The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-05-22
nnurer from Lightning.

4
n,rn ~ greater than it really is and thus TIL
,,o,;nm~ of uyr, and terror which many eN
,.r;cncc during the progress of Thunder
itnr,, ar, TOO often increased. In rcaiify
1na danger to which we are exposed o'lriii!
,nrb storms i far from great. more ">prriali,
IN town. II i well that this should D'
Known hcc,u,r the effects produced on per
sons Of nervous temperament by thr NNl'
t,sbc, Of lightning and the rc>oun'lng laHl>
of thunder are sufficiently painful without
that additional and even more distressing
terror which the apprehension of real dan
ger commonly produces. Instances nave
Eaeu known Of death being occasloncd DI
,he dread which thunderstorm has eN
c;t,,l when the seat OF danger was III reality
several miles away.
There are. however. persons not otherwis'
wanting in courage who experience an op
prcS,iye sense ui terror, apart from tn" lr:t'
Of danger, when electrical phenomena are u
progress. The Emperor Augustus nNrd L
suffer the most distressing emotions W''rh
Thunderstorm was in progress. and BE- wac
in the habit OF retiring 10 Il low-,ai't"f
chamber under ground, under the nl>iaNcl
notion that lightning never penctfatts ia'
t,.lnw the ,:,rthS surface. MAJOR N"k'@. !ti'
ro,crbial. used to he pr0straicd hy l.fl"i
during a Thunderstorm. We cinno. u"llf''
in these instances nervous effects are pro
duced which arr wholly distinct from ttt
fear engcndcrci bv the simple CONSCIOUSNESS:
Of danger.
We nave said that the danger i small
wien thunderstorm is in progress. Ii We
consider the number of persons exposed
during Il wear in England to the effects "j
Neutrality-suspicious. raging in their immediate
ncighborho0d, and compare with that i'.Hl-
her the small number of recorded deaths.
We shall Srr that the probability of being
struck by lightning is very small Indeed.
The danger We are exposed 70 in travelling
nlon.. th,. most c.,!riuy-re%ulatcd railway Is
nruIy times greater than that 10 which. uu-
dor ordinary circumstances. We arc exposed
when 4 tlnnIrr-~tnr,.i j. raging around Us
Me-. in r3.,> Cl this .uli. uiel do nat reason
urrurdilrr to ihr doctrine at chances: nor
indeed. /. il, desirable that they should.
There are measure, Of prrrnution which.
-,,p,u t,,uugh the danger may I've. II Is we'll I"
;;doDt. la a Railway carriage il would he
foolish to let the mind dwell upon the dlll-
ger 10 which We are in reality exposed, since
Ne .an do nothing TOWARDS diminishing II.
Ant il wOuiu ht - unreasonable 10 neglect
1recaution> in The presence OF heav! lhun-
der--l,rln. merely brrulIsc the lan2er"l hrili:'
struck Is small, ~ il would BE- 10 neglect Tie
rules vi iah regulate powder stores merely
bpcatlSe the instances in which fires have
been caused ty carrying Cigar lights IN ttn
coat pocket. or by wearing iron on the sole
OF the boot arc few and far between.
We have mentioned one precautionary
mea-ure adopted 10y the ancient>. The notion
that lightning does not penetrate the earth
70 any considerable depth was in ancient
times widespread one. 1t is still prevalent
in China and Japan. The empernrS Of Japan,
.rrurding to kInp!pr. retire during thunder
storms into Il grotto. over which Il ciStcrn OF
water has been placed. The water may be
designed u cNtingui>h fire produced by the
hxhtnng; but more probably it is intended
- Al additional protection from electrical
effects. Water is 40 excellent 4 conductor OF
electricity that. under certain circumstances,
Il sheet 81: water affords almost complete pro-
lection to whatever may he below: but this
docs uor prevent fish from being killed
Nv lightning, rs Alngo has pointed out. In
rhe year 1870, lightning fell OH the Lake oil
Xirknilz, and killed all the fish i'll II, so thai
the Inhabitants of the neighborhood were
enabled to ill twenty-eight carts with the
dead fish found floating on the surface OF th'
lake. That mere depth Is no proteetlon y
well shown by the fact Ct those singular
yjtreous tubes called fulgurites, which arr
known 10 be caused by the action OF ll@ht
ming. Often penetrating the ground TO def.l
of thirty or forty feet. And instances have
ha.n known in which lightning has ascend
ed from the ground TO the stnrm-cl"'Id, in
stead of following the reverse course. fron
Whit depth these ascending Lightning
sprino, it is impossible TO say.
Still. we can scarcely doubt that place
under ground, or near the ground, is >olne
what safer than n place several stories above
the ground-tloor.
Another remarkable opinion Of the an
clients Was the brlief that the skins OF Seals
or of Snakr, afford protection against light
ming. The Emperor Augustus, before men
tiOned, used to wear Scal-Skin dresses, uiIdel
the impression that he derived safety iron
Them. Seal-skin tents were also used by tho
Romans as a refuge for timid person, during
severe thunder-storms. IN the Ccvcnnes
AIago tells US, the shepherds are still i'll the
habit of collecting the cast-otf skins OF snakes
They twist them round their hats, under the
belief that they thereby secure themselves
against the effects of lightning.
Whether there is any real ground for this
belief In the protecting effects due to seal
skins and snake-skins is not known: hut
there can be no doubt that the material and
color Of clothing are mol without .heir i'm.
portancc. When the church Of Cln,teallneul-
les-Moutiers was struck by lightning during
divine service. two OF the officiating priests
were grYercly injured, while Il third escaped
who alone wore veStmentS ornamentcd with
silk In the SINE explosion nine persons
were killed and upwards Of eighty injured
But it is noteworthy that several dogs Were
present III the church, all Of which We're
killed. 1t has also been observed that dark
r0lored animals are more liable TO be struck
fother circumstances being the same) than the
light colorcd. Nay, more, dappled and pie
bald animals have been struck and 1t has
been noticed that after the stroke the hair on
the lighter tagrts has come of at the slightest
touch. while the bGir on the darker parts has
not been affected al ali, 1t seems probable,
therefore, that silk and tf't clothing and
thick black cloth afford sort OF projection
though not very trustworthy one, TO th0s.
who wear them.
The notion iiaa long been prevalent that
metallic articles should not be worn during
u thunderstorm. There can be no doubt
that large metallic masses OIL OF near INC per-
son attract danger. Arogo cites very NOTE
worthy INSTANCE Of this On the 2lst July,
1919, while thunderstorm was in progress,
there were assembled twenty prisoners in
The great hall OF Biberach jail. Amongst
them stood their chief, who had been con.
delnned to death. agd was claimed by the
waist. A heavy stroke Of lightning fell on
the prison, and the chief was killed, while
bis companions escaped.
1t Is no, quite SO clear that small metallic
articles are sources Of danger. Tic fact
The. when persons have been struck the
metallic portions Of their attire have been III
every case affected 10y the lightning, affords