Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-07-28
FREAKS or LIGHTNING
Noe Yet uaderstood By Scisnce-lts Aetisa
% IN Explosive.

% IN Explosive.
So mysterious and little under.
stood 10 electricity even now that IL
10 % widely utilized to- mechanical
purposes, that its vaxaries In nature
excite the utmost interest The
question recently discussed by italian
scientists, a. to whether q bird could
be struck BY lightning seems to DO
answered In the Affirmative by the
destruction of a whole ock OF wild
geese on April 80 last Twenty-Five
OF them. flying north over Casnovia,
Mich, we're slain by bolt from the
sky. Such an extraordinary event
would have been regarded as an
ominOus pOrtent q century or two
ago the action Of lightning as an
explosive is asubject that has elected
special attention from the weather
bureau Of late Up to date no theory
has been found to account for 1t
satisfactorily On April 10, q brick
house at keOkuk, Iowa, was struck
and as completely wrecked IS II q
bombshell had done the work. One
day earlier farm house near KiOwa,
Kan, the property Of ID. X. Streeter,
was completely ruined by Q bolt, the
roof, doors, and windows looking as
II they had been shot full Of holes
At Barberton, Ohio, on June ls, 1898,
the dwelling Of William Martin was
literally torn to fragments by y sim.
liar agency
Inasmuch as 200 people arc killed
every 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 r!bA.
These arc long enough to reach the
ground. A thunderstorm coming
up they are loosened and permitted
to dangle, while the owner Of the
continuance walks along Ia perfect
security. Under such Circumstance
metal about oue's body IL dangerous
for example, the wires In Q lady'a
bonnet. But this peril may be over.
come by fastening similar chains OF
copper threads to the framework Of
the headgeaE Though o bolt should
destroy the bonnet, the electricity
would spare the Wearer and pass OF
into the ground. An instance on
re, ord 10 that or Q lady who raised
her arm to shut o window as rain be.
gan to fall on y summers day. There
was eudden blaze of light and,
though she was unframed, her gold
bracelet disappeared 50 that no YES
tige OF II could be found. A sui.
phurOus smell was observed In the
air. This, scientific men say, Is quite
usual when lightning strikea being
due to IN excess Of ozone generated
BY the electricity The atmosphere
10 Its usual condition contains one
n.thousandth part OF ozone When
this proportion Is increased incon.
yeniencc Ia felt by men ana animals
it has been suggested that some
times persons found dead after q
stroke Of lightning, though showing
no marks Of injury, may have been
sutiocated by ozone
Lightning does occasionally strike
twice 10 the same place A few year,
ago St AloysiuI Church In Wash ny
ton suffered. A fash ran down thu
lightning rod to within twenty feet
Of the ground. Then II left the rod
passed through twenty feet Of
afr space tot water pipe and broke
. washstand. Six years later tho
same thing was repeated 10 every de
tail, the eiectriciy leaving the rod Y,
the same point jumping to the watel
pipe and smashing to pieces tho
washstand, which had not bAer
mended. The Church of the linear
nation. In Washington. was also
buddy hit To prevent = repetition
Of the 40 ident the editlce was pro
tected by Q very elaborate and costly
system Of rods. The most imp0rtan,
rod, OF course, protects the steeple
II ought to terminate In sharI
point but the church authorities
thought 1t more appropriate that Il
should be surm0unted by . crosA VI
top OF which was placed . rooster
Thus the usefulness OF the defensiv,
contrivanc0 has been almost who'll!
DESTROYED, for SO 1t stands at pres
enk
The introduction Of lightning rod
In Roman Catholic countries wa
strongly opposed on religious grounds
ti0us persons declared that tho de
tices were Of the devil, anl callet
them "heretic rods" II was q lon(
time before the churches would adOp
them, though buildings OF that de
scripti0n have always been the great
est sufferers from celestial fire. OF
account of their tall steeples. Dur
ing the last century o certain church
In COrinthia was struck so often tina
services we're discontinued during tn,
summer months. 1t was hit four O
i've times year on an average. IL
l77S rod was put on. aud there wa
no further trouble. At Stratsund
In P0merania, o church was tn,
scene Ut a very appalling occurrence
On q Sunday, tho building being full
Of people, q bail Of fire entered ant
fell upon the altar, thereupon cxplod
10y and doing great damage.
As to the nature Of phenomena o
this sort science knows almost moth
ing. Such glObular lightning In seeI
quite often, buy nobody can CUES
how 1t is formed. All that can b.
said IL that 1t Is electricity very high
Iy concentrated. Balls Vt lightninl
are sometimes seen rolling along tn,
surface OF the sea Occasionally the
strike veseels A rule they burs
violently with q loud nois0 aud dis
nat rnus efYoctS