Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1904-10-06
FORCE OF LIGHTNING
soME OF The FsATs PERFORMED
az the MYSTIC eluao.
The Way Great :i..,s CT ship. Have
Been >hattered-Hhena Rols Strikes
4 Tree 1t Generates S,eaz.. From the
sap and ExpI..des ,ae Bark

4 Tree 1t Generates Steam From the
sap and ExpI..des ,ae Bark.
TIE eznicsire force 81 Lightning act
Ing g, des.l woo<i Is :s1. Is / -.le. So
-Tes,I IS when living ms a-.- sssues.
though Sir William Harris Shows that
the a:as,s Of SHIPS :. tie Inc. thrse
.ess il diameter 8a. 80 feet long.
bound With hoops OF iron half IN inch
ia:c:. anu ere Inches wide. TIE whole
weighing ;.bou1 e.c,.e-sa .oas. have
bes:! il many distances ~. >.sunl;e-
I'll. the hoops Of !-oa scattered sshoI;.
lie lie,css. i, Wi. be found. IS Z rue
shs.s c-ees are >t-Ucs b.. i-.,.:s:as f2-
more oite-. than a-e b. .ia-s. even
i the trees and buildings :.::-,- close TO-
gether. This is partly because tie
trees ara higher.
But there must PROBABLY * some un-
known reason aos oal:- Tor the ire
Guency with which trees are struck.
but for the recurrence OF such shocks
il the CASE Of particular trees c. tres
il the same locality The co,n,nontSt
form Of injury IS that ;he current
passes down the bark CT the tree. strip
ping OF the band. wider OF narrower.
from top to bottom. Sometimes Ga N
oak two OF three c. these lightning
marks are seen. evidently caused at
different times.
There must be something in the form
or situation or earth below the trees
which endangers il. An instance is
quoted in Mr.. Anderson's descriptive
book of the Church Of St Mary in
Genoa. which was frequently struck
by lightning. sometimes as often as
twice year. 1t was noticed that the
electric force always followed the same
track 1t was discovered later that
the walls We're cla;Gped with iron. aud
that the lightning had followed the
patch in which the metal offered the
greatest continuity. destroying the zone
between.
II the ground below the tree or build
ing is hard and dry. the contact with
the earth. in which the lightning ea-
pands its force and dispe.ses. is diff
cult. and the destruction q! the object
struck is likely to result. This may
explain the frequency with which
blasted tree is seen extending its
dead arms on the summit OF some rocky
cliff or peak. The ground below j, is
dry and does not easily lead away the
current into the earth.
At the same tine rhunderclouds un-
doubrs-Giy tend 10 discharge. or perhaps
it wo.ld b.. safer to say that the trans
mission, from, the cloud 10 the earth
more frequently taxes place. near
pieces Of water and loa. the courses
OF rivers si.;.:l elsewhere.
In i park il one o: tie eastern coun-
ties of England there IS q large lake
TIE parl: confirms :.lo..- trees struck ny
lightning Tn! .:e ..-iiole u .l.y. .es: #
the ,-s-;.-e Some u..!.ss ..,."-:.::. X road
called !ec;.:l:, ~ II II M ro;i /
from Gle i:...."o...! w = .,.i a~,.:
dents ..a:. ece;.ra-! i.o-- ..-- -
trees. Horses e=.,..e y is:.ss4..l..,~s. l.:
this park there .,-..aiiE n,.e.,i-::. Y, il,
stance Of tie explosive .-t,-s.: - ~e..
tain circumstances no. !le:F"G-sly silo:vu.
\ very tall spruce. probably i'JJ fee:
high. vas 'espioJed" from Top 10 bot
tom into pieces tie SIZE of the wood
used in making chairs. Every Sired OF
barr was stripped from them, ard the
wood looked as if it had been shredded
up for firing. \ similar instance &C.
CURED some years ago when an oah in
the grove below the foot OF tie White
lodge IN Richmond park exploded IN
1sry;lY IL a 80
and simply disappeared in small patch
es. and the rest Of the tree was sh3t-
tered into white fragments.
In these cases it is probable that the
current sets up such a tremendous heat
that all the sap in the tree is converted
into superheated steam. which ex-
plodes. The greater the heat the more of
the cells in which moisture lies are ex-
p!oded and the greater tie destruction
Of the tissues Of the tree. AS there is
most moisture between the bark and
the trunk the first and greatest exp!o-
sion takes place there. instantly driy-
ing the bark away into space. Ere
quent!y the explosion only takes place
at that point.
AS Sir Hiram Maxim pointed out
after the great explosion of Mont
Pelee. very similar method is now
used by the American manufacturers
Of wood pulp. The logs Of fir are
placed in a strong chamber, and there
subjected to the action Of superheated
steam until the water in every cell is
converted into explosive gas The
chamber is then opened and the log
ezplodes. converting itself into wood
powder.-Iondon Spectator