The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-03-09
Lightning Marks.

Liz utuku6 m0A ASs
S1GNoR ORIoL1 brought before scien-
tific congress at Naples four narratives re.
lating to lightning prints. In the first,
lightning struck the foremost of the brig
antine Santo Buon Servo In the bay of
Arriero; sailor sitting under tho
mast was struck dead, and on his
back was found an impression of o
mast head. In the second, a sailor, in a
somewhat similar position, was struck by
lightning flash on the left breast with an
impression OF the number forty -four, an
almost exact representation of q num-
bar forty -four that was at the ex-
tremity OF one of the masts. In
the third, young man was found struck
by lightning; he had on girdle with
some gold coins in it, and images Of these
were imprinted on his skin in the order
they occupied in the girdle. In the
fourth, an Italian lady of Lugano was
sitting near window during a thunder
storm, and was struck, though in way
scarcely conscious to herself at the time;
flower which happened to be in the path
of the lightning was perfectly reproduced
or printed on her leg, where it remained
permanently. Among the thunder storms
described as having occurred in tine West
Indias, one, in 1852, was rendered re-
markable by the phenomena; a poplar
tree in coffee plantation was struck by
lightning; and on one of the large dry
leaves was found imprinted an exact
representation of some pine trees that
stood three or four hundred yards dis
tant. Whether this was really an ''e1act
representation, or the product of an ex-
cited imagination not well controlled by
accurate judgment, is just the point which
we cannot determine; the markings on the
leaf may have been only the natural zig
tagging of the lightning. In 1858 little
girl was standing at a window near which
stood a young maple tree; flash of
lightning struck either the girl or the tree,
or both, and an image Of the tree was
found imprinted on her body. In an
other instance a boy climbed tree to
steal birds nest; lightning flash struck
the tree; tho boy fell to the ground, and
"on his breast the image of q tree, with
the bird and nest on one of its branches,
appeared very conspicuously." Scientific
journals, as well as those of more pop
ular character, contain rich store Of in
cideDts more or less similar to the above,
DR.. Franklin stated in 1885 that about
twenty years previously man who was
standing opposite tree that had just been
struck by lightning Tor, as he called it, by
a thunder bolt, found on his breast an
exact representation Of that tree. M.
Poey, who has treated this subject some
what fully in the French scientific jour
nails, mentions twenty -four cases of light
ming impressions on the bodies Of men and
animals Ofthosc, eight were Impressions
of trees or parts of trees; one of bird,
and one of COW; four of crosses; three
of circles or Of impressions of coins
carried about the person; two of horse
shoes; one of nail one OF metal comb ;
one of number or numeral; one OF the
words of sentence, and one of the back
of an arm chair. Where metal is con-
cerned, the production of images or fac
SMILES may result more Immediately from
this rush of electricity which constitutes
the passage of lightning. Wherever metal
lies in the path, the flash takes that route
in preference to one through wood, brick
or stone; but if the metal be discontinue
Gus or interrupted, strange markings are
often produced on neighboring substances,
similar in shape to the piece of metal just
traversed. This may have been the case
in the accident which bcfell young man
in Cuba In 1928; after lightning flash he
found on his neck an imprint of horse
shoe, similar to the one nailed up on the
window of house near him. If the Or
naments were of brass or some other
same category the narrative Zone of those
given by Poey) of lady at her chateau of
Benatonmere in Lavendee; she was sc. ted
in her salon, in November, 1880, when a
storm came on, lightning appeared, and
on the back of her dress was imprinted a
fac-simile OF some ornaments on the DaCk
of chair against which she was leaning.
There is every reason to believe, lastly,
that many Of the markings are nothing
more than the results OF the forked zigzag
course of the lightning itself. Mr.. Tom
linson, in his interesting volume, The
Thunderstorm, has gone somewhat fully
into this subject. He had had occasion
to observe the manner in which the dis
ruptive discharge Of electricity, from an
electrical machine, marks out its path
over badly conducting surface, such as
glass, and was struck with the tree like
impression produced lie gives a wood
cut representation of surface struck by
the flash or spark of a small Leyden jar,
and it is impossible TO avoid seeing how
strikingly the markings assume the form
OF a tree. The probability is pointed out
that in cases where persons struck by
lightning have had tree-like marks i'm
printed on their persons, they have been
hastily considered to be real images of ac-
tual trees close at hand.-ChamberS' J0ur.