The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-05-26
The Fear Of Injury by a
Lightning Stroke.
Prof. Hall Found II Prevalent
BY a Recent Inquiry.
Storm Beaten Fastnet Light Amer
leans and the North Pole.

PrOf. Az. Stanley nan vi tiaih thi'NA
sity recently correspondent with nearly 2oOo
persons with the view of ascertaining
what constituted their greatest fear. He
learned that of POS classes Of things feared
thunder and lightning led all the rest.
The electrical engineer taking up the
subject edtorially endeavors TO prove that
this state of affairs is unreasonable and
says that there is only an average of POS
deaths from lightning in the United
States for year while in New York city
alone 800 people meet accidental deaths
annually. In the same city over 200 peo-
ple are drowned each year, while 100 arc
burned or scalded TO death and 800 more
meet deaths by falls of one kind and an
other, so that IL statistics prove ANYTHING
there Is 90 per cent, greater danger of be-
ing kicked TO death by n horse in New
York city than of being killed by light
ming.
It is also interesting to learn that statis-
tics show that there are five times as
many lightning fatalities In the country
as in the cities, probably on account OF
the metal roofs and well grounded water
systems TO be found in the latter, which
carry off the discharges and act as light
ming conductors. Another erroneous cur
rent belief is that lightning strokes are
necessarily fatal, while statistics show
that Of 2l2 persons struck only "A resulted
fatally. DIR. Halls paper concludes thus:
Perhaps after all there may be moro
direct cause than the mere physiological
one usually ascribed to IL and that Is the
fact that many persons of nervous tenn
permanent are affected hours before the
approach of n thunderstorm, and thus
rendered particularly powerless to with
stand the strain which more or less affects
even the most phlegmatic natures during
o disturbance in the heavens.
The Fastnet light, about which we read
so frequently, and which nearly every
voyager TO Great Britain sees, stands on
rugged and solitary rock, situated about
nine miles south OF Crcokhaven, mt the
extreme southwest corner Of Ireland, and
IL is considered the most Storm beaten
place along tho British coast. The rock
Is so feet in height and the lighthouse
towers another 40 feet above; yet, in win
ter gales the Atlantic billows literally
bombard the. massive structure and have
even smashed in portion of the lantern at
tho summit Of the structure the seas
frequently sweeping over the rock with
tremendous force. Except in very calm
weather the Fastnet is surrounded by a
fringe of foam and the only means of
landing is by the aid of n jib So feet in
length so placed on the rock that in mod
erato weather. its end reaches outside the
unusual occurrence, he Is rowed III a
small boat as near as the waves permit
and tho light keepers throw out "A small
buoy, attached to n rope which Is secured
by the man to the boat. The jib is then
swung out and the visitor placing one
foot in the loop and catching tight mold
of the rope is hoistcd about forty feet
vertically aud then the jib, being pivoted
at its foot, swings him horizontally about
ono hundred feet on to safe landing.
Americans have made many attempts
to reach the North Pole. Elisha Kent
Kane, NJ D., and Isaac /. Hayes made
an expedition in 1S52-55, and saw what
appeared to be an open polar sea. Hayes
again, In lS60-61. reached 81 deg. 30 min.
north. An expedition started from New
London, in the United States ship Polaris,
under command of Captain &. +. Hall,
June 90 1871. Half the crew were floated
off on an iceberg for six months and were
rescued in attachments in April and
June 1873 Lieutenant q. w. DE Long
started on the yacht Jeannette from San
Francisco, July q 1873. The Jeanette was
crushed in the Ice juno % 1881. Lieut.
A. w. Greeley started on the Proteus,
June, 1881. and the party returned Au-
gust 1, 1854. Lieut.. X. T.. Peary has
made four voyages to Greenland-in the
Eagle, in 1856 in the Kite, from Brook
lyn June 8, 1892; i'm the Falcon, from
Brooklyn, July 4, 1893, and in the Hope,
in the summer of 1896.
1t would appear from the statements
made by Mr.. II. ;. Grimes who belongs
in Ohio but has been on visit TO Wash
ington lately, that we are eating bogus
bread. He says IL is "a fact that the people
are eating very little strictly pure bread.
He then goes on To explain that of late
years it has got to be "A common thing
with millers to mix in with the flour
they put up q considerable per cent OF
white cornIneal 81 do not know Just
what proportion of meal goes in," he
says, ''but L do know that great deal of
our corn crop is utilized this way both
for export and domestic trade. 1t doesn't {
hurt the flour particle. and no persons
taste Is keen enough To note any differ
ence when it comes To eating the COM
pound. There is nothing disreputable
In blending the products, and the practice
Is common with the best millers. Ii
makes their profit n little higher, OF
course, rs corn is much cheaper than
wheat, but IL is also just as nutritious,
and so the public isn't sufferer. This
plan of mixing the cereals has long been