Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-08-24
The Fear of Lightning.


children killed, while sitting in their gar
den seat under tue tree, by stroke of
lightning, will deepen the horror Of those
who suffer from fear of lightning. The
most agonizing of all nervous fears is
that Of lightning, and a count of these
whose lives are really embittered by this
dread would number scores of thousands,
many Of them persons who know no
other fear
Twenty years ago, the writer remem-
bers turning WITH a smile to others who
shrank and cried at the peals of terri
bic storm in a country house. The glare
of bolt coming down the center of the
room caught the eye at that very instant;
the next was an explosion that shook the
house, and insensibllity followed. Two
men IN the same room were burnt by the
bolt, though no Ives were lost; but I
never been able to smile at lightning
again. To give any idea of the terror left
on nervous organization by the shock
would involve extravaganza Of terms.
But, unfortunately, SO far from being
an exception, there are too many who suf-
fer the same harrassments with me. Nor
are women, alone, subject to this nervous
ness. knew school superintendent
and canal contractor, a man over fifty
years old, who would hide IN closet in
a storm, and had been known to rush
from bed with fright at lightning. Many
will remember the professor at Bowdoin
College, who always retreated to the Gel
lar in thunder storm, although his
house was bristling with lightning rods.
The strongest man l ever knew, who
could throw another an across the street,
and work hand press in printing office
as If he was part Of the machine, was dis
charged as reporter because his desk
was vacant every time there was thun-
der storm. The mother of Washington
was afraid of lightning, and never failed
to retreat to her room at the first flash of
a storm, where she stayed until the last
flash had died away. The physical effects
Of this fear are most depressing. One
woman knows when a storm is coming,
hours before, by prostrahon of strength
and spirits, accompanied by symptoms
like cholera One of the most dauntless
young women I know was sick in bed for
hours after the great storm at Springfield,
Mass, last month. She had received a
shock of lightning years before, and
never fails to be sick in thunder stolm
since.
Reason and study of the laws of light
ming have done much to lessen the fear of
it. It is true we live between to maya
zines of electricity in the earth and
the other in the air-and cloud charged
with electricity passing over point or
body in negative condition will discharge
its surplus by the very quickest and most
congenial medium, which it finds in the
human body, a tree or house Indifferent
ly. But it is also true that provide the
lightning with convenient and easy con-
ductor in the shape of stout iron rod
higher than any point of the house, and
reaching we'll into the ground, where cleo
tricity may scatter harmlessly in the
damp earth, 1t will prefer that conduct
ing-rod to anything in it's vicinity, and
people who stay INDOORS in we'll protect
house are safer from lightning than any
bomb proof from bursting shells.
Every accident from this cause ever
knew OF came from careless exposure in
situations known to be unsafe. The first
l noticed after my own accident was that
of a missionary's daughter killed while
passing an open window, just as woman
was on Long Island last summer, while
sitting at her sewing machine. A young
man in Maiden, think. was killed while
sitting out on porch with his chair til
ted back and his head against the knob
of the door bell making an excellent con-
ro WI fh tho ho1l
have been struck while riding into the
barn on load of hay. Many will re-
member the frightful calamity at Scran-
ton, Pa, where party of women, out
picking berries on one of the high hills,
crowded into a deserted log hut in sud
den storm, and seven were killed by one
bolt. Steep hills with mineral veins
cropping out are not places for anyone
to live on who wishes to escape ligh.-
ming, and unprotected houses there are
doubly dangerous.
1t is never too soon to 60 in the house
when storm is rising. When the clouds
are fully charged with electricity they are
most dangerous, and this fluid obeys a
subtle attraction which acts at great dis
tances and all directions. A woman told
me of bolt which came down her moth
er's chimney from rising cloud when
the sun was shining overhead. N. p.
Willis writes Of a young girl killed while
passing under telegraph wire on the
brow Of a hill, while she was hurrying
home before storm. Sundays sad acct
dent at Morrisiana should warn every
mother that it is not safe to let children
stay out of doors till the last minute be-
fore the storm falls. People should not
be fool-hardy by sitting on porches or by
open windows, whether the storm is hard
or not. Mild showers often carry single