The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-11-22
ODD BEHAVIOR OF LIGHTNING.
Some reported Proceedings OF the Ban
Variety.

Some reported Proceedings Of the Ban
Variety.
There was a belief among the Etrus-
cans that there wero three kinds of
lightning-one incapable of doing any
injury, one more harmful in its nature
and consequently only to be issued with
the consent of a quorum of twelve gods,
third carrying disaster in its train,
and for which a regular decree was re-
quired from the highest divinities.
Curiously enough, modern scientists
have also decreed that lightning is of
three kinds. The first comprehends
that in which the discharge manifests
itself in q long, luminous line bent
into angles and zigzags. This kind is
known as forked lightning. The second
differs from the first in the range OF
surface over which the flash is diffused
and is called sheet lightning. and the
third class has been made the subject
of wide discussion and contention. It
never assumes the form of long lines
nor of sheets of fame, but appears as
balls or Jumps of fire. They are not
monetary apparitions, but last sew
eral seconds and burst, with bright
flare and loud report, and occasional
ly discharge flashes of lightning. A
schoolmaster in Ohio whose school was
struck during recent storm declared
that he saw ball of fire strike and roll
down the flagstaff of the school-house,
and the ball caused panic among the
scholars.
A singular story comes from Paris. A
tailor who lived on the Rue st. jacques
was eating his dinner one day during a
thunder storm when he heard a loud
clap and saw the chimney board fall
out and globe of fire as big as man
had come quietly out and moved about
the room = few feet above the floor
After moving slowly about the ball
went back into the chimney, and a mo-
ment later there was a loud explosion
which completely shattered the Chin
ney. A great many years ago the south
west pinnacle of an old church in Breog.
in Cornwall, was demolished BY stroke
of lightning, and one stone, weighing
three hundred pounds. was hurled up
ward and il southerly direction dis
lance of one hundred yards, and a sec
ond was sent in northerly direction
one hundred yards, and third one
hundred yards to the east.
In tho forest of Wemoun tree was
once struck and two pieces torn from
its trunk. The smaller Of the two
pieces was tossed distance of twenty
feet, and the larger which it took eigh-
teen men to move was tossed twenty
feet in an opposite direction.
In 1878 the topmast Of the fishing
schooner William and Mary OF Swamp
scott, Mass, was hit by flash and cut
into chips and since that time three
coasting schooners have had the same
experience. A British ship while cross
ing the North Pacific ocean from China
was struck by ball of globular light
ming which left such a sulphurous odor
behind 1t that the crew was obliged to
take to the rigging in order TO avoid
suffocation. This odor after an explo-
sion occurred recently in Cuba when
large company of Ia borers on tobacco
plantation were obliged to take to the
woods in order TO avoid it
The magnetic effects produced by
lightning are often very singular In
deed A chest containing a large as
sortment'o of knives and cutlery was re-
Gently struck in . carpenter shop IN
Chicago and ell OF the articles were at
once magnetied. And a shoemaker in
Swabia had his tools treated in the
same way, TO his great annoyance, as
he had TO be constantly freeing his
hammer from his avis and nails which
We're always getting caught as they Law
togseher on his bench. And some wears
ago Genoese ship was wrecked near
Alglers in consequence OF the lightning
HAVING played pranks with the compass
and the captain supposing that he was
sailing to the north instead OF TO the
south
Another class Of effects caused bv
lightning are cures GorE men have .