Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1889-01-15

And little lad AMI l3sSie
May ''call the cattle home"
The gentlc.stepping Brindle
And bonny Bess and Nell,
Full uddered take the pathway
Across the d!mpling deli.
And when the ample farmstead
Is hushcd beneath the stars,
Tho bells will sleep 5 lence
Behind the shel;ciing bars.
" --Haypcr's Young Peoph.
THE THUNDERSTORM.
An Explanation Of Its Origin and
Development.
A writer in the 81, Louis Post Dispatch,
speaking Of tho development OF thunder
storms, calls them immense Leyden jars in
the sky, and supports his statement by eX-
planning their origin. l.ct us, he says, first
observe an average summer thunderstorm
as it is developing over us. The atmosphere
is sultry and oppressive. The heat of the
sun seems more penetrating than usual. II
we look toward the sky we shall be likely to
note lack OF its usual transparency.
Small inky-looking clouds will be seen hay
ing'an indistinct and ragged outline. The
clouds viii! increase IN volume. Small ones
will unite, forming larger bodies, and these
will rapidly grow in density and overcast
the sky. The heavy cloud masses will be
seen to approach nearer the earth. Occa-
sionally some section Of the cloud mass will
be illuminated by lightning, and after an in
.erval Of twenty or thirty seconds faint
rumbling thunder will become audible. AS
the storm develops and draws nearer the
intervals between the flashes Of lightning
and reports Of thunder will shorten, until,
when the storm is al its height, many flashes
will be followed almost Immediately by
deafening crashes Of thunder. BY this time
probably heavy rain will DO falling, vary
ing at intervals in Intensity. The storm will
continue from onehalf to about two or
three hours, when the lightning and thun-
der will diminish and disappear, and the
rainfall will gradually cease. When we now
venture out we shall encounter cool, re-
freshing breeze, which will at once have an
invigorating effect upon us. The rays OF
the sun breaking here and there through
the clouds and falling upon the rain-drops
on the grass and trees, will give to the sur
roundiugs the most pleasing aspect
Having briefly described the thunder
storm as we all see IT. let US now lnvestl-
gate what we have seen. While the thun-
der-storm was developing the air was OPP
pressive and we felt lauguid and uncomfort-
able. This was due to the great amount Of
moisture with which the air was saturated,
together with tho high temperature, The
Trrm, vapor-ladcn atmosphere, expanded
by heat and rising to higher altitude, was
replaced by cooler air flowing in under it.
This accounts for the refreshing atmosphere
which we experienced. The great amount
Of moisture in the air during the develop
ment of the storm accounts for the lack Of
its transparency, and also for the indistinct
outlines OF the clouds AS the uprising air
reached q higher altitude and encountered
cooler winds, its moisture was condensed
and we saw it in the form Of clouds, which,
as the action continued, prccipitatcd rain.
The most difficult phenomena to explain,
but which are at the same time the most in
teresting. are the lightning and thunder.
Nothing definite was known about light
ming until Benjamin Franklin demonstrated
by means Of his well-llnown kite expert
ment, that lightning and electricity are
identical. His experiment is explained in
the following letter written by him on Octo-
Der 10, 1852:
Make small cross of light sticks Of CO.
dar, the arms so long as to reach to the four
corners of g large, thin silk handkerchief
when extended. Tie the corners of the
handkerchief TO the cxtremities Of the
cross, 50 you have the body Of kite, which,
being properly accommodated with tail,
loop and string, will rise in tho air like those
made Of paper but, being made Of silk, is
filter to bear the wet and wind of thunder
gust without tearing TO the top Of the up
right stick Of the cross is TO be fixed a very
sharp pointed wire rising q foot or more
above tho wood. To the end of the Irvine,
next the hand, is to be tied silk ribbon,
and where the silk and twinc join, key
may be fastened. This kite Is to be raised
when thunder-gust appears to be coming
on, and the person who holds the string
must stand within Il door or window, or I'M
der some cover, so that the silk ribbon may
not be wet, and care must be taken that tho
Irvine does not touch the frame Of tho door
or window. As soon NJ the thundcr-clouds
come over the kite the pointed wire will
draw the electric fire from them, and the
kite, with all the twnc, will be electrified,
and the loose tllaments Of the Irvine will
stand out every way and DO attracted by an
approaching finger, and when the rain has
wet the kite and Irvine You will find the
electric fire stream out plentifully from the
key on the approach Of your knuckle."
Having found that lightning and cleo
tricity are the same, We must cndeavor 10
explain in what manner this atmospheric
electricity is generated. Many theories
have been advanced in explanation Of this
question, and, while little is positively
known, the theory generally accepted is
that the electricity is generated by the fric-
ton Of The. liquid particles Of vapor in the
air against each other, against the earth
and against the air Some have claimed
that evaporation is tho cause, but expert
mcnts have shown that wherever electricity
was generated by evaporation friction was
the real cause.
Lightning flashes appear IN different
forms. Zig-zag lightning, as its namo i'm
plies, is long irregular line OF light, and
is the most common form. Ball lightning
is a round bail Of fire, moving so slowly
that the eye can follow it, and expodes
with loud report. Sheet lightning is q
diffused glare Of light, which illumines the
edge or surface OF cloud. Zig-zag light
ming is caused by the discharge Of large
quantity of electricity passing through the
dir, which, on accoun, Of ITS resistance, be-
comes compressed at various points and
turns the current aside. The zig-zag path is
sometimes four OF five miles in length.
The phenomenon Of ball lightning has
never been satisfactorily explained, al.
though 1t is known 10 bA the result Of nm
extremely intense discharge Of electricity.
Sheet lightning 10 the reflection Of zig-zag
Lightning through the cloud mass, and NAV,
sometimes, be due also to the passage Of