The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1870-06-29


Since Franklin introduced the first light
ming rod, this means for the protection Of
buildings has been utilized By every civi'a
zed people. The nature Of this phenome-
non. It is now known that lightning will
always follow the best conductor Of cleo
tricity that It meets in its path, that ele-
waited objects govern its direction, that the
different kinds Of lightnings vary IN their
effects, ball lightning being the most dis
astrous. Again, questions Of o more strict
ly scientific character have been decided.
In short, this wonderful phenomenon Of
nature is at present as well investigated
as any in the department of meteorology.
While, however, on the one hand, technol-
ogy has kept pace with the progress OF
science in rendering buildings compare
tively safe against electric discharges of
the atmosphere. on the other hand II Is sad
to see how little has been accomplished IN
the way OF affording means Of protection
to human beings when overtaken by
storms. This fact is clearly set forth IN
the statistical data, published by Boudon,
Poey, Schieferdecker and Buchner.
In 1864, Boudon presented to the French
Academy Of Sciences table, showing that
in France, during the pened Of 29 years,
2,238 persons were killed by lightning,
OrA
is thus seen that during the past year n
lost their lives, and 232 were injured
Among those struck by lightning, between
the years 1885 and 1852 81 per cent we're
males, 10 per cent females, and % per
cent unknown. From 1854 to 1868, 26.1
per cent of females, and 1873 per cent OF
males were struck.
Pory, in 1855 presented to the Academy
a table exhibiting similar statistics Tor the
United States. From this it follows that
during - years the stroke proved fatal to
262 individuals. 430 being otherwise more
or less injured. l25 cattle were killed
and 90 barns, 10 dwellings, ships and l
bridge were set on FIRE In England, the
total number of individuals killed, amoun-
ted. in years ending with the year 1886
TO SO males and 10 females.
Still more interesting are the results
communicated by Boudln. According to
this statistician the number Of those that
are struck is greater the more elevated the
region of territory While only two deaths
took place in L'Evrie, 8 in L'Evne-et-
Loir and lie Calvados, 20 in lie Cantal, 81
IN SaOnst-Loir, Al in La Haute-Loir, ana
As in lie Puy de Dome. The nearer, there
fore, one is to the clouds, the greater the
danger This has, IN fact, long been known
AoA NAC 1ANASAo DNAb@s NaA6HtAAABI 80
Pierre's Encyclopedia, states that on the
LIST of May, 100, seven persons standing
on the summit Of a mountain in Syria,
were killed by a so called return shock,
produced by a cloud below. And DAba-
die informs us that IN the highlands Of
Ethiopia, 1000 sheep were killed by one
stroke
As regards damage to property caused
by lightning. interesting observations have
been made by DIR. E Bali. for the province
of Macklenburg, in the kingdom Of Prus-
sia According to these, 206 buildings
were struck from 1855 to 1867. namely
2 in winter, So in spring, 10 in summer,
and in the fall However excluding the
years 1862 and 1864. for which very in
sufficient data exists, the number of
strokes producing fire increased for ten
years-instead of II as sbove-to 143,
and that of strokes not so followed, to 80.
In these cases, therefore, the per centage
of loss is much larger than IN ordinary
ones
In regard to loss of life in Mecklenburg
SO persons were struck by lightning dur
ing period of IL yeaFs-from 1856 to
1866. One person is killed out of 2i7. 200
and one is struck out Of every l2l 300 OF
the entire population. The former num-
ber is more favorable than that Of the en-
tire kingdom, where, according to observa-
tions made between lS45 and 1857, one
deatk occurred for every 242. 800 innShit-
ants.