The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-08-16

TO have lately been made in Germany Inc
holt entered a house and struck WOODEN
most melting two nails, each slXth Vi
an inch in diameter. II was careIully es-
tirnated that in order to melt nails of this
volume and material, ana accomplishing
the destruction in one-tenth OF a SECOND
would require a thunderbolt actlhS WIN
a power equal to that OF 5O,OOO hofses edch
lifting one pound $4,000 feet in one minute.
A bolt of this power coming upon you
either from above or below, Would hdIu-
" be attracted by small conductors
Your Aunt Mary Jane VIII tell you hOi
10 hold a pair of scissors or needle ana
not to wear steel buttons or buckles on
vour clothes during a thunderstorm, lest
these little things coax the thullues II
from its regular path. Similarly rldlcu-
lous is the old-fashioned notion thal
single piece of glass would retract the
course of a bolt coming head on. AS 10 the
diameter of flash, some severe oIlGe
have been found to measure foot IN TINS
particular. A cross section OF a thunder-
bolt looks like that of round IRON par
heated to whiteness. The particles OF the
atmosphere in reality become white not
on coming I'm contract with the lightning
The flashes which we commonly see during
thunderstorms are found to be anywhere
from 200 feet to half mile IN length.
Very recent studies Of the duration of
the lightning flash have disclosed a fact
of great interest to everyone. rms Is
that what appears to us to be sudden
repetition sometimes several times, OF
lightning flash is in reality a halluclhallon
YOu have invariably noticed that lgnt-
nine fash seems 10 appear in sudden jerks,
as though turned on and Off again IN RAPID
succession. 1t is now believed that sehsa-
ton is really what acts in VIBRATIONS ana
that the nervous current by which we see
the flash is reflected at the center OF that
brain, where the perception occurs re
turning to the outer end OF the seeing
nerve, returning again to uhe Dralh' ana
so on 1t has been scientifically proven IN
I'r-of "a a n iOnTRSSiOn
of almost instantaneous duration IS Iol-
lowed by a sensation or great DARKNESS
then light, then lesser darkness, and so on
Herr KarVll of Vienna IN recent SClen-
tifc publication of that city is said TO
have solved the problem concerning the
cause of lightning photography-that II,
its imprint of certain forms upon persons
as we'll as inanimate things. win a pow
erful induction coil, Herr Karyll produced
an artificial electric storm and allowed the
spark therefrom to strike a glass plale
whose surface was smoked Inc DiacK
was put on in such manner thdt edcii
particle struck by the electric spark as II
hit and scattered was knocked from IT'S
place Glasses so treated were examined
through a powerful microscope ana pro,
1ected on a screen. They were imprinted
with various treelil0e and mosslike forms
With an unusually strong current was
made a figure resembling aim photo-
graph Of rustic renee; VIII s tLses az at ny
background and birdlike hgures Tying
about Lightning, of course, IS not more
than such sparks as experimental with
greatly enlarged. A thunderbolt coming
In contact with a persons skin leaves red
marks wherever the electric fluid enters.
Figures OF supposed trees, MOWERS olrds
and so on are those usually reported as
having been imprinted upon the human
form in this manner, and the explana-
ton of the phenomenon is obvious.
Careful study of many supposed cases
of death from lightning has lately re
vealed the fact that this force seldom
Kills persons outright. but reduces them
10 a state Of suspended animation. If they
are left in this state unaided they Will
generally die When the clothing is wet
| from perspiration or rain, as IS usually
|. the case in summer. the bulk of the cur
Frent produces Inconsistencies by passing
over the surface and entering the body.
| The result is usually the sudden arrest
! of the breathing and the beating OF the
! heart caused by the excitement of the
nerve centers controlling these. By arti-
| icially causing the breath and the heart
| to continue physicians can now, in most
| instances, rewind the machine of life and
| set 1t ticking once more.