The Savannah morning news., 1900-06-17
FATALITIES FROM LIGHTNING.

Those timid women who discard cor
sets and hide in closets or beds when the
Hghtnings flash and the thunders roll
may take heart and keep their steels on.
The chances are less than one in ten
thousand that they will be hit by thun-
derbolt. This is official, upon the author
ity of the governments weather bureau
in Washington. During the past several
years the government has had an expert
give special attention to fatalities from
lightning, and according to his figures,
throughout the United States and Cuba
last year there were only 563 such fatali-
ties. among about 65.OOO,OOO people. ones
chances of being struck by lightning,
therefore, are hardly greater than ones
chances of striking the capital prize of a
lottery.
According TO the statistics of Prof.
Henry, the lightning expert. the notion
that lightning is most dangerous where
thunder squalls are most frequent is err
roneous. Only one fatality is set down
for Cuba, where the heat and humidity is
greatest, and where electrical storms are
of frequent occurrence Florida, also, is
the scene of many thunder squalls of con-
siderable violence, nevertheless there
were only three lightning fatalities in
Florida last year. The worst place In
the United States for lightning last year
seems to have been Pennsylvania, where
there were Sc deaths from that cause, fol-
lowed by Illinois with Al deaths. Ohi6
with 3S, Minnesota with "a and New York
90 n.
be of a very pacific and harmless char
acter since 1t did not claim a solitary
victim. Possibly California will shortly
be inserting that item in her health re-
sort advertisements.
Some 45 per cent of last years light
ming deaths occurred in the open, "a per
cent. in houses, II per cent under trees
and per cent. in barns This does not
mean, of course, that 1t is safer to run
10 the barn and hide in the hay during a
thunder Storm. The reason the barn per-
centage is lower than that of the house
is that fewer persons were in barns than
in houses at the time of the lightning
strokes. The wire clothesline and the de-
sire of the thrifty housewife to save her
blamed for as many as twelve deaths by
lightning. Should a string Of clothes on a
wire line happen to get caught in thuu-
derstorm, the safes, thing is TO let them
hang and ride the storm out, or even part
their cable and go adrft. Lightning, it
seems, has a considerable affinity for
wire line full of wet clothes If 1t happens
to be anywhere near the beginnings path
There Isn't any set rule for avoiding
a stroke of lightning. Possibly wearing
a we'll insulated rod and a pair of rub
Der shoes would not absolutely insure i'm
munity though it might lessen the dam
ger However. there are certain precau-
tons which Prof. Henry says might we'll
be taken. Deaths from lightning indoors
generally come while the victims are
standing near chimneys, or open doors
or windows; and out-of-doors while
standing under trees or by wire
fences or live stock. These things
therefore. should be avoided. 1.-THE mid
die OF the ROOM" says Prof. Henry. lis
probably the safest part. In the open
persons should never seek the shelter Of
trees. Wire fences and live stock should
be avoided. If on horseback, II would be
well 90 dismount and wait until the storm
| passes"