New Orleans daily crescent., 1860-06-20
Statistics of lightning.

To the Editors of the National I,teuigeacer I'm
my memoranda of lightning on the land, and of its
operations within the field of my research in the
year 1858, the number Of persons stated to have
been killed by lightning is So: of whom 81 were
within buildings under trees 6 in the open air,
horseback. There are also two accounts which
say the number killed was Several
In 1859 the number mentioned as having been
killed by lightning is H., of whom n were within
buildings, IL under trees, q in the open air, and
Is not partcnlarized; two accounts which say
several, and one account which says i" number !"
were killed.
The number of dwelling. houses struck by light
ming in 1858 is 100; of which II were burnt, set
on fire, 4 torn to pieces, As badly damaged, "a
slightly injured, 5 not stated to be injured.
The number of dwellings stated to have been
furnished with conductors, which were struck, was
Il, of which were much damaged, S slightly in
jured, and not injured.
5 were set on fire, torn to pieces, ID badly dam
aged "a slightly injured, and Is not stated to have
been injured. Five of these dwelling houses were
furnished with conductors. all of which were dam
aged some badly.
No case Of a death bylishtning in 1853 ina build.
ing furnished with conductors has been known
within the field of my research; but in 1858 two
deaths by lightning in buildings furnished with
conductors are reported = one in New Castle,
Westchester county, New York, June 26, of q lady
standing in an open doorway during u thunder
storm, and the other on the 9th of June, at Free
port, Armstrong county, Pennsylvania. In pub
!. conductors" On July sth, 1856, a person was
killed by lightning at North Prairie Wisconsin, and
on July 18th, 1857, person was killed by lightning
in Waldon, Vermont, in buildings furnished with
lightning conductors These are all the deaths by
lightning in buildings having rods that have been
recorded by me in a long series of years.
[ have no record of death by lightning within
railroad cars or in iron buildings. Persons have
been killed by lighting while standing on the
outside platforms of railroad cars during thunder
storms, and have records of two locomotives
| having exploded during thunder storms, and il
was supposed the explosion was caused by light
| ming.
| | have met with no account of deaths by light.
| ming in a building having metallic roof nor Of a
| person reposing on an iron bedstead No case OF
| death by lightning Of telegraph operator while
| operating with the wires has been reported since
telegraphs have been in use, but during the pres
/ ent year telegraph operator near Marietta, Ohio
| was paralized by lightning, and during snow
storm the Telegraph operators at Sprinfed
| Massachusetts,, and Hartford, Connecticut, were
| severely shocked while operating with the wires
| 1t is not surprising that lightning conductors
should occasionally fail to conduct all the lightning
when it is considered that the lightning rods have
/ increased greatly in number aud variety, and, iE
many cases, care is not taken to preserve con
/ tinuity of the conducting surface, and sometimes
conductors are allowed to get out of order, and
| thus rendered incapable of conducting safely an
electric discharge from the clouds. / met with one
i case where large quantity Of hay was placed
i around a lightning conductor; had the lightning
/ come down the rod while the hay was there II
/ would certainly have set it fire. My confidence
in the great utility of lightning conductors, pro
/ pefy constructed remains undiminished, but the
changes that have been made in the heating light
ing, and introduction of water into dwellings, by
the substitution of stoves for open fire. places, gas
pipes for candles, and metallic water-pipes, invite
| the lightning to enter buildings, and where build
ngs are furnished with rods sometimes such nix
lures attract the lightning from the rod to THEN
| surfaces.
/ In ali cases when nersons are struck down by
i lightning cold water should be freely thrown upoI
the body, and if animation IS not immediately re
stored continue the drenGhing, for have the recort
Of one case of resuscitation where animation wai
restored after several hours drenching This cast
alone encourages perseverance and patience.
i have printed sheet of sixteen pages quartz
in reference to lightning, of much DETAIL for gratu
itous distribution. It will be forwarded to any per
son wishing copy. e. MERRIAM.
The safest position in house during thunde
storm is a seat upon chair in the middle of tn
room, with the feet upon the rounds. would ad
wise the closing of doors and windows. E. M.
RRanKLYN HEIGHTS. New York. June Ia 1869