The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-06-10


series of phenomena were again repeated,
but IA quicker succession, the sounds be-
coming louder at the same time. The
ciouds now began to settle into the Great
4 Canon sf the Lake Fork. and boiled about
| III a curious manner: here and there q
patcbof cloud would Separate from the
main mass and move about by itself. In
passing over a thick cluster of pines down
near the bed of the canon, the lower parts
twonld get caught and drag through with
the greatest difficulty. The different
parts Seemed to be affected by different
fcurrents in the air, and ar times two little
masses of cloud would pass each other
less than mile apart, but would soon
turn aside, or rise up, or lose themselves
in the great cloud that pretty nearly filed
the Great Canon and its branches. AT
1 tunes a portion of the mass, moved by an
] upper current, would rise several hundred
ffeet above the general level. and, the force
ceasing, would topple over and slowly fall
! back and lose itselfin the general mass.
| The whole moved about in chaotic man.
ner, producing a curious effect. When
you consider that the top of the cloud
was not less than So rrt.rt---
TWO THOUSAND FEET BELOW Us,
YOU can form some idea of the strange
scene that presented itself to our eyes in
those exciting times. The clouds soon be-
gan to rise up and approach us. As they
did so, the electricity became stronger and
stronger, till another stroke Of lightning
afforded instantaneous relief; ;,bur now the
relief was only for an instant, and the ten
sion increased faster and faster till the
next stroke. By this time the work was
getting exciting, We were electrified, and
our notes were taken and recorded with
lightning speed, in keeping with the terri
| bic tension of the storm clouds electrici-
| ty. The cloud reached us, coming on
like fog. looking thin and light near us,
but densely white at a short distance. All
the phenomena before mentioned in
creased in force after each succeeding
stroke of lightning, while the intervals be
tween strokes b. came less and less. When
we raised our hats .. 5-.,i..
OUR HAIR STOOD ON END,
the sharp points of hundred of stones
emitted a continuous sound, while the in
strument Outsang every thing else. and
even at this high elevation could be heard
distinctly at the distance of fifty yards.
The points of the angular stones being at
different degrees of sharpness, each pro-
duced a sound peculiar to itself. The gen.
eral effect of all was as if heavy
breeze were blowing across the noun
tain. The air was quite still, SO that
the wind could have played no part
in this strange natural concert. nor was
the Intervention of mythOlogical Or
pheus necessary to give to these trachytic
stones avoice. Having completed arOugh
sketch of as much of the surrounding
country as was not Obscured by ciouis, |
hastily took up the mercurial barometer,
hoping to get reading before we should
be compelled to leave the summit but,
alas too late for success. The lightning
strokes were now coming thicker and fast
er, being separated by not more than two
or three minutes of time, and we knew
that our peak would soon be struck. As
| took the barometer out of its leathern
case, and held it vertically, terrible hum
ming commenced from the brass ring at
the end, and increased in loudness so
rapidly that [ considered it best to crawl
| hastily down the side of the peak to a
point few feet below the top, where, by
| lying low between the rocks, | could re-
turn the instrument to its case with COM
parative safety. At the-same time Wilson
was driven from his instrument, and We
both erouched down among the rocks TO
! await therelief 10 be given by the next
! stroke, which, for aught we knew, might
strike the instrument which now stood
alone on the summit. AT this time it was
producing a terrible humming. which,
with the noises emitted by the thousands
of angular blocks of stone, and the sounds
produced by our hair, made such a din
| that we could scarcely think. The fast
increasing electricity was suddenly dis
charged, as we had anticipated, by another
stroke of lightning, which, luckily for us,
struck point some distance away. The
instant he felt the relief, Wilson made a
| sudden dash for the instrument, on his
hands and knees, seized the legs of the
| tripod. and flinging the instrument over
1 his shoulder dashed back. Although all
this occupied only few seconds, the ten
! sion was so great that he received a strong
electric shock, accompanied by pain as if
sharp-pOinted instrument had pierced
4 his shoulder. where the tripod came in
contact with it. In his haste he dropped
the small brass cap which protected the
object-glass of the telescope; but, as the
excitement and --..t"
DANGER HAD NOW GROWN so GREAT
he did not trouble himself TO go back after
it, and it still remains there in place of the
monument we could not build to testify to
the strange experiences on this our station
twelve. We started as fast as we could
walk over the loose rock down the south
east side of the peak, but had scarcely got
more tLan thirty feet from the top when ii
was struck. We had only just missed it,
and felt thankful for our narrow escape.