The Colfax chronicle., 1903-11-21
LIGHTNING PHOTOGRAPHS.
The Electric Fluid Is n Wonderful
Operator When Suitable
Negative Offers.

During a thunderstorm recently q
number OF SxiSs marksmen were
struck by lightning while practising at
the rife butts. 1t was subsequently
found that upon their bodies were i'm
printed Photographic impressions OF
the trees by which the range is sur
rounded. The report of the affair has
been received with incredulity In some
OF the London papers. Tho skepticism
is more surprising than the occurrence,
says st. James Gazette. For at least
century and a quarter the photo
grapic powers of lightning have been
known to the scientist. The records
of the Royal society abound with data
eupon the point Benjamin Franklin
noted an instance in 1866, in which the
effect of what he enormously described
as thunderbolt was a photograph
upon the breast of a man the likeness
OF a tree against which he was stand
ing. A New York scientific Journal
noted case of a little girl upon whose
body was impressed the exact image of
a young maple tree growing before the
window at which she stood when
struck by lightning. ~
Modern ingenuity has done a great
deal in photography. and by the aid Of
wonderfully rapid shutters, has given
us from time to time very good photo
graphs of lightning flash. But the
man Is not yet born who can make a
shutter fast enough to catch the real,
full thing. Seen at night, flash of
lightning appears little more powerful
as an illuminant than moonlight AS a
matter OF fact, the duration of one of
these flashes is so brief that 1000, 900
OF them in succession could be crowded
into the space of a single second II
one flash could last but a tenth of a
second it would give. near objects an
illumination 100000 times more bril-
liant than that of moonlight The most
rapidly rotating bodies known to
science appear absolutely stationary
when lit up by it. The brillancy of a
fire-ball is incomparably less vivid than
that of flash of lightning, being,
roughly, no brighter than red-hot iron.
With its intense luminosity and al
most immeasurable rapidity, it Is not
surprising that the lightning should
prove wonderful photographer when
suitable negative offers.
A series of unauthenticated instances
Of photography by lightning was COM
municated to the Royal society by
Prof. Andres Poey, one-tiEle director
of the Havana observatory. Among
his instances were several very nota-
BILE ones. A tree in which was a boy
in the act OF robbing birds nest, was
struck by lightning. Upon the breast
of the boy appeared the image OF
branches of the tree, with the nest
lodged in them, and the yourg birds in
the nest Upon the back of sailor
struck dead by lightning appeared a
| photograph of a horseshoe fastened tc
the foremast against which he had
been standing. Another mariner had
left upon his chest the inscription
IA" just as 1t appeared upon one oi
the masts. Again. young man. struck
when wearing a belt in which he had
concealed quantity of coins, carried
to his grave the Photographic impres.
sion of those coins. More remarkable
still was the case of a lady upon whose
leg was imprinted the impression of q
flower which happened to be in ths
path of the electric current. and wa:
photographed through brick wall.