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

gas with spark from a finger. Any
body can do that. though the carpet
must be of wool aud very dry, as well as
the floor beneath. Tesla, the famous eX-
pert, makes a light burn in his hands
from electricity passing through his
body. When a powerful electrical ma
chine is being worked in a room, project
ing sharp points about, the furniture or
fixtures are apt to be seen in the dark
tipped with light. This is an artificial
production of the so-called ST. Elmo's
fire, which sometimes appears on the
masts of vessels at sea, exciting the su-
perStitiOnS of sailors On rare occasions
church steeples are illuminated in the
same strange fashion. During thunder
storms peoples heads have exhibited the
phenomenon, each hair being terminated
by a minute luminous tuft.
Electricity has not always been found
safe plaything. The kite experiment of
Franklin was repeated in France in June,
1893, by NJ. Romas, provincial Judge of
scientific tastes. He made kite eight
feet high and three feet wide, the string
used being wrapped with copper wire.
At the beginning of a thunder storm he
raised IL 10 hight of about $50 feet. In
stead of sparks, he obtained flashes of
IRE foot long and three inches wide,
accompanied BY loud noises like the crack
Ing of whips This performance was i'm
iiated in August of the same year by
Prof. Richmann, of St. Petersburg, the
apparatus being set up in his dwelling.
In the midst of the entertainment a large
globe of bluish-white IRE appeared with
report like a gun. The eXperimenter
fell back and died instantly, while his
assistant was rendered unconscious. The
house was filed with salphurous vapors
and was considerably damaged. Marks
OF burning were found on the dead mans
body. In 1897 lightning drawn from the
clouds was made to yield sparks ten feet
in length.
DEPTH IN THE EARTH.
The ancients believed that lightning
never struck deeper than five feet in the
earth, The Emperor Augustus always
sought refuge in a cave during thunder
storm. Former rulers of Japan are said
to have fed to safety under similar circum-
stances to "A grotto specially provided for
the purpose, which contained a reservoir
of water. The water was expected to put
out the fire of the lightning. This was
certainly a mistaken notion. Fishes are
sometimes killed by fire from the skies.
In 1910 lightning fell upon the lake of
Zlrknltz, and such quantities of fish i'm
mediately noated TO the surface that
twenty-eght wagon loads were collected
for manure.
According to Prof Charles Tomlinson,
to whose work on the properties of light
ming the writer is much indebted, the an
cieIt Romans believed that sealskin af-
forded protection against lightning. Au-
gustus always wore such skin. Tents
were made of that material on this ac-
count In the Avenues, for the same rea-
son, shepherds wear snakeskins in their
hats. Attempts were formerly made to
dissipate storms by kindling fires in the
open air, firing cannon and ringing bells
The last method led to many accidents.
During thirty-three years in Germany
lightning struck 3S6 bell towers, killing
l2l ringers and wounding a
much larger number. Chambers of
glass have actuslly been constructed for
the occupancy of timid persons during
thunder storms. But the notion that
glass is imperyious to electricity Is mis-
take. Lightning sometimes reduces glass
to powder, and it has been known to cut
perfectly circular disk out OF window
pane. DR.. Franklin suggested that the
safest plan was TO retire during an cleo
trical disturbance to a hammock sus-
pended by silken cords in the middle OF a
large room. 1t is always best, under such
circumstances, to keep away from the
windows and chimneys.
II. raI lpue