Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-02-19
LIGHTNING PRINTS

| times been found o. the bottles OF persons
sirues by liehu inc. Mn BoSsut and Leroy.
IN i5s6,TeTorted To the Academic dss Scien 80
| case of this Kind, and accounted for IL by
| supPo ing tEat the Lighting in its passage
thI, ugh the body hal forced the blood
| INTO The vessels OF The sEin. and thuS all the
| ran Elections Of these vessels we're visible On
| The suI ace. ArRgo sdopted similar expla-
| alton IN egard To a case which occurred in
| Fist &C much more recently. Two persons
- AZ ding near poplar tree were struck by
| lightning, and on the breast OF each were
| found marks closely resembling the branches
OF The poplar. More Etrfc !. beionging 20
| those instances in which tie lisl tninE marks
resemble familiar objects is one that
occurred In SomerSetShiie village On fSI2
| one version Of the story i that six sheep
| iepo>itg In q meadow surrounded by woods
were killed by lightning sud wien the SIX rs
| were taken from the animals n fac simile OF
Portion of the SurfpuIdil 4 kcarerV was
visible o. the inner sur a.,e of each skim
The other verstCn Il tDat. about turnip-sow
lIg line, 81 farmer ana hiS men ~ ere engaged
In the fields when n violent storm 81 thunder
AID lightning came on, and three out
OF four valuable rams, wllca had taken
shelter under tree. were k let. when
tie skius reached TIE fell moug'r, on tue IN
siCe OF each was found depicted a very sccu-
rate representation OF The Tree under which
the animals had sought refuge Although
Offering In details, tLe>e two accom- Is prob
ably relate To the snc Occu.Ieac., the latter
| Is. perhaps, more credible tlau tie former,
seeing HAT we can more read Is heiieve an
impression Of a tree thal Ola ia.te Scaps be-
=
Town ia South Africa. a fitsr ~ ghtuiug
iGck the gable co a powder ni4i. The
bUlicing Cor tatuci S'ST' at Iseiv- tons or
guuIS wier. In copper hound nH rrpis pack 4
IN cluster about four frs: from The wall
THE lightning ran alorg the Fslt OF ths "a
ole, beneath Tie door, aId OF nader the do1-
sill. Ih' mark ~ the flash. 1i-z-g IA shape.
and directed n an augleof aDaG: elEh-y DE-
gees, was plainly visible o. the white
washed wall Of the ms Eazi.C. rs~ctnb log LA
| color The stain producet by TIE explosion OF
| a very light train Of powder. snf a small hole
| or crack was mace in the arch where a. en-
| tered. There was no tree mark or mystical
| mark here: the mark produced was evidently
| the zigzag path Of the lightning l,seif Signor
OFlUll bIought before a scIeflfi.i' con greSs az
Naples four narratives relating ID li-htniuE
| prints. Ira the first lightning StruCx The fore
mast Of tie brigantiue SautO B.Oa Servo IN
| the Bay OF ArrierO, a sailor lit Ing under the
mast was struck dead, AID on his back was
| found an impression OF "A horse shoe, similar
| 10 ere iiGtd at the mast head L. The second,
| a sailor. IN a somewhat similar position.
was StrUCk b. a lightning flash on the lef.
breast with an impression of the number a.
| al almost exact representation of a uumbsF
\ Il that was At The extremity oI one of lie
maSiS. Ia the thiTd. a yOun- man WAS found
| struck BY lightning; he had oa a : .uiie with
some goo CONS IN ~, aid images OF these
were imprinted on his skin IN the order they
| occupied IN the girule. In TIA fourth. an
Italian lady of LuganO was ~iIting near "a
| window during thunder storm. ani CRs
| struck, though In a way scarcely conscious
10 herself al the time; q flower which han
Ith'u 10 Dc IN TIE pain Oh tils lightning
| u riectly reproduced or printed On her leg.
