The Lambertville record., 1873-07-09
MISCELLANY.
PROTECTION FROM LIGHTNING.

However much we may be disposed to exult
in the alleged fact, that Frankln's invention
has robbed the skies of their terrors, it is
nevertheless true that the amount of damage
to life and property, oceasioned every year by
lightning, is something appalling. To those
who thnk,of the subject for the first time, ii
may perhaps appear that the danger to which
we are exposed from lightning is very slight
but those who have carefully noted the num-
Der of persons injured bylightning during the
course of the year, are aware that the risk of
accident from this source is greater than that
incurred by travellers ON our railroads. in
other. words, sthatpth number ofpersens killed
byslightiing is greater than3that killedon our
railroads. Tllns during the ten days sue
cecding July B. 1872, no less than fifteen per-
sons were killed by lightning in the Northern
and Eastern States. A succession of three
railroad accidents, in,each Of which five per-
sons had been killed, would have Mortified the
community but these fl teen deaths by light
ming seem to have attracted very little atten-
tion. When we come-to extend our yinyesti-
CATIONS over a longer period, we fiiid -substan-
TALLY the same results. Poey, in 1856, found
that during the precedin twelve years, there
were recorded 262 cases of persons that had
been killed, and 430 injured; while, of course,
as every one knows, the cases that escape the
notice of the statistician are generally quite as
numerous as those that are recorded. In
France, during twenty-nine years. an average
Of n persons.lost their lives, and 232 were in
jured, per annum, as may be seen by referring
to the report Of Boudins presented to the
Academy Of Sciences in 1864 The most per-
feet records were kept in Mecklenburg, where
it was found that one person was killed out of
every PAT, 200 inhabitants. Now, on English
railroads, the death-rate is one for every
1886, 300 passengers j and in France, the
death-rate isrone for every 1855, 500 spassen-
gers. In short, statistics fully bear us out in
saying that, on our worst-managed roads, the
percentage of passengers killed is not as great
as the pcrcentageo of the Whole population that
is killed by lightning. These melancholy facts
should lead to an earnest consideration of the
best means Of avoiding lightning-strokes !;
and, fortunately it is the opinion of our most
JuhtOiouS duh hiooo tiolotShiJ ihioiiiSh iiitH
that all danger from this source may be avoid
ed, at least in ships and houses. In the Brit
ish navy, where the very perfect system Of
protection devised by Sir William Snow Har-
ris is in use, injury by lightning has become
a thing almost unknown; while, previous to
its adoption, the material loss was valued at
1886, 600 The Cathedral of st. Peter, in Ge-
neva, although SO elevated as to be above all
other buildings in the neighbornood, has for
three centuries enjoyed perfect Immunity from
damage by lightning while the tower of St.
Gervaise, although much lower, has been fire.
quently struck. This doubtless arises from
she fact thai all the tewefs of st. Peter are
accidentally furnished with very perfect con-
ductors. The great column of London, known
as the monument, erected in 1877, in COM
memoration of the great fire, although over
two hundred feet in height has never been
struck while much lower buildings in the vi
cinty have not escaped. The Monument,
however, is protected by most perfect con-
ductor; the upper end terminating in vase,
from which proceed numerous metal plates,
designed to initiate the appearance of tongues
of fame. The vase communicates, by means
of stout bars of irop, yithsthe metal staircase