The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-17
DAMAGE BY LIGHTNING.
The Losses Roll Up Into Sums of Money
That Are Vast.


From the Philadelphia Press.
In 1898 lightning caused a loss of
367 lives in the United States and dam
| aged or destroyed property to the
value of $1,441.SS0. This has caused
the weather bureau to discuss once
more the question of prevention. the
frequency and the. destructive effects
of the lightning flash, but without
much result While the danger from
lightning is reduced to a minimum
in cities, towns and thickly built up
places by reason of the greater oppor-
tunities of harmless discharge of the
electric current, still the increase from
deaths by lightning, so far as statistics
show any results at all, seems to fol-
low the increase of population, il not
in the United States at least in coun-
tries where longer and more elaborate
records have been kept. These deaths,
however, are as a rule distributed in
the agricultural districts, where condi-
tons are more favorable to the fatal
effects of lightning, and the cities con-
tinue to be fairly immune.
In the United States the increase in
the lightning death rate has not been
uniform, but quite irregular. In 1890
there were 100 deaths: in 1891, 2O4; in
1892, PSI; in 1893, 209; in 1894, 1886; in 1895
426; in 1895, BAL; in 1897, 1862, and in
1898, 1861, with an annual mean of about
312. The variations are largely due to
the fact that electric storms vary more
in intensity than frequency, and hence
one year of storms of peculiar violence
even over a limited area may give a
greater death rate and heavier prop
erty losses than another year with
more storms. but of minimum violence.
So far as observations go the greatest
average annual number of thunder
storms in the United States is found in
on oval that includes Florida, with a
record of As a year. The line of 40
thunder storms annually runs up into
Alabama and Georgia, while the line
of 35 takes in Louisiana, Mississippi,
Texas, Arkansas in part and Tennes-
see. The 80 a year line crosses the
United States from North Carolina to
Missouri, curving down into Central
Texas. Pennsylvania is within the %
to 80 region, and there is another ;5
oval in Central Indiana, Illinois. South
eastern Iowa and Northeastern Mis-
souri,.
Whenever the areas of greater fire.
quency are coincident with a dense
agricultural population there the loss
of life will naturally be the heavier.
So far the zones of greatest frequency
in the United States are not coincident
with the zones of densest population,
but as population increases the loss of
life should prove heavier unless pre-
vention in the shape of better lightning
protectors come into play. These of
course are more efiicacious in towns
and cities, where the large number of
points drain off the electricity of the
air gradually. Perhaps with the adj
vance of the science of electricity new
devices will appear that will assure
greater protection, If not for life, at
least for property, in the country. I'm
til then those exposed will have to
make the best of a bad situation, as the
conditions are not Of mans devising,
nor can he change them. 1t should not
be forgotten, however, that the light
ming stroke does not always kill, and
that resuscitation Is possible in many
cases that seem beyond help.