The emigrant aid journal of Minnesota. [volume] (Nininger City, Minn. Terr. [i.e. Minn.]) 1856-1858, 1857-10-24

Cs,riosis;es Of Electricity.

Curiosisies Of Electricity.
The pecuiartes of that terrible but mysterious agent,
lightning are made the subject of interesting paper
in recent number of the British Quarterly Reue1c
Two clouds are not necessary for the production OF
ehtnnc which is frequently discharged from solitary
clump of yapor, when connection can be established
with the earth A French academiciap named Mar.
colo, describes where mere coudet, about
foot in diameter, killed poor woman by dropping
thunderbo upon her head 1t has been shown by Far
adv that the electric fluid contained in single fash
might perhaps be supplied by the decomposition OF one
grain OF water alone.
NJ Arago has divided the lightning into three sorts
The first includes those where the discharge like long
luminous lines bent into angles and zg-zags, and vary
ing in complexion from white to blue, purple, red
This kind is known forked lightning, because it occa
sionay divides into two branches Charpener relates
case where fash severed into three forks, each OF
which struck points several hundred feet apart. Still
mere numerous furcations have been reported for it is
said that during tempest at Landerneau and st. Pol
de Leon twenty four churches were struck though only
three distinct caps where heard This was eight
churches apiece for the three explosions.
The second class of Lightning differs from the first
in the range of surface which the flash is dused
and is designated sheet ghtning Sometimes 1t SIM
pv gilds the edges of the cloud whence it leaps but
at others foods with urd radiance else suuses
its surface with blushes of rosy violet hue
The third class Of lighnngs remarkable for their
eccentrcties and have been made the subject OF
siderable attention among meerolog'sts many OF whom
have denied their right to be treated legitimate gA
nugs they differ so widely from the ordinary of
flashes lhey exhibit themselves as balls globular
Jumps of fre-not momentary apparaons, but mcteors
which take their time and travel at remarkable
rate 1t is this ncel,rity which gives them their doubt
full character electrical bolt is supposed to be
of the leading emblcms of velocity. Among other
dotes related of this kind of lightning is the following
i;ch tn tall in Rua !ac
ques, Val de Grace, about the year l743 NJ. Babinet
was commissioned by the Acadmey of Sciences to nves
tigate the facts, aud reported substantially follows
After loud thunder clap, the tailor being finishing
his meal, the chimney board fall down as if beset
by slight gust of wind, and globe of fire, the size
of chiI's head, come out quietly into the room. at
small height above the floor The tailor said that it
looked like good-sized kitten rolled up into ball and
moving without showing its paws. It was bright and
shining, but he felt sensation OF heat The globe
came n:ar his feet, Ike young cat that wants to rub
itself against its masters legs but By moving them
aside gently he avoided the contact Ii appears 10 have
played for several seconds abont his feet he bending his
body over it, and examining 1t atentlvely After try
ing excursions in different directlons 1t
ticay to the height of his head which he drew back to
avoid touching bis face The globe, eongating little
then secred towards hole in the chimney above the
mantlepece, which received stoveppo in winter, but
was pasted over with paper. The thunder be
sad could the hole; but nevertheless the ball
went strait to the aperture removing the paper without
burning it, and made its way into the chimney Short
ly afterwards when he supposed it had time to reach
the top it made dreadful explosion, which destroyed
the upper part of the chimney and threw the fragments
on the roof of smaller buildings, which they broke
through. The taor's lodgings on the third story
the lower ones we're not visited at all by the thunder
bolt
Lightning when it meets obstruction in its
frequently skaters the conducting object, dspers
I'M nd hurSti substances n
as if they had been charged with gunpowder. The
stone pinnacle of church in Cornwall struck by
lightning, and fragment weighing three hundred
pounds hurled sixty yards to the southwark another
four hundred yards to the north and third to the
southwest In 1888 the gallant mast of her Majes
tvs ship Rodney literally cut into chips by flash
of lightniug the being srewn with the fragments
as if the carpenters bad been sweeping their shavngs
overheard. Sometimes, in striking tree mast,
the eecrc fluid will slice it into long shreds laments,
so that it will appear like huge broom or bundle OF
aths. Lightning bolts will occasionally dash through
resisting objects by tearing great openings as in Cor
nsh church, where appertures were made IN the solid
wall of the befry fourteen inches deep and if cut
cut by In other instances ..lall holes are drilled
which surprising for their perfect circuarity of
form Window panes have been frequently pierced in
this fashion without affecting the rest of the glass In
forming these apertures burr projection is left
! upon the edges.
Juvenile electricns are in the habit of pakpg holes
in cards by passing discharges through them, when
burr projection will be observed both sides of the
orifce Sometimes single discharge will produce two
holes in card each puncture marked by single burr
one the upper and the other the under side of the
card In some instances the results such as to sug
gcst that flash may be split up into several fiery fila
ments before it strikes object In l777 weather
cock of timed copper hurled by thunderboit from
the top Of church in Cremona and upon inspection,
found to be pierced with eighteen holes in nine of
them the burr conspicuous side, and in nine
it equally prominent the other while the slope
of the burr was identical in all
Among the curiosities of lightning what is termed
fulgurs,' or tubes, which the lightning constructs
when it falls upon sicious spot, by fusng the sand
They may be called casts Of thunderholts. In hill
locks of sand in Cumberland (England) these hollow
tubes have been found from one6ttieh to two inches
in diameter sapering perhaps to mere point. The
entire extent OF the tubes may be thirty feet but they
usually separate into numerous branches and have the
appearance of the skeleton OF inverted tree They
lined with glass smooth and perfect if it had been
nude in g:asshouse
The submarine telegraph cable connecting Europe and
Africa, has been essy accomplished the distance
across was | 10 miles
The total population Of Canada is 2,27l ,43 /;
the increase in Eve years is 729, 172.