The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-13

the last statement is not true. 1t is
fact, however, that the oak is most ire
quently and The beech the least frequently
struck. The values are something like,
if represents the frequency for the beech
tree, az 10 for pines, other trees generally
averaged at 40, and the oaks at "a. Trees
struck are generally those standing in
the clear, or on the edge of forests, and in
hight from fifty-two to sixty-six feet, The
trunk appears to be struck about three
times as often as the boughs. The stroke
usually travels to the ground, only jump
ing to other trees about three times in
hundred
1t is dangerous to stand under trees, in
the doorways or barns, close to cattle, or
near chimneys and fireplaces during thun-
is gained by going to bed or trying to in
sulate oneself in feather beds. Small ar
ticles of iron or steel do not have the
power to attract lightning or determine
the path of discharge. Nor will few
inches of glass or a few feet of air serve
as competent insulator to bar the pro-
gress Of a flash of lightning that has
forced its way through a thousand feet OF
air.
There are no competent records which
show what proportion of persons struck
by lightning are killed outright. Prof. Nc
Adie says he knows of but one record, and
in that of 212 persons struck, "a were
killed. Therefore, he urges that where a
person has been struck by lightning the
effort to stimulate the respiration and cir
hours time. He believes that lightning
often brings about suspended animation
rather than somatic death, and says there
are a number of cases in the medical jour-
nails cOrroboratiVe of this view.
During the thunder storm when the
Washington monument was struck the
other day, a group of gentlemen were
seated at a club window, looking out on
the rain-swept street. There was blind
tered an exclamation and half started
from his seat. Another member of the
group, seeing this, remarked quietly:
tits no use to dodge a fash of lightning.
The flash you see is harmless to hurt you.
Why? Because electricity travels about
a hundred thousand miles a second faster
you you'll never see ii, and If you see 1t
it won't hit your
zone of the first cases was ever sent
out to report" said a newspaper man in
the group, was where a lightning bolt
from a clear sky had killed one man and
two horses, besides stunning another man
who recovered. OF course, / interviewed
the survivor. He was a rugged old fell
low, with no book learning. He had views
and theories about things, though. He
said he didn't believe at all that it was
lightning that had struck them, because
he had seen no flash. l asked him what
he trought it was. He replied that he
believed that when heat and cold came to-
gether, either high up or low down in the
air, there was bound to be an explosion,
and that that was what hit them. No
amount of reasoning could convince him
that he had been struck by lightning be-
cause he hadn't seen the flash.
zone of the commonest fallacies about
it never strikes twice in the same place.
/ know better. On my farm down the river
there are two trees that have been struck
repeatedly. One is an oak that stands on
gum that stands on the river bank. My
house stands between the two and it has
has. never been touched though 1t has
Speaking of lightning rods said an
army officer, when l was at West Point,
old Hank Kendrick, our professor Of
oh 1icfr
to give US an experiment with lightning
rods, which is the only thing l recollect
in connection with them. He had bat
terry rugged up to furnish the lightning.
Then he had house of blocks, nice two
story house painted white with green shut
tiers, On this house was a lightning rod,
a miniature affair, made like the ordinary
lightning rod of commerce. He would
make a few remarks on the necessity of
having the rod properly connected with
the ground, explaining that wet earth or
water connecting directly with the earth
was the very best.
Then he would make a ground connec-
few big electric sparks, or lightning flashes
through the rod. They would go through
all right, not doing the slightest injury to
the house. Then he would make few
more remarks, this time to the effect that
little learning is dangerous thing, and
tell about good minister in the neighbor-
hood who wanted to protect bis house by
a lightning rod, and who had heard that
water was good thing for the rod to end
his cistern where, as it was carefully ce-
mented, there was always certain to be
water. The old professor would then put
the end of the rod in a glass of water.
to represent the cistern, and turn on his
lightning. The big spark would leap
across to the rod and down would come
the house, heap of blocks"
''One of the most beautiful, and at the
same time one of the most terrifying
sights / ever saw" said another member
of the group, veteran of the war, was
down In Arkansas in 1862. ] was drilling
my regiment one summer afternoon when
a sudden thunder shower came up. The
men had bayonets fixed, and as we started
for the camp were carrying their muskets
at a right shoulder shift. Suddenly there
began at the tips of those bayonets the
most marvellous electrical display had
ever seen. The lightning played about
them, dancing, rolling. flashing. leaping
from one to another, as If it hugely en-
joyed the frolic- For an instant 1 thought
the whole command would be struck down.
and the men themselves were badly FRIGHT
ened. No one was hurt or even shocked
by the brilliant display. halted the com
mand and had unfixed bayonets, where
upon the display ceased, to every ones re-