The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-07-12
caprrisht. Is9a. BY Ryman Iatervle- syaaleate.

Copyright. 1895 ~ ny
The ancient and doubtful comfort thas
you VIII never know it, II You are
struck by lightning has been put out Of
countenance by the invention OF newer
and more substantial s0iace Of feelings
that fear lightning This new comfort
Is that you can protect yourself from
lightning so as never 20 be struck at all.
Under the old regime. Il you were struck
you would never know IL. so sudden would
be death. But how much better it is 10
be assured that you positively cannot be
struck al ALI
Some very peculiar circulars-"crank''
circulars they might have been called
were mailed TO prominent business houses
a few days ago. II was after the 81.
Louis tornado. and while the spring light
ming was frOlick.ng around with havoc
20 life.
The circulars invited all who might
read to call at a certain place and get
themselves insured against tornado ana
lightning. It would cyst them little. enh
the advantage would be too great to
mention.
But the genius who sent out the cir
culars was not a gatherer together Of
money. In foot note he explained his
many who read followed it out without
going through with the preliminary OF
making this Columbus Of lightning
professional call. There was a deal or
crankism in It, but also a LOT that was
good.
It is well known that the human body
is a great conductor Of lightning. The
| electric spark that escapes from a cloud
charged with electricity flies downward
/ and is attracted by anything that is kin
| TO It, Nothing Is such a conductor as
/ the human frame. 1t has been calcu-
| lated in lightning seasons. or in countries
/ where lightning is very vivid, that it
would be one chance in a thousand if a
/ man were not struck under the right con-
/ ditiCns.
| II. during a storm he were to sit near
/ a metal fireplace he would almost GER
/ tainly get a fatal shock or If he were
| 10 sit upon gilt furniture OF near large
/ house plants. II he were immersed in
/ water, as in taking a bath, the lightning
/ would find him out infallibly. The only
| place a person is perfectly safe In a sharp
] electric thunder storm is in feather bed
! or seated upon one end IF a mattress.
| The big soft cushions now so fashionable
| are good protectors, and when a storm
| is raging the prudent man, careful of his
! life, viii lie upon his divan with pillows
| all around him and ease his electric con-
| dtions by taking a nap. When the body
is quiet there Is much less danger from
| lightning stroke.
The ways of insuring a man against
being struck by electricity in the open
| are unique. The first of these is by
clothing himself in a paper suit This
| was made Of a fiber pulp and can be
made to look exactly like any other suit
| of clothes. Paper is very poor con-
| ductor, and the man dressed in a paper
| suit could almost defy the natural de-
sire which lightning has Tor him.
| This is particularly the case If hat
of paper fiber or pulp is worn. Inside
| this should be placed piece Of news
| paper; and inside the clothing SHOULD
also be laid newspaper or two. Even
| without the paper suit the newspaper is
a good protection.
It is important to note that the first
| protection a man would take against
fear. is the best one in this instance.
! Alcohol is a very poor conductor. 1t
| has no attraction for lightning. With a
| good alcoholic drink in his stomach a
man can look at lightning with a some-
! thing born of confidence.
People who are very afraid of lightning
can carry a looking-glass in the pocket
| over the heart; and If wooden shoes are
worn they need not fear the lightning
as 1t runs along the ground.
Lightning, when 1T leaves the clouds,
| is one big spark If 1t were TO descend
in that original form 1t would come
down like a falling star. But it has a
! long way to travel, and the air offers 1t
to so much resistance that the light
ming becomes broken up in the efforts
to get through the air. The wind effects
it, too And when 1t touches the ground
il is a long Zg-zag streak of light that
is as beautiful as ii is fatal. In 5his
wavering downward course it is at
traeted to all things that conduct it
easily.
Many people who are in constant fear
of lightning stun their clothing with
straw TO a certain extent. If they are
cycling through an open country, ana
.asn Hs- 80, De .Hv.--
they cannot tarry for it to go by, they
put a layer of straw-a nOn-conductor-
in their clothing, and speed along conf
dent of no harm.
lightning rod in his hat If he would es-
cape being struck. This would work in
many cases, but there would be a
| fatality once out of three times and the
but actually KILL burning the man to a
| char!
The theory of lghtning-rod is n
| sharp point which shall attract the
lightning. The lightning runs along
the rod, down the side of the house, and
is lost in the ground. In looking for a
place to hit the lightning stroke found
| something. As the lightning runs down
the rod the house is scorched by the line
| of FIRE, and sometimes quite IN
| jured but nothing to what it would
have been if that lightning stroke had
distributed itself evenly all over the
| roof.
If a man were to act on this principle
and should stick a lightning-rod in his
hat. the lightning would be attracted
by il and would pass along the rod into
the mans hat and so down his spine
a decidedly unpleasant experience for
him. The way to offset this would be
to wrap the rod of straw and bury The
end in the earth. The representative
| lightning man would have to take up his
| standstil in an open field, near water, if
possible He would attach the lightning
| rod to his hat and poke it down his
clothes, connecting the lower end with the
| sheet of water. Thus, fixed for the Storm
| he could defy the stroke. This was trie1
with dummy men-scarecrows in the feld
| and worked very well. II saved the
| lives" of two of the scarecrows, but
| killed" the third to the extent of ripping
off his coat and burning his framework
The theory is good, but even lightning
| dreaders hate to try it upon themselves.
The nice little document that insured
| against lightning, by paper suits, In
vited all men TO dress in paper; and many
| are trying 1t. 1t is certainly a good thing
| for summer excursions, and when you
| hear the thunder roll and see the FIRST
vivid flash in the air, run to your baggage
| and get your newspaper and put il around
| you.