The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-07-31
LIGHTNING BALLOONS.
Ignatius Dounell,'s Suggestion Regarding
D tho Into cyclones,

Donnelly's suggestion Regarding
tho Late Cyclones.
Ignatius Donnelly, writing to the St.
Paul Pioneer Pres Of the late cyclones,
Iays: 1t seems to me tina! the cyclone
IS, beyond doubt, an electrical manifeB'
Many things 90 to prove this.
Cyclones have been seen that were alive
with electrical fire. I had an excellent
opportunity 10 study the storm Of last
There were no conflicting
winds-there was, indeed, during most
OF the time until the cyclone was devel.
oped, but little wind. While there was
great g%rumbling Of the thunder the cleo.
did no. pass from the clouds to
the earth, but was carried from one part
OF the cloud mass 10 another. The day
had been excessively hot and the air
was very dry. The clouds, surcharged
with electricity, could not drive II
through that dry, non.conducting belt
OF air which lay between them and the
earth. T.
The long tongue Of cloud which at
last reached down from the heavens to
the earth acted as Il moist conductor, to
which tho electricity OF the clouds con-
verged, thus ~causing by It's mighty
power the whirling motion. 1t Is OBJ.
servabie in the late tempest that bodies
OF water became the objective points Of
these tongues OF conducting moisture
Lakes Gervsis, Kohlman, Owasso, Bass:
Vadnais and Pepin were the scenes OF
devastation, and the cyclone that
wrought such havoc near Lake City
seems TO baye followed down the river
to La Crosse. All this goes to show
that the manifestations were electrical,
for 1t Is in tho instinct III l may 30 ex.
press myself Of that element to seek
the water.
EARTHQUAKES AS A VENT.
II I am right in this theorizing, then
a cyclone represents simply the inability
OF the electricity. which has assembled
with the evaporation OF water from the
earth to the heavens, to pass quietly
back again to It's source. On the Pacific
coast they formerly had no thunder
storms-the ard air prevented its ascent
from the dry soil; but the overlooked
electricity manifested itself in earth.
quakes, which were shown TO be ~electti.
cal by the fact that while the surface 81
the earth might he rocking wildly, the
depths OF the mines below were per.
fectly undisturbed.
1t will DO curious question to in.
quire whether our four Pacific railroads,
with their telegraph lines, have not
gradually carried the surplus electricity
Of that coast TO the rest OF the country,
and whether this is not the cause Of the
terrible cyclone age on which We ap'
pear TO haye entered. It is, at least, a
singular coincidence that the increase Of
cyclones east Of the Rocky mountains
has been s%ynclironous with the decrease
Of earthquakes west OF them.
AN OUTLET FOR III ELECTRICITY.
II the cyclone is simply a gigantic
lightning bolt, which constructs It's own
conductor by forcing down a wet tongue
Of cloud, then, it seems to me, if we
could furnish an artificial conductor that
would steadily and continually carry the
positive electricity to the cath we would
prevent nature from falling back on such
c~onvulsive, brutal and destructive meth.
DDS. How can it be done?
Suppose the State government should
order, say in each county, the construc.
ton Of a great stationary balloon, ele.
waited to q level of the storm clouds and
anchored to the earth by four metallic
ropes, which would act as conductors,
the whole communicating with some
lake or river and. the balloon and
the ropes armed. with innumerable
steel points pointing upward. would
not this serve as a great conductor OF
lightning.rod, SO to speak. to carry the
surplus electricity Of the heavens to the
ca rth and prevent its accumulation in
destructive quantities? Would it not
make an end not only Of cyclones but
Of thunder storms?