Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-06-20
ELECTRICAL STORM.

ELECTRICAL STORM.
A Tourists Experience In the Mountain
Regions Of Colorado.
Mr.. j. F. Young, Of Vinton. Ia.
communicates an account OF what No
and his son experienced In storm
last summer. They were climbing Mt.
Ebert, Lake County, Col. on June 3,
1887. About noon, when they were at
q height of between twelve thousand
and thirteen thousand feet. the storm
came upon them. The circumstance
that heavy peals of thunder were heard
while the storm was approaching the
mountain, and again as it went on. but
that no reports were heard SO long as
they were enveloped in the cloud. sug-
gests that contact became sufficiently
close to allow an unbrOken current.
That the two men felt themselves to be
electrical conductors while they
were standing, but not such
while lying fiat on the ground, is OF
curious interest The latter position
would naturally be expected to afford
less discomfort, but not necessarily
free from all electrical influence. Is
it the case that there is repulsion for
slight distances between the mountain
and the cloud? Altogether the state
ment furnishes a number of problems
for the expert in natural science to
solve.
While ascending the range, says Mr..
Young, small, black cloud appeared
in the distance. Soon vivid lightning
flashed from the cloud, and heavy
peals of thunder broke upon the air,
while in the distance we saw snow
falling. The thunder ceased when
the cloudswas about two miles from us,
and was heard no more until it had
passed some distance beyond. When
the cloud reached us, the snow that
fell was round and not in flakes. The
balls were about the size of marrowfat
peas, but it was snow, not hail.
l had pick hanging over my arm,
while my son had his gun. Shortly
after the cloud reached us, we noticed
electricity passing from the pick and
gun to the ground, and simultaneously
we found ourselves enveloped, as it
were, with electricity. The current
seemed to pass from our bodies up
ward. The passage of the electricity
from our hair was accompanied by a
continuous cracking, swapping sound.
giving us very unpleasant sensation
as though each hair were fine needle.
There was sufficient power in the cleo
tricity to raise my sons hat, his hair
being very thick. The noise from the
region of our pockets, which contained
metal in the form of knives and keys,
was sufficiently loud to be heard from
one to the other, above the noise of
the wind. and the balls of snow falling
on the rocks, although we were more
than thirty feet apart. The dropping
of the pick and gun produced no
change. Both of us had previously re-
ceived heavy charges from battery
without experiencing the least incOn-
venience, but this sensation was very
different. 1t was not a shock, but q
continuous stream of electricity, like
millions of needles puncturing us at
every pore.
As the storm continued, and the stu
alton. was becoming decidedly unpleas-
ant, we determined to seek a lower
plane. After descending fully three
hundred feet without finding any relief,
We threw ourselves prone upon the
ground, when the sensation instantly
ceased. We remained for some min
utes in that position. When we arose
all signs of unpleasantness had van
ished. After dinner we retraced our
steps, and secured the pick and gun. l
should mention that we both noticed
strong sulphurous smell before we
were affected by the electricity. in
quired of many persons in that region,
some of whom have spent years upon
those mountains, but could find none
who had encountered any thing like
this. Several had been in slight cleo
trio showers, as was also the case with
myself, but none had experienced any