lightning which
passed down the kile.slrings; and one, at
least, was killed. Superslious people said
that such injuries came from God vengeance
against men who medded with things which
they should not examine. But science now
tells US, that the disasters happened because
the experimenters did not know, or would
not observe, the great laws which govern
electricity.
But, as great as Franklin was, he could no,
understan nd The production of electricity in The,
clouds SO we'll as much humber persons can
understand il now. twas necessary TO know
that lightning and electricity were alike. be-
fore any thing else could be learned upon this
subject. Since franklin made his grand dis.
covery, the whole theory concerning the for
nation Of clouds, winds, and rain, has be-
oh "a .t, Sc
time. And we begin to see how those ele.
ments may form, as il were, huge electrical
machine in The atmosphere!
An electrical machine has only three es-
senlial parts: /. non.conduclor, usually
glass .. conducting rubber, usually ealh-
er coated with an amalsam of zinc aud mer-
curry; 3. prime conductor (metalc) 10 col
ect and ho.d The electricity, which is pro-
'duced by the rubber against the glass; one
of these two being moved upon the other.
1t must be remembered that heat causes,
first, an upward movement, Of air; second,
lateral movement of air toward the upward
volume and, third, an evaporation Of water,
which is carried up by the air, until it is con-
densed into one mist or cloud. 1t has been
also proved, that vapor, upon rushing ont Of
the escape valve of a m-boiler, by its
friction produces electricity which can be
collected in Leyden jar and, besides, it is
known that air will answer as we'll as steam,
10 produce electricity in this way, il the air
have enough moisture in il 10 make il con.
duclor, like the rubber Of machine.
Dry air and condensed vapor are both non.
conductors. These will answer for the glass
of an electrical machine. But us the column
of air ascends, part of The vapor becomes
condensed, and thus forms itself into the rub.
ber OF such machine. The wind drives the
forming cloud through the air, or into contact
with another cloud of a different temperature;
and the friction of the clouds together, or
against the air, produces electricity. This
electricity is collected and held by the cloud,
which is The prime conductor, TILL it can con-
tain no more, or is sureharged, as ilsis'ealled;
then il leaps from the cloud 10 the earth, eau.
sing both lightning aud thunder.
Ehus, as il seems, the formation OF elecniciW
may be traced back TO heat, which creates,
in the atmosphere, all these paris of an elec-
lrical machine, and also operates them. The
influence of one cloud upon another, most
persons may have observed because 1t is
common 10 say, that thunderstorm is more
violent when clouds from different direction
meet over our heads. But clouds from diff.
ferent directions can very seldom be al the
same height; and the lower, which s always
less moist than the upper, pass under that
By the friction, which their nearness 10 each
other, or their actual contact will occasion, the
violence and frequency of the electric dis.
charges are produced.
AS soon as il was known that lightning was
caused by electricity passing through the air,
il was also known that thunder was the noise
which the lightning makes on its way. A
spark Of electricity passes from machine 10
good conducting substance, with sharp,
swapping sound and the sound is always
proporioned 10 the distance between the two
objects, and 10 the quantity Of electricity ac-
cumulated.
When it is remembered, that the discharge
of the electricity of common Leyden BAT
terry, through space less than an inch, will
make noise like the report of gun, it is
plain how the noise is produced, when there
is discharge from such large quantity Of
electricity from cloud to the earth, through
a space of half a mile, or more. This would
sufficiently account for sudden sound, as
violent and startling as any which ever at.
tends fash of lightning.
This Is sometimes the character of the
:ound when the cloud is smell, and the ex.
plosion near. The rolling or rumbing noise
is The echo of the first crash, sent back and
forth, it may be, from the earth and clouds.
Those who have visited any remarkable !
scho-ground, can readily understand the re.
as ii is called, of thunder
Among the White Mountains, in New Hamp'
,hire, there is place where, If a Tin horn be
blown with a single blast, the listene. will