Orange County observer., 1897-10-14
And you lived happily ever after
I N uirea, after SO long silence that
CURiOSITiES OF LIGHTNING.
If You See the Flash Never BE Alarmed
Tor nanCcr Has l.onc.

or Danger Has Gone.
There have been numerous deaths
from lightning near New York in the
last wear. saws the New York World
n some instances the electric current
played peculiar pranks, and thus
demonstrated that !. bolt Of lightning
is something beyond the knowledge of
the scientist 1t j. impossible to fore
SEQ the conditions that may prevail
during an electrical disturbance. and
when a bolt Of lightning is OF great in
tensity there IS no telling what 1t may
do.
When Benjamin Franklin determined
the character of lightning and Invented
the lightning rod he made great dis
covery. but since then other inyestiga-
tors have added much to the store Of
knowledge on the subject
The matter Of ofh9Atning rods has re-
ceivc1 great dsal of attention from
scientists in recent years, and mum
Der OF popular fallacies have been ex
ploded. Various mystifying char
acteristics OF lightning have been ex-
plained and other freaks OF electric
current are more or less understood
Some years ago there was an interna-
tional conference on the question Of
+ lightning rods in England, and the re-
port Of that gathering. based on the
/ observation and experience Of the
members. is the most valuable contri-
button to the literature of the subject
ever made.
Whle-it Is generally conceded that
lightning rods offer protection to build
ings, II Is admitted that under certain
conditions the most carefully erected
rods will prove unavailing. There are
lnauyinstances IN which buildings have
been struck hv lightning though pro-
vilei with lightning rods. In most
of these cases the rods were not prop
erlv constr lctei and connected. though
ii other cases the rods We're as nearly
perfect as human ingenuity can. make
them. The lightning that missed them
ana struck the building con lie lih-nci
to the avalanche that Is So powerful as
- weep away all obstacles and 60 on
il vav regardless Of man and his con
structions.
From a repor, izeneI ~ direction Il
tile Secretary Of Agriculture i soesa4
that the average death rate from
lightning in the United States is u
trliie lore than 200 Practically MI
ot the fatalities occur in the months
Of A1ril, May, june. July, August
ana ~eptenlher The MAXIMUM death
rate occurs in June and July. 1here
have been few people killed II No
vclnl,er and December. but fhe
Weather Bureau has no record = q
death FROM lightning IN January -
February.
Tie financial loss from fires eau -
: hv h1}.tninE for eight years average. 4
5 ,rit1e more than s., 500. 600 year
: Lightning has o preference for so.as
eoil- Thus when the soil i ~ q
Z cha.kv formation lightning will stl1k.
= l,ut cue-seyenth as often a. when ths
/ soil ! sand. Clay soil vii b. struck
. fuenty-two times II once II tbe cAalh,
2 formation
. TIE bolt- also have a preference s.
certain trees OAKS are -trIea :eor.
] frequently than alv other tree
9 does 40, seem possible tia. oak 'Tee
I are ~truch laore thai :fty tlia.s = o.
i J,eeea tree. lat the WatAer barea'
/ tr.>- -aae slch = be 'ae ea7e
!. Pine .-c struck about oas-thiri .
( o:.s- ~ oaks
2 T-e iaa1e- r - aea.nlr- Il -t@l
le-- u tn el.v than - '~r Comfy
:aa rat.a beng at-5a' ne 4 .ir~ 4
i !, r5.el eighteen si.4:a@ I-sr + i
ii -.+nl..r Le aa@ h.ile3 Inside