Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-07-13

9"
| pounds and the other $50, rolled down the
sloping roof and the other stones Of the bel
| fry (the part struck ratified down In frag-
| nents on the roof.
A BRAVE CONGREGATION.
About $50 persons were in the immense
church, mostly ladies, who had gathered for
society meeting, and Father John Edwards
and two assistants were hearing confession.
Tbs bearing Of the people was remarkably
cool. There was faint cry and shrinking at
the terrible shock, a shivering murmur as the
stones ratified upon the roof, then perfect
quiet till the priest dismissed the congrega-
ton, and they went out as orderly as on a
quiet Sabbath morning. Almost at the same
instant several places in neighboring cities
were struck, and in Jersey City a large oil
tank was set on fire In Newark six places
were struck.
Very little is known of the essential nature
of what is called electricity. For gener-
alton the books spoke of it as fluid"
and there were long disputes as to whether
1t was single or double-one fluid or two.
I'his was settled nv discovering that It is not
fluid at all After many years discussion
philosophers have agreed on this definition:
Electricity is a subtle motion of the ele-
nentary particles of bodiesn If man don't
ike this he can get up one of his own-there
Is no compulsion on the subject. 1t is, how
ever, absolutely certain that lightning is
electricity for they can produce it arti-
fcially-good killing quantities of it, too
DR.. Franklin got on such intimate terms
with it that he calculated the amount Of
lightning different creatures could stand.
Once, in aiming to kill rooster by sending
a bolt through him. he accidentally made the
wrong turn with the machine, got the whole
discharge himself and was laid out stiff for
few minutes, which caused him to pleas
antly remark that instead of killing rooster
he had very near killed goose.
KILLING CRIMINALS BY LIGHTNING.
They have even reduced it to mathemati-
cal certainty and measure 1t by units of force
called volts. They have shown how many
volts it takes to Kill man, and New York
has adopted that method Of killing murder
ers, and if her supreme court does not declare
the law unconstitutional, William Kemmler
will soon secure immortal fame by being the
first man legally electrified to death. He
does not crave the reputation, however and
the good old fashioned way And this leads
to the final and important questions: Can the
Daralyzing fear Of lightning be overcome by
the will, and can the danger be reduced to
minimum
To the first question, emphatica1y, Mol To
the second, Yes The dread Of lightning il
physical, not moral; the bravest are subject
TO it just as they are to neuralgia or tooth
Oh %l,&t ~ hos
ought to sell out and go to California at once.
METHODS OF AVOIDANCE.
AS to avoidance, first consider how large
majority of the killed actually put themselves
in the way of the lightning. Count the casu-
alties, summer after summer, and it is the
person sitting by the open window, or on a
porch or under a tree, the woman cooking
over hot stove or running a machine by
window, or some careless lad leaning against
q mantel with mirror on 1t, who receives
the stroke. Lightning chooses the best con-
ductors always. A human being is one of
these and out d oors stands the fairest chance
of drawing the discharge, SO long as he re-
mains upright. Let him carry u gun, scythe
or crowbar over his shoulder, or hold an UNI
brella, and be increases the chance of being
struck hundred fold Driving on a stage
or load Of hay, he offers himself to fate The
only prudent thing to do on the approach Of
q storm is TO get inside house with good
lightning rod upon it and stay there, with
door and windows shut, till the shower is
wholly over.
The column of hot air rising from chin
ney, a stove pipe, the lining on the back of
large mirror and metals generally in house
are just good enough conductors to draw the
lightning; but there is no connection between
them and the ground. And here again should
be noted the mysterious connection between
moisture and electricity. The lightning rod
must go far enough into the ground to strike
permanently moist earth. And it must ba
large enough. 4 poor lightning rod is worse
than none-it may just serve to attract and
not to discharge. With a good, large light
ming rod and no metal hanging directly above
you, put out the stove fire or dampen it down
when the storm draws near, sit in the middle
of the room, and if there was one chance in
million of your getting hit you will reduce
Il to one i'll fifty millions, and that's worth
ect1ething just that little.