White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1859-03-31
0stflll arta Curious.
A Basket of Thuadcrbolts.


From an article with this title. in Har-
per's Magazine, we make the following
extract
A few years ago, it used to be consid-
cred very dangerous to carry pieces OF
metal, such as keys or penknifc in the
pocket, or even to wear ring or bracelets
in thunderstorm. Latterly this appre-
hension has lost ground ;some very Curl
Gus facts are however, cited in its support.
a fash of lightning struck group OF
persons at Biberach in Swabia ;. it killed
one only the chief of famous band OF
robbers, who was chained by the waist.
A lady put her hand ont of a window to
close it /; flash of lightning melted a
bracelet she wore, injuring her arm but
slightly. Another lady-a friend of the
traveller Brydone-was caught in thun-
derstorm, and her hat, the frame Of which
was of thin metallic wire, was burnt to
ashes without injuring her head. 1t is
perhaps safe to consider these as excep-
tionable cases. At all events, when we
remember how much iron and metal sur
rounds us on every side, we shall hardly
expect that bunch of keys or bracelet
can exercise much attraction as conduc-
tor. Avoid fire places,' said Franklin ;
sit in the middle of the room, unless a
chandelier hang there; avoid metallic sub
stances, and surround yourself rather with
glass, feathers, silks But does any one
believe thunderstorm would have driven
the philosopher from his printers ease,
if it had been moment that he should
stay there?
After all, we must die, what objection
can there be to the speediest, perhaps to
the least painful form of death ? There
is no trace of agony in the face of light
ming struck corpse. 4 black speck or
two where the fluid entered, another where
it found exit, and perhaps dark line or
furrow making its path all the evidences
of the catastrophe. 1t has happened that
the lightning has crushed the bones of its
victim as though a celestial giant had fell
led him with monStrous club. But on
the other hand, men have been found
dead without external sign of injury, and
lightning has only been suspected of the
murder when pieces of metal have been
found on the body were perceived to be
magnetic. Men live who have been
struck blind or deaf by lightning others
whose limbs have been paralyzed by the
same cause. These make cheap acquaint-
ance with the dread destroyer for they
generally recover from the injury, and
by way of compensation nature usually
grants them better health afterwards.
rheumatism and nervous complaints,
seldom survive a smart lightning shock.
Sometimes, when no shock is experiea-
ced, persons who have been exposed to a
smart thunder storm find their hair and
beard loose the next morning, and in a
few days become bald. How are all these
effects produced ? Science is mute. The
doctors can only say that lightning kills
by destroying the vital principle-just as
their predecessors, in the time of Motierc,
announced that opium facit dormire, quiz
atest in to virtus dormitiea.
When Thomas Oliver, who was struck
by lightning, and remained senselesS sew
eral hours, recovered his wits, he sprang
up in his bed, and inquired, with the
pugnscity of a true Briton, who knocked
him down? Ladies. who start and close
your beautiful eyes at flash of lightning,
the story was intended for you. A fatal
flash is never seen by its victim. He is
struck, and the lightning has gone to its
home in the unknown depths in the earth
before he perceives that the clouds have
spoken. For the quickest eye cannot
mark periods of time much shorter than
a quarter of a second, whereas, the light
ming which God shoots forth to the ends
of the earth, lasts not for the thousandth
part of a second. Long before the ray OF
light reaches the eye it is gone. 1t fash
es, and the roar of the thunder sets out
towards our ear with the wonderful We
locity of thirteen miles in a minute, but
does not reach us till ten, twenty, thirty,
and even fifty seconds have elapsed it
flashes, and the bright image..starts at the
inconceivable speed of seven millions Of
miles in a minute, but does not strike the
retina till long after the celestial fame is
extinguished, and the clouds are at rest.