Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-10-15
NO. S3.
LIGHTNING
Loss Of Life Due to Tits Peculiar
vauaries.

, the fear-go on to the next column
, without delay; otherwise, when the
next thunderstorm comes your way
much more frequently thunderstorms
come your way than the way Of him
or her who is Indifferent to them-the
very next time the sky turns black,
and then a ghastly greenish blue, and
the cloud curtain is rent by zigzag
flashes and the earth trembles with
the crash, why then you will recall
what is printed here and your fear will
be magnified.
An English writer in the London
Chronicle declared recently after care
full investigation r.at the loss Of life
caused by lightning is much greater
than is commonly supposed. He
states:
In this country We have no means Of
ascertaining precisely what is the
amount Of mischief done by lightning.
In France and Germany statistics on
the subject are systematically tabula-
ted by the government every year. II
complete statistics were accessible
there can be little doubt they would
show that the annual loss of life and
property is far greater than is COM
monty supposed. In one respect the
damage is often greater than 1t need
be, even apart from any consideration
of lightning conductors.
During five or six days in the sum-
mer Of 1884 it was estimated by COM
petent authority that besides other
mischief not less than 600 animals Of
one sort or another in England were
killed by lightning, most of them being
sheep and cattle In the field.
This summer has been especially dis
astrous. In various parts Of the coun-
try thunderstorms have been frequent,
and scarcely a week has passed Of late
I'M which the newspapers have not re-
corded the destruction Of sheep and
cattle.
But beside the killing Of sheep and
cattle there have been several disas-
ters fatal to human life, to say nothing
/ OI u great uCdl VI LiioCulCL W PAoPOAhy
of various kinds. Here again the mis-
chief Is often quite easily avoidable. 1t
is, Of course, very well known that
good lightning conductor properly fx-
ed is an absolutely reliable safeguard
against all injury; but fact which is
not so well known is that an efficient
lightning conductor might often be set
up at the cost of a few shillings by
taking advantage of the conducting
power of trees.
Everybody should be aware by this
time that trees are source Of peril In
times Of thunderstorm, though from ac-
cidents which every now and again oc-
cur It would seem that there is still
great amount Of ignorance on the sub
ject. Only a few days ago lightning
flash struck poplar tree near Win
chester and killed 4 man who had TAX
en- shelter at the foot Of II, no doubt in
Ignorance Of his danger. Such fatali-
ties are exceedingly common, and 1t
has not infrequently occurred that cot
tages and other buildings have been
struck by lightning in consequence OF
the vicinity Of tail trees.
During a thunderstorm a remarka-
BILE incident happened at house near
Deal, the lightning imprinting a per-
feet photograph Of a flower vase on
mirror before which 1t stood.
Coming back to this country, some un-
usual stories Of freak lightning strokes
have been reported this summer. In
Atlanta, Ca, recently lightning struck
the Presbyterian hospital and also the
operating room, interrupting surgical
operation and badly shocking and
frightening the physicians.
No one was injured, but all the ply
sicians and the attaches Of the hospital
were shocked and frightened.
The lightning struck the corner OF
the building on the fourth floor, the
room of DR.. Eskridge, the house sur
geon. The same fash struck an elec-
trio wire in the operating room while
Drs. Barnett and Eskridge were per-
forming an operation on a patient.
There was tremendous crash, blind
ing flash and both doctors were hurl-
ed backward, the surgical instruments
being knocked violently from their
hands.
The patient, who was under the In
fiuence of anesthetics, was undisturb-
ed and uninjured by the shock. After
calm had been restored the operation
was resumed.
Lightning near Barnard, Kan, show
ed a clear case Of discrimination not
long ago. It first shattered an oak
post, then skipped one Of hedge, took
the next two, which were Of oak, skip
ped another hedge post, shattered the
next two Of oak, skipped one Of hedge,
took three more of oak, skipped the
next one Of hedge, splintered the next
one of oak and the next one being a
corner post and of hedge the lightning
grounded there. The oak posts were
all shattered to pieces, splinters flying
in all directions while the hedge posts
were not even marked. The fence wire
was melted in several places.
| lHt Olu lucOly liidl liShbhih6 hS'Sh
strikes twice in the same place has
been shattered before now, but this in
stance, reported from Augusta, Ga, is
unique in that the second bolt went far
toward checking the damage done by
the first The first flash set fire to the
cotton in the card rooms Of the Angus
ia cotton factory. This was followed
by another stroke which turned on the
automatic sprinkler system, quickly ex-
tinguishing the fire by flooding all
parts Of the building.
| AS for advice on how to escape pos
sible electrocution, why, to reprint the
half Of it would fill a page Don't sit
in draft Of wind" and Don't sit In
an open window" and Don't stand
under tree" and so on without end.
Without doubt the simplest and best
advice is Don't worry" or go to San
Francisco or some other place where
lightning storms are practically un-