St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1885-11-28

your being struck by lightning-that
one chance is enough to destroy the
happiness of life for those who have
seen its visitation. The only way to
reduce the fear is to make that chance
infinitesimal b. every precaution. You
can never get rid Of the horrible i'm
preston lightning gives, but there is
choice between the agony that comes
of exposure to it and mere physical
wreckage. As one out of every twenty
persons in the United States probably
suffers from this fear. the most demor.
alizing influence on the nerves possible.
serious attention ought to be given to
lessen their troubles. Brain fever and
paralysis have followed as direct effects
of these hours of overmaster.ng fear.
which is precisely such tension as peo-
pie suffer in bOmbardment.
There is just one thing to do with one
who suffers acutely from this dread of
lightning. Send him to California, or
one of those blissful spots of earth
where storms are unknown. Peru is
one; l believe Madeira is another. But
the California coast enjoys almost en-
tire freedom from electric storms. and
one had better sell his house, farm and
merchandise, and 60 there on third
class excursion ticket. than to live on
the rack of summers East. l am not
ashamed to say | have been there
twice, not for scenery or curiosity. not
for the geysers. the big trees or Yose-
mite, but solely to escape the demoniac
storms. Californians born look on our
Atlantic thunder gusts with as much
horror as we feel for South American
earthquakes, and well they may, after
their Eden-like climate. A few years
free from the depressing fear may re-
store tone to the nerves SO that it is
easier to bear storms. Even one
season is of great benefit. and lessons
the torment for succeeding summers.
California ought to be reserved for
people who dread lightning. To drop
the nightmare of dread. to lie down and
rise in the morning without fearfully
scanning the sky for signs of storm. is
a relief that seems as if one had es-
capped mortal ills without the pain of
dying.
1t is not the weak alone who suffer in
this way. One of the stoutest, coolest
men ever knew used to leave his print
ing case every time q storm came up.
and seek refuge in the basement. A
party of ladies sewing together late one
evening in storm. were surprised by
the head of the house. q middle-aged
farmer. rushing among them in undress.
scared out of his wits by q clap of thun-
der. It is not women only who crawl
under feather beds in storms. There
are army officers. brave as the bravest
in every other case, who are almost in
sane ut sight of lightning. A we'll
known college professor always took to
the cellar, and Mary, the mother, of
Washington, after receiving shock by
lightning in her youth, so feared it that
she never left her room and feather bed
; till the last note of thunder died on the
horizon. repeat, there is no reasoning
away this terror. 1t is the result OF
nervous shock. like blindness and deaf
ness which sometimes follow lightning
stroke.
If escape to a kinder shore is impossi-
BILE, there is great comfort in knowing
that people are seldom hurt by light
ming unless they put themselves in its
way. Count the casualties. summer
after summer, and it is the person sit
ting by the open window, or on a porch
or under tree, the woman cooking
over q hot stove or running machine
by q window, or some careless lad lean
ing against mantel with mirror on
it. who receives the stroke. Lightning
chooses the best conductors always. A
human being is one of these, and out OF
doors stands the fairest chance of draw
ing the discharge, as long as he re-
mains upright. Let him carry a gun.
scythe or crowbar over his shoulder, or
hold an umbrella, and he increases the
chance of being struck a hundred fold.
Driving on stage or load of hay he
| offers himself to fate. The only pru-
dent thing to do on the approach of a
storm is to get inside a house with a
good lightning rod on it and stay there.
with doors and windows shut, till the
shower is wholly over. 1t is sur
pr;sing to see how few summer re-
sorts pay the slightest heed to protec-
| ton against storms. though it must be
for the comfort of their guests to fee
safe in this respect If there is light.
| ming rod on the tall house, perched
prominently on hilltop or a knoll by
the seaside, ten to one it is half-inch
patent twisted one, that might resist a
weak discharge. or an old one worn
| through with rust, and great dea
worse than none at all. A stout, round
iron rod, ut least three-quarters of an
inch through. with points at all chin
news and gables. connecting with the
main rod BY large curves. not by angles,
| which hinder the passage of the impa.
tient fluid. and run down to permanent
moist earth below. will insure safety,
provided the house is closed in storm,
There is also a chance, if fire is kept
| that lightning may prefer the column
of hot air rising in the chimney many
feet above the roof to the rod. so that il
is wise to let fires 60 out before storm,
or to use kerosene stoves that can be
put out at once.
1t is well to have as little metal in
the fittings of house as possible.
Stove-pipes, the foils at back of mir
rors. gas and water pipes are good
conductors of electricity, and one
should avoid their neighborhood in q
storm. Brick furnaces and stoves are
better every way than iron ones. and
there is so much gain of safety in dis
pensing with those masses OF metal IN