Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-04-23
BALL LIGHTNING.
Rare Phenomenon Described by a
Weather Bureau Observer Who Wit
messed 1t.

Every SchoolhOy has seen pictures of
what is called ball lightning. 1t is a
very phenomenon and no meteorological
pretends to understand it. Prof. Davis
of Harvard says in his Elementary
Meteorology" that discharges of atmos-
pheric electricity occasionally take the
form of globe lightning, having the APP
pearance of luminous balls, seeming to
be foot or so in diameter, moving at
a moderate velocity and passing about
among objects near the ground, re-
naming visible a number of seconds
and commonly disappearing with an
| explosion. No satisfactory explanation
has been offered for this phenomenon;
careful observation should be made of
it," -.-.
Another meterologist calls it a very
rare form of lightning. He says that
q vivid flash, accompanied by a violent
| explosion, seems to project a brilliant
bomb to the earth. Upon striking the
earth the bomb may rebound several
times before it splits up and disappears.
He adds that no satisfactory eXplana-
ton has been given of this singular
form of electrical discharge.
| A short time ago there was a display
| of bail lightning near Cumberland, Md,
and a short account was given of it in
| a local newspaper. The strange vaga-
| ries of ball lightning are so seldom wit
messed that scientific men, have some
times expressed doubt that there is any
such a thing. 1t has as yet been found
very difficult to form a theory about
| it that will cover all it's peculiarities,
particularly as regards shape, color,
, slow and cratic movement and finally
| explosive effects.
! All reports of ball lightning that are
well described are welcomed by mete-
ologists who hope by accommodating ev-
idence to some day, attain better idea
of this curious phenomenon The lat
est experience reported is from the pen
of Robert Seyboth. an observer in the
Weather Bureau, who writes to the
Monthly Weather Review of an expe-
rience with ball lightning when he was
a lad on New Bedford whaling bark
in the northwest corner of Hudson
thav =, " - u So
| About o'clock in the morning, after
a terrible storm of wind and rain the
boy -Mas sent aloft to secure the upper
hold on the foretopsail brace While at
work he saw a thunder cloud appar-
{entlYl only few yards above the miz-
zen truck and a moment later, he saw
a ball of fire. the size of a mans head,
detach itself from the cloud and sail
quite leisurely to the mizzen truck. IL
struck this object and exploded with
a deafanirg crash sending a shower of
kissing sparks over the rigging and
deck.
When the boy regained conscious
ness the right side of his body was par
alyZed. Some of his shiDmates were
engaged in clearing away the wreck
age of the shattered miZzenmast, while
others were sounding the pump to find
whether the bolt had knocked a hole
in The bark's bottom. 1t appeared,
however. that the lightning had found
an easier ESCAPE to the water by way
of the anchor chains, and no further
damage was done to the ship. - a.
All the men standing on deck were
more or less shocked, but none was
rendered insensibe. The third mates
happened to be standing inside a big
coil of the anchor chain along which
the lightning flew, looking like huge
fiery serpent. The mate was swiftly
turned around on his own axis num-
Der of times, looking more like whirl-
ing dervish than grim old tar as the
lightning followed the convolutions OF
the coil. When he had reached his
breath the profanity of the veteran
whaleman was said to have bordered
on the sublime
! At a later time Mr.. Seyboth was in
, charge of the signal service station OF
the summit of Pixies Peak, where he
had ample opportunity to familarize
himself with the many different man
: ifestations of atmospheric electricity
but he has never again witnessed The
, mysterious and weird, phenomenon
known as ball lightning.