Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1869-08-13
J y. n sSyfI
proper {. fs Impaired 4

. E.'r tttxfX
5 prsppudeance Of condnetipg ser
: Fface on tho roof and down 'thc sidi
of the building; and as the appli
cation of such Iods under sucl
circumstancess 4ooksSvery like gil
ding reauod gold and painting thu
lily, we may ask why apply them
, at ::ll? Steinmetz, very good au
thority, seems to think the best
] lightning conductor, to be lead %,
: copper on the ridge of the roof
t with perfect continuation Of meta
; pipes into the GROUND.
i sheresis 20 doubt that certain in
{ dividuals are far more likely to be
injured by lightning than the mass
of their fellow-beings; and hence
if such susceptibility is apprehcnd.
cd, and can by any means he veri.
fed, it is highly important that
such person should have recourse To
extraordinary protectives. That
women are less obnoxious to the
fluid, or less attractive to it, than
the men is established by abundant
statistical evidence. The French
tables-the most minute of which
we have any kuowle1ga-give the
casualties to woman from lightning
at less than onc-third of those to
men. The factis variously explain
ed, especially by the allegation that
mon arc more exposed than women
and that the silk dresses worn by
the latter give them comparative
Immunity; but many women in
France are very much exposed, and
those are just the women who do
not wear silk dresses. Moreover it
is affirmed that in many cases the
fluid, falling on a group of both
sexes, has picked out the males.
It would appear from this that du-
ring thunder storms, if at no other
time, the ladies may, with rational
dclicacy, give up the places of most
approved security to their male
companions. Apart from this >dis-
examination of sexes, the lightning
exhibits still other preferences.
Wonderful as it seems, there are
persons who have been struck by
'tssseveral times du,ing their lives,
and' what is more astonishing still,
one such person have been struck
by lightning three times il three,
different dwellings Hc has the
consolation. s of knowing that the
frequency of those visitations seems
to deprive them of their fafal char.
after-T7for we believe he still SUR
vlves-yct the .chapco of being
struck by lightning, so often made
ajest of, because in any ,individual
case 80 unlikely, must, always in his
ease he ,'ieethfortably probable. si
An examination OF many recent
papers, from scientific sources, on
electrical phenomena, coupled with
late notorious refutations by ma.
t';re, not only of tho superatitions
Of the ignorant, but of the elabo.
rate conclusions Of savaaas, loads on
to the belief that tho present state
of human knowledge on this mys-
tcrious and most Interesting sub.
jects is stexceedingly inlperfect.s aud
it's deductions peculiarly anteuat
wothy*s Onayswithinsa very: shortd
time have men. known-or, at least
bogun to act tas:if they kiaew-that
the electrical fluid does notdescend
alone from above in vertical lines,
but approaches horizontally, and
even some times from below. s The
fact that houses without lightning:
rods have of late been frequently
passed over without injury during
storms, while adjacents houses With
those provisions have been more
or less affected, must ,evitably(
have serious :. influence il
destroying confidence, ina devicel
formally thought so eReetual. I'll
would be matter for. public cougrat-
nlation if tho country which pos.
sessed FRANKLIN should, at the
present in some respects brilliant,
but i'll other dubious and unsatis-
factory stage Of electrical deyel. I
opement md Investigation, pro-;
duce q powerful and thoroughly
! tfalned thinker, who, by .devoting
las exclusive attention to the sub. |;
jeet, might iead us out of the ruists
and q clouds q rur half knowledge
INTO the light Of q more perfect
day. .,. ..,.,:z.; ~,
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