The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-11-29
SINGULAR PHENOMENA.

SINGULAR PHENOMENA.
A scene suggestive of We olden time
was witnessed one day recently by some
of the operators in saw-min st Bed
ford, N H About four O'Clock in the
afternoon, when the sun was shining
brightly, a star of remarkable brilliancy
was seen in the east, at q point about
midway between the zenith and the
horizon. 1t remained for about thirty
minutes, and then suddenly disap-
peared.
A while since, about eleven O'Clock,
q. m, . singular phenomenon was visi-
BILE in the heavens at Woodstock, N.B.,
and at several other places. Alarge col
ored circle like rainbow surrounded the
sun, arcs of three other clear white cir
cles intersecting one another near to the
colored circle After remaining visible
about an hour, they gradually faded
away. The same appearance was no
ticed at Sidney, c. B., and at Pictou.
The ssSt. Elmo's Fire." or electricity
seen playing on the bsyonets of march
ing armies, and around the spars and
masts of ships, comes from the presence
of sscharged'' cloud in the air, from
which the pointed objects draw the
lightning. a splendid instance of this
same phenbmenon was lately witnessed
in Jura at st. Cergues, where a whole
forest of pine-trees was seen TO be aglow
with light like q phosphorescent sea in
the tropics. A thunderstorm was rag
ing at the time, and at every flash Of
lightning, the illumination entirely dis
appeared, but soon shone forth again
until the next flash came Before the
appearance of this ST. Elmo's Fire,
heavy rains had fallen and soaked the
forest so as to render it conductive of
electricity, and the thunder-cloud over
head, heavily charged with electricity,
had induced an opposite charge on the
ground below, which discharged itself
into the air by the pointed boughs and
needles OF the pine-trees.
Next perhaps to the famous ssDark
Day" in New England in interest were
the incidents of that phenomenal won-
der, the great ssstar shower" of Novem-
Der IS, 1888: night when so many me-
teors dew and flashed that the heavens
seemed on fire, and many ignorant peo-
pie supposed that the end of the world
had come. Said an eyewitness:
sit was clear as night as / ever
saw. Iwould fix my eyes on a given
star, and in few moments it would
seem to fail, owing, 1 suppose, to the
fact that it was ooscured by passing
meteor. The Illusion was perfect" f"
Some of our readers may have heard
the quaint anecdote of an old sailor who
reformed when he saw (or thought he
saw1 the "North Ssarn fall. The story
is given in the sailors own words; and
the above reference to the optical illu-
sion shows how natural his impression
was:
aI have spent most of my life on the
sea, and have passed through many
dangers. But never had to look death
and eternity so squareiy in the face be
fore. You know, parson, that sailors
believe in the North Star. Well, saw
that the other stars were falling, but
thought that as long as the North Star
kept its place, all was safe. So went
out there and sat on the ground, with
my back against the chimney Gt was q
rock chimney, and then watched that
star, trying not even to wink. In few
minutes it cut loose, and here it came,
And then, parson, fell on my knees
and did some of the tallest praying you
ever heard, and I have not sworn an
oath since"
The following incidents seem very
strange, but are nevertheless true:
During heavy thunderstorm at Me
chanic's Falls, Me-, little boy was sit
ting at the footof a Balm-of- -Gilead tree,
which was struck by lightning. Tht
tree was considerably splfntered, but tn,
boy was uninjured to all appearances
Soon after the accident he was seizeC
with nausea, when physician wa
called, and, on removing the little fel-
lows clothing, there was found upon hi
the trunk of the Balm-of- -Gilead tree, it
branches and buds as perfect as coulC
be drawn by the hands of skilled
artist.
The likeness of q woman who ha
been dead more than twenty years wa
lately discovered on pane of glass in
chamber window in a house at Char
lotte, Va. The likeness is distinct ant
accurate, and resembles y photograph
negative 1t is said the woman wa
stunned by flash of lightning man,
years ago, while standing at that win
dow, and the theory is that the outline
of her features were photographed Of
the window-pane at that time
A singular electrical phenomenon re
Gently occurred at Celereus, SwitzeT
land. There was q thunderstorm in th
distance, when suddenly q tremendou
peal of thunder shook the houses to thei
foundations, and there was a wonderfu
discharge of lightning. A little girl nea
by tree that was struck was literall
folded in q sheet of fire. The vine
dressers fed in terror from the spot. 81
persons, in three groups, near the sam
locality, were enveloped in luninou
cloud. They felt as If they were bein
struck in the face with hailstones or fin
gravel, and when they touched eac
other, sparks of electricity passed froI
their finger-ends. None of the person
mentioned were injured, though the
had sensation for several hours afts
as if their joints had been violentl
twisted
The Northern Lights have been use
to send kilograms, their electric fore
charging the wires and working tt
marker without battery On the otl
er hand, science makes lamp-light no
out of electricity, and one case recent
occurred of q lamp Lit by the electricii
of the skies.
The Sixth avenue, in front of the S
Over Hotel, at Pittsburgh, Pa, is i
luminated by an electric light at nigh
The lamp is not lit until dark, out on
day passers-by were astonished at SCI
inc the light burning with unwonte
brilliancy at six O'Clock in the evenin:
The illumination lasted for about tv
minutes, and then died away. No or
was more surprised than Mr.. Carpel
ter. proprietor of the hotel.
He Immediately sent to the compar
that supplied the lamp, to ascertain Il
cause. No power had been connects
and the only apparent explanation WI
that the copper wire connecting Il
carbons had been struck by the hgh
,;n0- as the illumination was seen q
Tecfiv after sharp fash The ems
neer of the Electric Lighting Compar