Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-06-10
FREAKS OF LIGHTNING.
Taking Photographs. Magnetizing Iron and
Playing Other PranLs.

Playing Other Franks.
From Chambers journal.
The Etruscans of old believed in three kinas
OF hghtning-one incapable of doing any in
Jury. another more mischievous in its character
and consequently only TO be issued with the
consent of quorum Of twelve gods. and n
third carrying mischief in its train and for
which regular decree was required from the
highest divinities in the Etruscan skies. On.
riousiy enough, modern scientists, following
'ne lead taken BY Arago. have also decreed that
cue cue varieties OF lightning are threefold. The
nt comprehends that in which the discharge
"ppears ike long luminous line. bent into an
sr ana zigzags and varying in complexion
q I Nhi'e TO blue, purple or red This kind
=. ~ hhown as forked lightning. because il some-
umes divides into two or more brancbe, bafor.
.teacning the earth. The second differs from
ue nist IN The range of surface over which the
s:ai IS unused. From this circumstance the
th;rd designated sheet lightning The
ordinary manifestations that r,snr raa,oanN,.'
. nave oerled their right TO be treated as
egiumate hghtnings. They neither assn,,o 81.
lS 10 a OF long lines on the one hand nor sbeets
as ha,is ~ n >, 'ne otner, but exhibit themselves
as oalis or globular Jumps Of fire.
A very singular story is told co,o.-.,- A.
saRsnes OF one mass OF globe Irh,Dins
.aior IN tne hue St Jacques in the neigSho
hood OF the Val de Grace. was ,,et,i,a., Or
alnher one Gay during thunder storm. when
ne neard LOUD clap, and soon the Chimney
board fell down and globe of fire as bir as /.
childs head came out quietly and moved SLOWLY
about the room at a small height above tha
floor. The spectator. in conversation aftervard
with NJ. Rabbinet of the Academic DIES Sciences
said IT looked like a good-sized kitten rolled mn
into q ball and moving without showing ~
paws. 1t was bright and shining, vet he fell no
sensation of heat The globe came near his
feet, but by moving them aside he avoided the
contact After trying several excursions in
different directions 1t rose vertically TO the height
of his head-which he threw back to prevent
1t touching him-steered toward a hole in the
chimney above the mantelpiece and made its
way into the fiue. Shortly afterward-"wben
I supposed ii had had time to reach the
top" the tailor said-there was a terrible
explosion, which destroyed the upper part of
the chimney and threw the fragments on to
the roofs of some adjoining buildings, which
they broke through. In the forest of Nemours
a tree was once struck. Two pieces were rent
from its trunk. The smaller was tossed to
distance of fifty feet, and the larger, which
eighteen men could not move. to a distance of
twenty feet or SO in an opposite tack. In
1888 the topgallant-mast of II. NJ. s. Rodney
was hit by fash and literally cut I'D into
chips. the sea being strewn with the fragments
as N the carpenters had been sweeping their
shavings overheard. Shortly before the top
similar manner, and when the Thetis UNDER
went like visitation in Rio harbor Capt Fitz-
roy described the foretop-mast as "a mere COLI
lection of long splinters. almost like reeds"
These are few of the examples Of the me-
chanical effects Of lightning. 1t works chemi-
cally as well. 1t has the power of developing Q
peculiar odor. which has been variously COM
pared TO that Of PHOSPHORUS. nitrous gas. and
most frequently burning sulphur Wafen men,
uons storm on the lsthmus OF Darien which
difused such a sulphurous stencil through the
atmosphere that he and his marauding COM
panions could scarcely breathe. particularly
when they plunged into the wood. The mag
netlc effects produced are often very curious
A chest containing large assortment Of knives,
forks and other cutlery was not many wears
ago. struck in the house of a Wakefield trades
man. and magnetism impaired to the whole Of
the articles. Arago. in his Meteorological
Essays, speaks OF shoemaker in Swadia
whose tools were thus treated. TO his indcscrib-
able annoyance. "He had TO be constantly
freeing his hammer, pincers and laife from his
nails, needles and avis, which were constantly
getting caught by them they Law together on
the bench" The same authority knew of q
Genoese ship which wrecked near Algiers
In consequence OF some pranks PLAYED by hgnt-
ming among the compasses, the captain limo
Gently supposing that he sailing toward the
north. when. as matter Of fact, he was steer
ing due south.
Subterrsnean thunders have occasionally
been heard preparatory to an aerial eruption
The sea has cast up volumes of water as IL
volcanoes were exploding below. The ground
has burst open. and floods OF water have
gushed forth from the sides Of hills or from
assures in the rocks. Taking another class of
effects, cures have been performed by light
ming: equity men have been enabled 20 walk
freely; epileptic persons have been healed;
amaurosis has been removed. and rheumatism
dispeiled by a fash But one dare not look
too closely into the subject OF medical cleo
tricity nor venture to recommend any one to
tempt lightning in the hope of experiencing its
curative effects.