Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-04-14
tBy Associated Press. J
NO NOPE ROMANCE.
Explanation of Thunder5oits and the
Aurora Borealts.

In the course of lecture on electricity
recently delivered in London DR.. Marcel
spoke especially on thunderbOlts "
Most of them are meteorites one is only
n piece of sandstone broken off 10y the
flash ; and a third, carefully preserved
in a museum, is cannon-ball, "found
at the bottom Of n hole IN a manure
heap after a flash of lightning had struck
il" Iron pyrites, Il peculIarly-shsped
piece OF coal, and the clinker from a
hilburn fire-engine, have all figured
in this capacity, and from being
so carefully preserved by their
owners are evidently cherished as
specimens quite as remarkable as
they would be were their history less
apocryphal. Fulgurites, or yirtritied
tubes, formed by the fusing of sand
where a current of electricity in the
shape OF lightning flash has penetrated
the ground, are also in the exhibition.
But even they afford little room for
mystery. The o-ball is only flash IN
another form. So is sheet-llghtuing,
while the remarkable tales of escapes
from death by atmospheric electricity
prove SIMPLY how narrow Is the current
and how rapid is its action. The blade
Of saw has been destroyed and the
handle burned, while the sawyer remain
ed uninjured. 4 lady had the bracelet
struck off her hand, while she herself
felt no more than shock; another
had her bonnet entirely burned on ac-
count Of the wire its frame was made of,
while she herself was untouched. Even
objects entirely from the ground
are not safe, for two sca-gulls flying over
Witham were killed by lightning. All
these difficulties have to be considered in
erecting lightnIng-rods, some OF which
are little better than traps to catch the
electric fluid. when the householder per
mits so important a means OF protection
to fall into the hands of an ignorant
mechanic. Hail is not usually Assoc
ciated with thunder. Yet Dr. Mar
Get teaches the contrary, and though
he IS not certain. III spite OF
NJ. ColladOn's experiments, that all
the phenomena attending a water-spOut
can be explained by electricity, VI. Pei
tier afirms these sudden liftings-up Of
water to be the result OF an electric at
traction, rather than Of the action of the
wind. But, whatever conflict OF opinion
NAV be permissible on this point, it IS
clear that none is allowable in regard to
the aurora borealis australis. Science
has deprived us OF all the pleasant con-
ceits Gnent the "merry dancers" or
the scarcely less pagan beliefs about the
spirits fighting in the air, or even of the
winter sun being reflected from some
vast glaciers at the back Of the
north wind. The aurora is due to
the positive electricity from the sea
between the tropics being carried into
the upper atmospheric reeionsan thence
waited to the poles by the higher cur
rents Of air. Here, DR.. Marcel assures
us, it descends toward the earth and
meets the terrestrial negative electricity
in rarifed atmosphere. Luminous
discharges now take place, their bright
ness being increased by the presence Of
masses of foreign PARTICLES in the air. -
And thus the electrician depriyes us OF
the last fragrance OF romance which
chung to the most picturesque OF north
ern atmospheric phenomena.