The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-04-27
CONTINUOUS COMMANDMENT.
Places on the Globe Where Thunder and
Lightning Are Incessant.


Tho phenomenon known as lightning,
followed by a railing, revcrberating report,
recognized "a thunder, Is common to a
wide zone of the earth, but it Is not gener-
ally known that there are localities where
the vivid flashes and the deafening peals
are incessant The most notable Of these
continuous lightning districts is on the
eastern coast of the island of San Domin-
go, a leading member of the group of the
West Indies.
II is not meant that the lightning Is here
continuous the year round, but that with
the commencement Of the rainy season
comes this zigzag feature Of electric illumi-
nation, which is then continuous day and
night for weeks The storm center is not
continuously local, but shifts over CON
siderable area, and as thunder is seldom
heard over n greater distance than eight
miles and the lightning in the night will
illuminate so as to be seen 80 miles, there
may be days in some localities where the
twinkle on the sky Is in a continuous sue
cession, while the rolling reports are alb
sent. Then again come days and nights
when the electric artillery is piercing in
its detonations, and especially is this the
case when two separate local cloud centers
join, as IL were, in an electrical duel, and,
as sometimes occurs, "a third participant
appears To add to the elemental warfare.
Then there is blazing sky, with binding
vividncss and stunning peals that seem to
pin the listener 20 the earth Long before
the echoes can die away come others, I'M
I'll the auricular mechanism seems ham
mercd into chaos.
just how and why it is that there is here
generated so immense an amount of cleo
tricity as 10 keep up such an inoessant ig-
milton is one of those problems that can
only be solved when sufficient data are at
hand to work upon. II Is probable that,
with tho commencement Of the rainy sea
son this region Is the border OF opposing
air and ocean currents whose friction has
something 10 do I'm the case. This would
tend TO bring into contact opposing clouds
variously charged. and as lightning is the
passing Of electricity from one cloud 10
another seeking equilibrium, or the pass
ing OF the fluid from cloud 10 tho earth,
IL is probable that In this continued fric-
tion Of currents may be found a starting
point 20 unravel tho mystery. IL is in
swirling and opposing cloud strata, espe-
cially where these get into gyratory mo-
ton, that electrical phenomena are most
abundant just as In an even, uniform flow
Of clouds such disturbance Is rarer and
often entirely absent.
IL would not secm, from the meagcr in
formation bcarinR on this matter, that the
electrical intcrchangeis between the clouds
and tho earth, as there IS no reference
made "a what arr termed y lightning strokes
when the descending current strikes "a
tire, building or other object, or strikes
the ground dircctly. But IL would certainly
he "a trying ordeal on any fairly balanced
nervous organization 20 behold a blazing
sky for DAYS and nights together and lis.
ten 20 the incessant rolling Of tho thunder
until the very senses secmcd stupcilcd 20
further recognition. Happily such locali-
ties have BEEN rarely bestowed by nature,
and this ono Is Stunned by the dusky ma
tives, and the more advanced fauna, when
the wet season approaches leave IL 10y In.
stinct. -Pittsburg Dispatch.