The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-03

was seen issuing from her figurehead,
which, when cut down, was found to con
tain a nest OF fire.
SOME EXTRAORDINARY FREAKS.
The freaks OF lightning are extraordi-
nary. At Wooster, Ohio, in June 1892, a
two story bay window was cut from the
main structure of house as if by a
knife. lnsthe same month at Norwich,
Conn, a bolt went into the ground and
1erked out of the earth 100 feet of iron
water pipe In Oct. 1913, three men
were struck at the bottom of mine shaft
$50 feet below the surface 1t was sup
posed that the electricity must have
passed down into the shaft by a chain.
There are many cases on record where
people killed by lightning under trees
have been marked in one part of the
body or another with the image of tree
or OF leaf This has been considered
very mysterious; but it is probable that
such phenomena are largely attributable
to imagination Marks made by light
ming are apt 10 be forked and branched
in such fashion as TO suggest likenesses
OF the sort to excited minds.
There nave been instances where light
ming has entered powder magazine and
dispersed the gunpowder without setting
ii on fire This is more easily unders TODD
when it is learned that there is difficulty
in setting fire to gunpowder by sending a
charge from a LeYden jar through il.
The powder is simply scattered without
being ignited. If anything interferes
with the free passage of the electricity
however, the powder will explode. There
have been several friGhtful disasters
caused by lightning striking powder
magazines. AT midnight, Aug. 10, 1857, a
magazine at Joupore, in the Bombay pres
ldenCy, was blown up in this way. killing
LOCO residents. At Luxembourg, June 20,
1oOl, a magazine containing twelve tons of
gunpowder was struck, running a large
part of the town. But the worst accident
of this kind happened at Brescia, Aug. Is
1863, when 2UI 800 pounds of powder be-
longing 10 the republic of Venice were
exploded by lightning, destroying a sixth
part OF the city and 5000 human beings.
There are some parts of the world
where at certain seasons thunder and
lightning are practically incessant, the
sky being lighted continuously by vivid
flashes, while the ears are deafened by n
roar of celestial artillery without pause
One of these localities is the east coast of
San Domingo, a region stunned on this
account by men and beasts at the rainy
time of the year. There is place in the
republic of New Granada where nobody
viii live on account of the frequency of
lightning strokes. Thunder. by the way,
is caused by he electric fluid rending the
an hAAASA Le%o NV blLA1C W ESCb Oub u bAt
way. The rolling of thunder is due to
echoes thrown back from the clouds
ALLDAMAGE DONE IN FIVE MONTHS.
Practically all of the 200 deaths caused
by lightning in the United States an
uually occur in the five months from April
TO September, the highest rate being in
June and July. Such strokes are very
apt to produce a condition Of suspended
animation. Accordingly, the weather
bureau recommends that everything
possible shall be done to stimulate respi-
ration and circulation in a person who
has been struck, even though there are no
apparent signs of life. Cattle and sheep
suffer from this cause much oftener than
human beings. Sometimes an entire
fock Of sheep is wiped out literally in a
fash In nine years ending in 1892, 2235
barns, l02 churches and 664 dwellings
were struck in this country. During the
same period there were about 600 fires
from lightning, with property loss of
Sl400O,OO0 Risk from lightning in rural
districts is five times greater than in
cities. Oak trees are struck fifty-four
times as often as beeches, though nobody
knows why.
Though physicists say that electricity
is form of motion, the fluid is a mystery
yet. Its presence everywhere helps to
make IL interesting Children shuttle
over the carpet with their feet, and thus
generate enough electricity to light the