| where II remained permanently. AmOaE
Tie ihET der storms deScr, bed a. having Oc-
| cured in The West Indies. one, in 1852, was
| rendered remarkable 10y This Th HuOmenOn. A
p plstr tree in coffee plauts ton was struck
| 10y lightning. and on one Of the large dry
| leaves was found imprinted an exact repre-
kenGtJOu OF some pine trees tBai stood three
OF four bugdIed yards q istsRnt. Whether this
was taily an exact representation" or tue
product Of an excited Imagination not well
| controlled by accurate juugneI {, l. tast the
| poiHtWbich we cannot determine; the marx
| lnsS on the leaf may have been Oaly the nat
ural ZiGEe Cging OF lie Lightning. Ia 1855 "A
| little Elrl was standing at "A window near
| which stood youug maple fCes; fash Of
| lightning struck either the girl OF the tree, or
both. aIu an image of the tree was found
! imprinted Oh her body. In another instance
| 10Y climbed tlee 10 steal n birt's nest: A
| lightning flash struck tue tree, tue boy fell
| 10 the ground, aud ION lis breast the Image
| Of "A Tree, with the bird and nest On one of its
| bran chez, appeared very cons picuuusly."
! S'leutiLc journals, as Wei as those OF more
| popular character, contain rich store Of
! Inclse!is more or less similar To the above.
i'r RAJ kin stated Ia l. ~ u al Dut twenty
| years previously a man who WAs stan rng
| opposite a tICc mat had Just been struck bV
| lightning, loT as lie called It., b thunder
| bolt) found uu his breast all exact TepresaE-
| tStlO1 o. that tree. NJ. POey, who has treated
| this subject somewhat fully ia the French
! scientific journals, mentions twenty four
| cases Of lightning Impressions CA tue bO Ties
| imlres s'Ols Of trees or parts Of trees; one
! 0t 4 bind, and one of a COW; four OF crosses.
| three Of circles, or OF impress ions OF coins
| carried aSout the person, tHo OF d 8r.e Sh pes.
| ole o! a. ran; one OF metal coma; one Of "a
| numb eT OT uGmeTai; one of the :. ,fls of A
| sent, nee; and one o. the bacS Of an arm
| chair. Were metal - concerned. the pro-
| CuciOn o! lTUPScs or fac ImIlf : may resal.
| MOI e Immediately from this fu a OF e.ectrl-
| cty which constitutes the passage Of light
| nlI z. Wherever metal lie, in tue path, The
| ilasA takes that route iu preference TO one
| JhFCL GA wood, brick, or stone: but II the
| ms tai be CiScontinuOus or interrupted,
| stTarEe markings are often produced ca
4 neiSL boz Ing substances, similar IN shape 10
| the piece of metal just traveTsed. This may
| Laye been the case in the accident which be
1 fell young man in Cuba in Io2s; after a
| lightning dash, he found on his neck an I'm
| print ola horse shoe, similar 10 one mai ed ~
| on the window Of house near him. II the
| ornaments were OF brass or some other metal
| we might perhaps place in the same cafe
| CORY the arTative Zone of those given by
| Poey) OF a lady, at her chateau OF Benseon-
| Mere in Lavendee; she was seated in her
| salon, in November, 1880. when a storm
| came on; lightning appeared, and on the
4 6ack o; her dress was imprinted a fac
| OF chair against which she was lean
| Ing. There Is every reason to believe
| lastly, that many OF the markings are no
| thing more than results of the forced zigzag
| course OF the lightning itself Mr.. Tomlin-
| son, in his Interesting volume The Thunder
| storm, has gone somewhat fully into this
subject. be had had occasion 20 observe the
manner In which the disruptive discharge OF
| electricity, from an electrical machine
| marks out its path over badly conducting
| surface such as glass, and was struck by the
| tree-lIke impression produced. He gives a
| wood cut representation OF a surface struck
| bJ the hash or spark of small Leyden jar;
| ana IL Is Impossible 10 avoid seeing now
| strikihgly the markings assume the form OF
4 tree. The probability is pointed out, that
| In cases where persons struck by lightning
have had tree like marks imprinted on their
\ persons, they have been hastily considered
/ 10 be real images OF actual trees close at
1 hand. II may, moreover. be observed that
| some persons, when struck by lightning.
! have received blue marks or bruises: these
I may put on ramihed appearance, mot
only from the irregular mode ia which cleo
| trlclty travels about IN search OF the line of
| least resistance, bat also from the smaller
| vessels becoming cOugeSted, and cOuse-
| QueLtly ViSib BILE Chambers JO1lrlgJ.