The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-01-24
CONTINUOUS COMMANDMENT.


Lightning Are Inccssant.
The phenomenon known us lightning,
followed by rolling, rcvcrbcrating report,
recognized as thunder, Is common 10
wide zone Of the earth, but 1t is not gener-
ally known that there are localities where
the vivid flashes and the dcafcnlng peals
are inccssant. The most notable of these
continuous lightning districts Is on the
eastern coast of the island of San Domin-
20, q leading m rmbcr of the group OF the
West Indies
1t is not meant that she lightning is here
continuous the year round, but that with
the commencement of the rainy season
romcs this zg2ag feature Of electric illumi-
nation, which is then continuous day and
night for weeks The storm center Is not
continuously local but shifts over a con-
siderable area. and as thunder is seldom
heard over greater distance than eight
miles, and the lightning In the night will
illuminate SO as to he seen 30 miles, there
may be days in some localities where the
twinkle on the sky is in II continuous sue
cession, while the rolling reports are alb
sent Then again come days and nights
when the electric artillery is piercing in
| it's dctonations, and especially is this the
| case when two separate local cloud ccnters
| join, as It were, i'm an electrical duel, and,
/ AS sometimes occurs u third participant
appears to add to the elemental warfare.
| Then there is blazing sky, with binding
vividnCss and stunning pcals that seem TO
pin the listener to the earth. Long before
the echoes can die away come Others, un-
til the auricular mechanism seems ham
mcred into chaos.
just how and why it is that there is here
/ ,r,,,rnt,I q, Immense nm amount pf plpc-
triciry as to keep up such an inccssant ig-
milton Is one of those problems that can
only be solved when sufficient data are at
hand to work upon. 1t is probable that,
with the commencement of the rainy sea
son this region is the border of opposing
air and ocean currents whose friction has
something to do In the case. This would
tend to bring into contact opposing clouds
variously charged, and as lightning Is the
passing OF electricity from one cloud to
another seeking equilibrium, or the pass
ing Of the fluid from II cloud to the earth,
it is probable that i'll this continued fric
ton of currents may be found n starting
point to unravel the mystery. 1t is il
swirling and opposing cloud strata, cspe
cially where these get into gyratory mo
ton, that electrical phenomena are mos
abundant, Just as in an even, uniform flow
of clouds such disturbance Is rarer ant
often entirely absent.
1t would not seem, from the mcager in
formation bearing on this matter, that thu
electrical Interchange is between the cloud
and the earth, as there is no referenc,
made to what are termed lightning stroke
whom the descending current strikes
. tree, building or other object, or strike
the ground directly. But it would certainl.
be trying ordeal on any fairly balanced
nervous organization to behold blazing
sky for days and nights together and lis
ten to the incessant rolling of the thunde
until the very senses seemed stupefied &
further recognition. Happily such local.
ties have been rarely bestowed by nature
- and this one is Stunned by the dusky ma
tives, and the more advanced fauna, whe
the wet season approaches, leave it by In
stinct. -Pittsburg Dispatch.