The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-09-26
LIGHTNING's
loss of Life Create Than Is Com
monty Suppoaed.

monty supposed.
In this country we have no means of
iscertaining precisely what Is the
mount of mischief done by lightning,
lays the London Chronicle. In France
md Germany statistics on the subject
ire Systematically tabulated by the
government every year. If complete
statistics were accessible there can be
annual loss of life and property is far
greater than is commonly supposed. In
one respect the damage Is often greater
than it 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 a com
petent authority that besides other
mischief not less than 600 animals of
killed by lightning, most of them being
sheep and cattle in the field. In all
such casualties it is usual to regard
the as unfit for human food,
and they are ordinarily buried.
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
In which the newspapers have not re-
corded the destruction of sheep and
cattle.
But, besides the killing of sheep and
cattle. there have been several disas-
tiers fatal to human life, to say moth
ing of a great deal Of mischief to prop
erty of various kinds. Here, again.
the mischief is often quite easily avoid
able. 1t is, Of course. very well known
that a good lightning conductor prop
erly fixed is an absolute reliable safe
guard against all injury; but a fact
which is not SO we'll 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 a source of peril in
times Of thunderstorm, though from
accidents which every 10Y and again
occur it would seem that there is still
a great amount Of ignorance on the
subject. Only a few days ago a light
ming fash struck a poplar tree neal
Winchester and killed a man who had
taken shelter at the foot Of ii, nc
doubt in ignorance of his danger. Such
fatalities are exceedingly common, and
1t has not infrequeltly occurred that
cottages and other buildings have beer
struck by lightning in consequence OF
the vicinity of some tall tree.
The casualties to animals are otter
due to the fact that with the com
mencement of q thunder shower they
are apt to gather for shelter be
meath the branches of some isolated
tree. The explanation of the mischief
Is very well known. A tree is a con
ductor Of lightning, but not a very goo6
one. In the absence of a better chan
mel the lightning will fash through it
but there is always a chance of 1t.
glancing aside TO any medium that af
fords a reader passage. Now, the body
of a nan or an animal constitutes
much better conductor than a tree does
and, consequently, the electricity
whenever 1t has an opportunity OF doing
so will leave the tree and fash through
the animal body. The same thing viii
often occur whez the lightning, pass
ing downward through the tree, reache:
a point mt which a reader passage /:
presented by some adjacent building
The full volley is DETECTED from the
tree into the building.
1t has been suggested that in al
such cases IL a metal rod were carried
from the earth for a short distance uI
the tree there would be no such defiec
ton. Tie metal conductor would af
ford a reader passage than the body
Of a man or the material Of a house
and the tree. which otherwise Is 9
source OF danger, would become an alb
solute protection. even to persons OF
animals sheltering beneath it. o.
course nobody would suggest that al
trees should be thus dealt with but II
often happens that from its special
position a tree during a thunder storm
is not only a source of some peril, buI
is the occasion of much uneasiness ant
anxiety.
According to the Lightning Rod Con
ference appointed a few years ago by
the Meteorological Society of Londor
to inquire into the subject and reporf
On the best form Of the thing, there Il
nothing much better than a solid iror
rod.