The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1857-06-17
From ths Student and SeItoolmate.
TnUNDER. MS.
by a. a. POPE.

the Northern States, forms apart of the sea
son for thunder.storms. Il was in June, on the
fifteenth day of the month, 1752, that Benja
min Franklin tried his famous experiment
with kite, and drew lightning harmlessly
from the cloud, and so proved that the cleo
iriciiy of the cloud is the sams as the elec.
tricity of an electrical machine.
Many persons, learned as well as rnlearn-
ed, disbelieved what Franklin asserted, al
first, So bic experiment was repeated in this
country, and1n different paris Of Europe, to
test the correctness Of his opinion. And,
though the result 10 science was always the
same, the sans safety was not always enjoy.
ed by the operators. Several persons were
more or less injured by the Lightning which
passed down the kile.slrings; and one, al
least, was killed. Supersiiiious people said
tha, such injuries came from Gods vengeance
against men who meddled with things which
they should not examine. But science now
tells ne, tha, the disasters happened because
the experimenters did no, know, or would
not observe, the great laws which govern
electricity.
But, as great as franklin was he could mol
understand the production Of electricity in the
clouds so we'll as much humber persons can
understand itnow. twas necessary to know
that lightning and electricity were alike, be-
| fore any thing else could be learned upon shio
subject. Since Franklin made his grand dis.
covery, the whole theory concerning the for
nation of clouds, winds, and rain, has be.
come much better known than Il was in bis
time. And we begiu TO see how those ele.
ments may form, as it were, huge electrical
machire in The atmosphere!
An electrical machine has only three es-
senlial paris: I. a non.conductor, usually
glass 2. conducting rubber, usually leath-
er coated with an amalgam Of zinc aud mer-
curry; 3. prime conductor (metallic) TO col
lect and ho.d the electricity, which is pro-
duced by the rubber against the glass; one
Of these Two being moved upon the other
Ii must be remembered that heat causes.
first, an upward movement Of air; second, a
lateral movement of air toward the upward
volume and, third, an evaporation of water,
which is carried up by the air, until il is con.
densed into one mist OF cloud. !. has been
also proved, that vap6f, upon rushing out OF
the escape.valve Of steam-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, if the air
have enough moisture in il 10 make il con.
duclor, like the rubber OF a machine.
Dry air aHd condensed vapor are both non.
conductors. These will answer for the glass
OF an electrical machine. But as the column
of mir ascends, part of the vapor becomes
condensed, and thus forms itself into the rub
ber of such a machine. The wind drives the
forming cloud through the air, or into contact
with another cloud OF a different temperature;
aud the friction of the clouds together, OF
against the air, produces electricity. This
electricity is collected and held by the cloud,
which is The prime conductor, TIL it can con-
tain no more, or is s,nehargsd, as il is called
then il leaps from the cloud 10 the earth, eau.
sing both lightning and thunder.
Thus, as il seems, the formation OF electricity
may be traced back 10 heat, which creates,
in The atmosphere, all these paris Of an eiec-
lrical machine, and also operates them. The
influence of one cloud upon another, most
persons may have observed because II 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 is always
less moist than the upper, pass under that
| BY the friction, which their nearuess to 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 tc
good conducting substance, with sharp,
swapping sound and the sound Is always
proponioned 10 the distance between the two
objects, and to the quantity Of electricity ac.
cumulated. ~
When Il Is remembered, that the discharge
of the electricity of common Leydsn baI-
terry, through space less than an inch, will
make anoise like the report of gun, it ID
plain how, the noise Is produced, when there
is discharge from such large quantity Of
electricity from cloud to the earth, through
space of half mile, or more. This would
sufficieutIy account for sudden sound, as
violent and startling as any which ever at.
tends fash ofligh,aing.
This is sometimes tue character Of the
eound when the cloud is smell, and the ex
plosion near. The rolling or rumbling noise
is the echo of the first crash, sent back and
forth, Il may be, from the earth and clouds
Those who have visited any remarkable
scho-srouud, can readily understand the re
verberaticu, as it is called, Of thunder
Among the White Mountains, in New Hamp
shire, there is aplaee where, If tin horn be
ht<....~ .,x,sh ..~.t. lta.t -tho t;osnro. .r;f