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

| our own opinion is that. in general, mctalhc
| articles belonging to the attire are not hkely
| n have any noteworthy influence, but thal
Snch influence aS they do exert IS unfa'oif'ole
| 10 safety. We may agree with Arago, how
| nrer flat "jt i, hardly worth while TO re-
| ,,rd the amount of increased danger occa-
| sioncd by n watch, buckle, Il clIain, pieces
| Of money, wires, pins. or other pieces OF
metal employed in mems and women r ap'
| parcel ,.,o .ra T.,
| Franklin recommends persons who are III
! houscs not projected by lightning conduc'
| tors ,o avoid the neghborhood OF the IRE
nl:,,., for the SCOT within the chimney forms
:, GOOD conductor Of electricity, and light
niu~ has Frequently been known to enter Il
hn,Isr Inv Tin. chimney. He also recommends
nat we >hoil!d avoid metals, gildlngS, ana
! mirrors. The safest place. he tells us, is III
the middle Of room, unless a c!Eihaeiicf p'
Suspended there. IT,
| Ills next rule is not a very useful one. lie
recommends that we should avoid contact
| with the walls or the floor, and points out
how this i 70 he done. We may place our
selves in Il hammock suspended by sllkcli
| cords, or in the not unlikely aDSenc" OF such
= hammock. we should place ourselves on
class or pitch. Failing these, we may ADOPT
the pl.n of placing ourselves on several mai
tr,,>.s h,,,ncd up in the centre OF the room.
| VIZ. do not think that such precautions ~
ihr>e are likely 10 he commonly uaeple"
,,uljna Il Thunderstorm, nor does II seem
necessary or desirable that they Sho'!u W.
We have not even the assurance 'iai me.
greatly diminish the danger. y >lroke w
| ,i~htuuu which fell on The 3afl7lck> Oh 81
| Maurice, at Lille, in 1855. pierced inc ila'
,rrsS,~ u TWO beds through ana ihl"lTn.
! Ina; glass il i protection from liz -,
an n!,;Hion which has ncc!, ana larif's'> S''i
j.. very prevalent, yet there have ncen 'ih'l'i
Instances tending TO prove The contrary. ~
S"ptrinbrr. $50. Mr.. Affair WAS Ntiilrh 10 'le
ground hv lightning, which kllleu TWO S14.
wants who were standing near MIN. ihe
| pI,,s of the window had hot Only "liereu no
nr,rrfiyc resistance TO the lightning, but had
| itrn completely puvcrizcd u! H. the frame
,,,n,l - thr window remaining uninjurcd.
,u;iu in Scptcmber 1872, lightning pierced
throu.l, 4 pane of glass in Il window on the
"rnmd floor of house in Padlia, "maklng
= hole is round rs if drilled with an augur.
II seems to have been established that If
thunderstorm * in progress. 4 building Is in
more danger of lrcng struck when many
persons are crowded within ii than when
few are present. This points 10 the danger
o: tie course sometimes followed ny the i'll
mates Of Il house daring Il thllnder-S' orn.
They appear 10 think that there is safety i'll
society, and crowd into one or two rooms,
that they may try by conversation and mu-
i,lal encouragement IL shake of the feeling
oil dal.ger which Expresses them. They arc
iii reality adding. and that scnslbiy, to any
danger there may be. 'There Is" says
Arumo. "a source Of danger where large as
>alnhi,lge> Of llN.l OF animals are present. IN
the ascending currents OF Napnr caused ny
their Drr>pirati0n." Like water, moist
air j. 4 rood conductor Of electricity, ana
lirLtniu" is attracted i'll the SAME way
though not Of course TO the same eNtenf-by
~, ascending column OF rapor, as 10y regu-
lar Neutrality-suspicious.. 1t L. on this AZ
count, probably, that ilockS Of sheep are 50
Frequently struck, and so many of them
killed by single stroke. Barns containing
Grain which has been housed before it L.
quite drv are more commonly struck by
lightning than other buildings, the ascend
ing column of moist air being probably the
attracting cause in this case, a. i'll the former
When we are ovcrtaken bya thunderstorm
in the oEen air precaution is more ncccs. ar,
than within 4 house. 1t Is we'll To KNOW,
especially when no shelter is hear, what Is
the most pTuuclil CoulStt W NNoiu'
1t has been stated that there j.. danger in
running against the wind during tlsmIeI-
storm. and that ii i better to walk with than
against the wind. One should even. it is
said, if the wind is Very high. run with the
wind. The rationale of these rules seems
| to he this 4 current OF air is produced
when WE run against the wind. the air on
the side turned from the wind being rarrl
than the surrounding air. A man so running
"lcaves a space behind him in which the air
| is, comparatively speaking, raretiedw Light
ming would be more likely to seek such u
space for it, track than region in winch the
| air i more dense. An instance Is recorded
in which, during gale, lightning actually
ieit conductor which passed from the mast
" il ship 10 her WmdWald side in order tG
traverse the space Of rarefcd air on The ships
larboard side.
1t is quite certain that trees are very likely
II lie struck by lightning, and, therefore,
Tat it is an exceedingly dangerous thing to
stand under trees in II storm No cJnsidera-
ton Of shelter should induce any one 10
adopt so dangerous Il course. The danger,
in tact, is very much grcaterwhe heavy rain
is falling, since the tree, loaded with mOiS-
ture, becomes an efficient Neutrality-suspicious.
| tor. For similar reasons il is dangerous to
seek the shelter of Il lofty building mot pro-
tected by a lightning-conductor)i in thunder
storm. One of the most terrible cataStrO-
Plies known in the history Of thunder-storms
occurred to 4 crowd of persons who stood in
the porch Of village church waiting till a
| thundcr->hcwer should have passed away.
| In the open air, when Il heavy thunder
storm is progressing, and no shelter near, the
hest course i TO place ones sell at moderate
distance from some tall trees. Franklin con-
sidcrrd distance Of about fifteen or twenty
feet the best. Henley also considered five or
six yards 4 suitable distance in the case of Il
single tree. But when the tree is lofty IL
somewhat greater distance is preferable.
The reader need hardly be reminded, per-
haps. thut the necessity for taking these pre-
cautions only exists when the storm is really
raging close ut hand When the interval
which elapses between the lightninS-flaSh
and the Handicapped is such as to show that
| the storm is in reality many miles away, it is
| altogether unnecessary 10 take precautions of
! any sort, however brilliant the flash max be,
or however loud the peal. 1t must be
noticed, however. thai II storm often travels
| very rapidly. Ii The interval Of time be-
tween the lightning and the thunder is OBJ
served to diminish markedly, SO that the
| storm is found to be rapidly approaching
| the Observers station, the same precau-
tons should ut once be taken as though the
storm were raging Immediately around him.
So soon rs the interval begins TO grow
| longer, it may be inferred that the storm
has passed Its point of nearest approach
and i, receding. But the laws accord
ing to which thinier-stormS travel are ~
1,,.f, la Md. 10 10