Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-08-04
the Connecticut River about ten miles from
the southern boundary of the State.

the Connecticut River about ten miles from
the southern boundary of the State.
During hot summer day the sides of
the deep valley of this river rcek with in
tense heat, and cause a flow of moist air
upward toward the SUBMITS of the noun
tain-ridge, from the valley of the Connect
icut, and also from the sea. This moist
air, meeting with the general current from
the southwest, piles up an immense mass
of cumulus cloud, of many square miles
in extent, So long as the intense heat pre-
walls this cloud increases in size, grows
black and blacker with its dense vapor, and
casts a gloomy. lurid glare over the face
of Nature, darker than that of any eclipse.
The vapor, pushed up by the ascending
currcnts'of heated air, attains to a great
height above the sea, where the tempera-
ture is very low. But, finally, at that hour
of the afternoon when the heat begins to
decline, the accumulated vapors, no longer
augmented or sustained by heated air from
the valleys below, fall in rain
| The effect of large cold drops Of water,
or perhaps ice. making altogether mill
ions of tons in weight, falling from 4 great
height into deep, narrow valley, is, not
only to beat down the air into that valley,
but to chill the air there; and the cold air
seeking the lowest level, tends to rush
down the valley, at first near the surface
of the earth. but growing deeper and deep
er, until the cloud itself is borne away on
the swift-rushng air freshct of its own
making.
The land beginning to cool with the de-
clining sun and the cooling rain, causes
the southerly breeze to slacken and die
| away, and the stOrm-cloud rushes on I'M
obstructedly down the West River and the
Connecticut, deluging an! fertilizing the
fields along its course, while the quick
lightning and oft-repeated claps of thun-
der flash and resound among the reverber-
ating hills.
The cloud passes on, and often the sink
inc sun comes out from behind it the late
hushed and frightened birds gush forth
with new song; myriad drops hang gilt
tering on the spray; the green is flushed
with II brighter, fresher hue, and the glow
ing rainbow smiles serencly from the dark,
retiring, and still grumbling storm.
This storm is followed the next day by
delightfully."- clear weather, with a cool, cX-
hilarating breeze from the northwest
though this is not always the case, the
cloud sometimes overspreading the sky,
losing its motion, and leaving the air damp
and murky.
| The thunder-shower. as we have thus
described it. though limited to 4 small dis
trict of country, may be regarded the
type of all similar showers that occur in
mountainous regions everywhere. Nu-
meruos notifications, however. of local
origin will occur, due to various causes,
and it would be highly interesting and
valuable study to ascertain these causes for
every particular case.
Yet as to whether the moving force of
the thunder gust is limited wholly to the
causes here given, may well admit of IL
question. 1t is not improbable that Il
cloud, from its great height, may penetrate
a high upper current from the northwest,
and that both this upper and the lower cur
rent may contribute to lis rapid motion OF
translation 1t is we'll that these thunder
showers are movable, instead of being
stationary, as they often are at sea, for
otherwise summer rains would not be dis
tributed evenly over the face of the coun-
try, and the land in some places would
be subject to exceeding moisture, while
in other places it would suffer from the
drought.
A few DAYS after the above was written
u violent thunder-gust closed a warm at
ternoon. 1t was on the first of August
1873 The day had been hot and peculiar
ly oppressive, rs is usually the case before
a violent storm. Between four and six
O. clock 2. NJ, lhunder-Shower came
down the valley of West River, and cor
responded in the general features with the
description given above, but 1t exhibited
in addition other features which We're en-
tirelv peculiar. The lightning struck in
five notably different places in the village
of Brattleboro, which patly borders the
valley of West River near where it disem
borues into the Connecticut River. anC
these p4ces. instead of being elevate,
points, were, in all cases except one
among some of the lower ones. And they
were nearly all in the same straight line
about half or thrce-fourths of Il mile il
lenrth. and at short distance from tn,
Connecticut.
The strokes that fell upon these points
followed each other in pretty rapid success
sion. and were accompanied by thunde
1t was neither loud nor Earring, rs thunde
sometimes is. The rain fell in floods, an,
was very copiou>. Its abundance render
ing the air seemingly nearly half water
doubtless occasoned the subducd sound o
the force of the shocks, for in no case wa
any considerable damage done. An uppe
corner of Il two-story house was shattered
two other buildings were slightly injured
and several trees were marked by narroy
channels down their trunks and branches
Torrther with the first house struck, on
of two fir TT, es standing near was groove
at the same time, and some of the splinter
} Ia han
shattered corner, although the window
blinds were closed and fastened, Thes
splinters must have been driven up be
tween the Stats of the blinds, which woul
l seem to show that the stroke was upwar
instead of downward. y windowcurtai
/ near the center was torn to sllreds. In tn
lower room nearest the corner there wer
no effects of the shock observed, cXcel
upon IL Gilt cor1,ice which was marked {;
!, intervals by black perpendicular bars, tn
/ oilJinr there having been burned or melt
: el. The intervals between the bars wer
e in some cases very narrow, and at other
n very wide. Two persons sitting in tn
c room perceived no effect from the shock.
Il At one moment during the storm tn
I wind came from the north or norlheas
It This wind was probably highly charge
i with electricity. which, being added to til
e electricity of the northwest current, pre-
q duced such an excess of the fluid us
result in the rapid and numerous di
e charges which took place. The most
: these discharges apparently occurred alon
Il the line where the two currents OF air me
t. The more easterly current of air may hay
;. come over the shoulder of the mountain c
the opposite bank of the Connecticut fI' n
er. or it may have come down the v'lllt
of that river. and met the current comm
down the West River in the village
BrattleborO.
n With respect to the direction in whlo