The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1894-08-02
FREAKS OF
Not Yet Understood by Sci~ence-Its Action
as an Explosive.

. So mysterious and little under
stood is electricity even now that it
is 50 widely utilized tor mechanical
purposes, that its vagaries in nature
excite the utmost interest The
question recently discussed by Italian
scientists, as to whether a bird could
be struck by lightning seems to be
answered in the affirmative by the
destruction OF a whole Ock OF wild
geese on April 20 last. twenty-five
OF them. flying north over CaSnovia.
Mich, were slain by a bolt from the
sky. such an extraordinary event
would have been regarded as an
ominOus pOrtent a century or two
ago. The action of lightning as an
eXploS We is subject that has ELECTED
special attention from the weather
bureau OF late [ to date no theory
has been found TO account for it
satisfactorily. On April 20. a brick
house at keokuk, Iowa, was struck
and as completely wrecked as il a
bombshell had done the work. One
day carrier a farm house near kiOwa.
Kan, the property of ID. Il. Streeter,
was completely ruined by a bolt, the
roof, doors, and windows looking as
if they had been shot full of holes.
At Barberton. Ohio, on June -, 1898,
the dwelling of William Martin was
literally torn to fragments by a sim.
liar agency.
Inasmuch as 200 people are killed
v y year by lightning in the United
States special protection Tor the per-
son is surely called for. One in
geniouS scientist mentioned bv the
PHILADELPHIA Times has devised an
umbrella with small COPPER chains
attached to the ends of the ribs.
These are long enough to reach the
ground. A thunderstorm coming
up. they are lOosened and permitted
to bangle, while The owner of the
COntrivance walks along in perfect
security. Under such circumstances
metal about ones body is dangerous
for example, the wires in a lady's
bonnet. But this peril may be over
come by fastening similar chains or
copper threads to the framework of
the h%eadgear. Though a bolt should
destroy the bonnet, the electricity
would spare the wearer and pass off
into the ground. An instau e on
re ord is that Of a lady who raised
her arm to shut a window as rain be-
gan to fall on u summers day. There
was a sudden blaze of light and,
though she was unframed, her gold
bracelet disappeared SO that no ves-
tige of it could be found. A sui
phurOuS smell was observed in the
air. This, scientific men say. Is quite
usual when lightning strikes, being
due to an excess of 0 n generated
by the electricity. The atmosphere
in its usual condition contains one.
ten.thousandth part of ozone. When
this proportion Is increased incon-
v%enience is felt by men and animals.
1T has been suggested that some
times persons found dead after a
stroke of lightning. though showing
no marks Of injury, may have been
sutfocated by ozone.
Lightning does occasionally strike
twice IN the same place. A few years
ago st. Aloyslus' Church in Wash ny
ton suffered. A flash ran down the
lightning rod to within twenty feet
Of the ground. Then it left the rod.
passed through twenty feet OF
air space to a water pipe and broke
a waShStand. Six years later the
same thing was repeated in every de-
tail, the eiectriciy leaving the rod at
the same point, jumping to the water
pipe and smashing to pieces the
washstand, which had not been
mended. The Church of the linear.
nation. in Washington. was also
badly hit. To prevent a repetition
of the &C ident the editice was pro-
tected by a very elaborate and costly
system OF rods. The most important
rod, of course, protects the steeple.
1t ought to terminate in a sharp
point, but the church authorities
thought it more appropriate that it
should be surmounted by a cross, on
top of which was placed a rooster.
Thus the usefulness OF the defensive
contrivancc has been almost wholly
DESTROYED, for so it stands at pres
ent.
The introduction of lightning rods
in Roman Catholic countries was
strongly opposed on religious grounds.
IiOuS persons declared that the de.
vices we're of the devil, an called
them ''heretic rods" 1t was a long
time before the churches would adopt
them, though buildings OF that de-
scrlption nave always been the great
est sufferers from celestial fire. on
account OF their tall steeples. Dur.
ing the last century a certain church
in COrinthia was struck SO often that
services e discontinued during the
summer months. 1t was hit four or
live times a year on an average. In
IFS a rod was put on, and there was