The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-06-16
Lightning.

Now that the thunder and lightning
season is at hand again, people who
are sensitive to such phenomena will
be pleased, no doubt, to have a re-
newal of assurances of their safety as
compared with their fears. There are
many such people. President Hall,
of Clark University, it is reported,
recently inquired by mail Of two
thousand average persons what con-
stituted their great fear, and learn
ed that of three hundred objects of
that emotion thunder and lightning
led all the rest. Few of us, perhaps,
will be surprised at this discovery, for
reasons of a private character, but
most Of us will be surprised, doubt
less, to be informed how little ground
there is for the exceeding popularity
of the particular fear in question.
The Electrical Engineer, comment
ing on the subject, endeavors to show
the unreasonableness of the prevalent
apprehension, and asserts that there is
only an average Of POS deaths from
lightning annually in all the United
States, while 1900 people in New
York city alone are killed by "acci-
dent" every year. OF these 1900
over 200 are drowned, $50 are burned
or scalded to death and 500 more meet
death by falls of one kind or another.
If the statistics prove anything, it is
noted, they prove hat there is so per
cent. more danger of being kicked to
death by a horse in New York than Of
being killed by lightning. Taking the
reported casualties in our State Of
South Carolina as the basis Of like
comparison it would appear that the
danger of being lynched and of being
killed by lightning is about the same,
and that the chances of being killed
by an unloaded pistol are rather great
er than those Of being killed by light
ming.
It is also interesting, and is ncour
aging to residents in cities, to learn
that statistics prove that there are
five times as many lightning facilities
in the country as in the cities, a fact
which is probably largely accounted
for by the presence Of metal roofs and
we'll grounded water pipes in the
cities, which serve to carry off the
electrical discharges. Even a tin
roof, with cutters reaching to the
ground, is supposed to afford a large
measure of protection to any house so
equipped. The maze of telegraph,
telephone and trolley wires stretched
overhead in cities is also a general
defence to the houses, as is proved by
the frequent electric discharges in
thunder storms at the ends of the
wires in the central Offices to which
they lead.
Another roneo popular belief,
it is noted, is that lightning strokes
are almost necessarily fatal, while the
statistics show that of PIP persons
struck only "a, or barely more than
one-third, we're killed. The impor-
tant point is made, and it cannot be
made too impressively until it is more
generally apprehended. that even this
small proportion of facilities would
probably be considerably reduced if
people were generally instructed that
apparent death from lightning strokes
does not always mean death in fact, so
that they would be more disposed and
prompt to summon medical aid, espe-
cially in country districts, in cases OF
such seeming fatalities.
1t is not practicable to lay down
general rules by which the average
person can readily determine whether
or not the electric stroke has been of
a character to produce death in any
case, but it is perfectly safe to say on
the other hand, that the fact of death
should never be assumed in any case
in the absence of competent medical
authority. An instructive incident
was reported a year or two ago as hav-
ing occurred near Montgomery, Ala
bama. A county official, while super
intending work on the public road near
that place, was struck down by a
lightning bolt, was supposed to have
been killed and was carried home and
'laid OUT for burial, but recovered
consciousness seven hours later.
Timely aid, of course, would have has:
tened his recovery, and such aid would
undoubtedly restore to life many per-
sons who are allowed to die for the
want of it.
The authorities on the subject di-
rect and urge that in all cases where
there is room for a doubt-that is,
when the body Of the patient is not
burned or torn by the discharge in a
way plainly to cause death-every ef-
fort should be made to restore ANNA
ton. The condition presented is, in
effect, that of a half-drowned person
or one in a faint. The main object is
to produce respiration by the method
employed in cases Of drowning-the
forced expansion and contraction OF
the chest at regular breathing inter.
walls, and the efforts to that end should
be persisted in for at least two hours.
The sooner work of this kind is begun
the better, of course, and the more
intelligently it is performed the bet
ter. For which reasons it is recon-
mended that object lessons in the
methods to be employed should be
given to the pupils in every schoolfo
their instruction in cases of accidents
by lightning or drowning which may
come under their attention. It is a
wise recommendation when it is CON
sidered that such accidents usually
occur in the absence of doctors, and
that the element Of time is all impor-
tant in the fight for the life of the
suferer.-News and Courier.
Getting Rid of the Chinese.