Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-23
FREAKS OF LIGHTNING
Disasters Therefrom Are Not
Very Frequent.
SOME FEW INCIDENTS
A FEMALE AJAX IN GOVERN
MENT SERVICE.
Courage and Timidity During Thunder
Storms About Equally Divided
Between the Sexes.
SOME FEW INCIDENTS

"Calamties. such as recently occurred at
| the bathing beach in this city, are not com
| mon occurrences" said well-posted me-
| teorologist to a representative Of The Even
| ing Star a day or two ago.
ION the contrary 1t Is very unusual that
the electric fluid causes such happenings.
Considering that every summer is marked
by more or less Of just such atmospheric
disturbances the comparative infrequency
of fatal consequences attending them Is
| deserving Of mention.
Such an assertion coming from the lips
of a man who has made thunder storms
and their outcome something of study
| may have the effect of calming the trepida-
tons of many persons who at the first re-
verberations Of thunder in a black sky,
begin Immediately to seek out a place
somewhere that will afford them sure shell
ter from any possible danger. Some folk
are under the impression that women are
more timtd than men when the artillery OF
the heavens begins to roar and the light
ming zigzigs all over the skies, but the
probabilities are that the fears as we'll as
| the fearlessness are about equally divided.
Some women are exceptionally brave in
the midst of a general war among the ele
ments. There Is one young woman en-
ployed in a government office located to
| the eastward Of the White House, who Is
fairest of the many fair daughters of
Mississippi and her conduct when Just
| such storm as caused the hapless
events at the ill-starred bathing beach
is progressing Is a source of wonder
ment and uneasiness as we'll to her
many friends. She is, on such occasions,
more than apt to seize upon such coigne
of vantage as an open window, a porch or
some other favorable point from where she
can survey a storm in all it's sublimity To
her the loud thunder and constant flashes
of lightning have In them something Of the
ma jesuc music of Wagnerian opera, 1t
appeals to the lovers of that great artists
stately works.
Another Instance.
On the other hand there is another wo-
man residing in the northern section of the
city who upon the first mutterings Of Ju-
piter Tonans, as they are sounded over the
southwestern hills. calls her brood of girls
about her-and some of these are advanced
to the estate of womanhood-and all to-
gether they darken up a room and crowd
themselves under feather bed, which is
kept as refuge when storms are near. not
unlike the fashion OF the westerner's cy-
clone cellar, into which he dives when the
funnel-shaped cloud makes It's appearance
In the sky.
Lightning is freakish in all it's actions"
said the meteorologist with whom The Star
reporter was converSinG.
He told of an acquaintance OF his who
was up in a balloon when a thunder storm
gathered and, though the flashes of cleo
tricity cavorted all about him. they seemed
| to have respect for the sphere carrying his
car and never touched 1t. jewellers on
mountain tops have seen lightning playing
about their heads half the time. but 1t Is
rarely that they are scorched.
Many curious FRANKS of this crotchety
element are related in an interesting vol
ume written by A. H. Godbey, concerning
disasters and horrors in the worlds history.
Among these related curious cfrcum-
stances that happened. some of them CEN
turtles ago. but which have great interest
even unto the present day.
The theater at Mantua struck by
lightning on March 20. 1854. Two persons
only were killed. but many who were not
hurt in any degree found that the bolt had
melted their watchkeys and earrings and
split the diamonds that they wore. Some
where in France. In 1855. a lightning bolt
descended upon a flock OF sheep, killing
seventy eight Of them. as we'll as two dogs,
while an aged woman. the shepherdess, was
not even stunned
Another Whimsical Event.
Another whimsical event was the descent
of an electrical bolt into the refectory OF an
abbey in Tours. wherein there were hun
dred and fifty monks enjoying their supper.
Not one was hurt and the only damage
done was the upsetting Of $50 bottles of
wine. one bottle to each monk. Whether 1t
was sort of supernatural temperance les
son or not goes unrecOrded.
An incident IS reported wherein a man
was sitting under tree feeding a dog,
when a sudden shock killed both the man
and the dog. The mans hand was left ex-
tended with the bread intact upon it, and
the dog sitting as he had been with an ex-
pectant air upon him.
Instances are noted where men have es-
capped unframed when struck by lightning.
while the hobnails in their boots were melt
ed. Many times the Impressions Of leaves
whole trees and even houses have been left
upon persons. whereas the persons them
selves received not the slightest harm.
In Brazil. little more than century
ago, the lightning struck thrty-seven times
within the city and killed nineteen persons
One of the most disastrous occurrences
ever caused by lightning is mentioned by
Mr.. Cooley and this happened in August
1863. when the powder vault in the tower
Of ST. Nazaire at Brescia struck. At
that time, though lightning was the imme-
date cause. the explosion Of powder a
secondary event killed three thousand peo-
pie. while $3,OOO.OO0 worth Of property was
DESTROYED.
There is always good effect from
lightning 1t purif1es the atmosphere.