Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-08-04

at a still lower level, stands the fourth
point struck, which is y three-story grist-
mill; and, finally, some 800 yards or more
| farther on, and more to the westward, on a
comparatively high point of land, stands
| the dwelling house, the fifth and last point
known to have been struck-the last, we
mean. in following the direction. and not
the order of time. The effect of the strokes
at the two extreme points was severer than
any Of the others.
Reports from other quarters of the coun-
try show that the electrical condition of the
atmosphere Of New England on the 1st Of
August was considerably disturbed, thun-
der-showers occurring at many different
places. When this is the case,it is reasona-
| bic to suppose that two showers, following
down two neghboring valleys, may come
| together, and thus double the amount of
electricity that might be possessed by one
alone.
1he question here occurs, - Is there any
| common origin between these thunder
showers and the northern lights?" Are
they not each but Il different means Of re-
storing 4 disturbed electrical equilibrium
| IT this is the case, we might infer that,
when thunder-shoWers are numerous and
violent, the displays Of the northern lights
will be less frequent and less active. and
cice rersd; though there may be eases in
| which both become more than ordinarily
active.
One of the discharges of electricity
which we happened to observe during the
shower was perhaps, that one which fell
upon the grist-mill. Amid the floods Of de-
scending rain. it looked like falling sparks
of fire. 1t was about GOO or 700 yards
| from where we sat, and the sound of the
thunder was more like that of the rocket
than that which usually accompanies cleo
trical discharges. In fact, the cloud prob
ably passed through the valley rather than
0rer it; and the discharges were neccSsa-
rily short, close, and without prolonged
reverberations, such rs may occur when
the stroke is high, partly in dry air, and
several miles in length, the sound from
which must meet the ear ut different inter
walls Of time. thus producing continuous
rolling noise.
We are here reminded Of another thun-
der-shower, of peculiar features, which
occurred in Brattleboroin November, 1860.
1t was on the day of the first election of,
Mr.. Lincoln to the presidency. A pine
tree was rent into fragments by it, and 4
passer-by, a voter, on seeing the extraor-
dinary havoc that had been made, the
white shining splinters lying scattered
over the ground, in all sizes, from the
smallest silver up to strips long enough
for rails, exclaimed in great excitement:
The thing is all up now. for the old Rail
Splitter is around ut his work. Even
thunder-showers are wrested by some men
into a political significance,
The circumstances of the case, however,
would appear to have been there: a dense
cloud, borne upon 4 low southwest surface
current of wind. was passing across the
deep valley of the West River, half Il mile
or so from its mouth, when it was proba-
bly, struck by Il cool, dry mountain breeze
flowing down The valley. This breeze I'M
parted new electricity to the cloud. which,
being thus overcharged, gave out its sur
plus in a sudden shock, which took effect
upon a group of pines. Every drop of
water of which the cloud was composed
we may regard as a small Leyden jar. as it
were. the united force of which proved
sufficient to rend in pieces one of the pines
in an instant of time. The tree was some
seventy feet in height, two feet in diane
tel. and stood, not on the heights immedi
atelv under the cloud, but low down, with
in 4 few PAGES of the river. 1t was broken
square off twenty or thirty feet from the
top; and this top fell straight down and
stood leaning against the shattered stump,
showing that the trunk had been rent AS
sundcr so suddenly As to occasion no OBJ
structon to its fall, There were but two
discharges af electricity from this cloud;
and soon afterward the weather cleared up
from the northwest.