The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1910-01-27
LIGHTNING A MYSTERY
This Phenomenon of Nature Is a
Puzzle to Science.
THE THEORY OF THUNDER.

but, as q Matter OF Fact thS on
From the Storm In Its GrratIc Tend
encies Defies the investigator.
In "A general way we understand I'VE
theory of thuuderstOrms. A. d mat
ter Of fact. there is No phenomenon
of nature. but excepting even earth
uuakes, of which we KNOW Su little.
Mlan-madp lightniug-that is. cleo
tricity OF the highest power. which
we can artificially prOduce-will act
according 10 certain known laws IL
will. for instance, iraVel along II con
ductor of metal.
But ii flash of lightning Will ire
uueut leap from IL well defined metal
path ana launch itself through the air
or some adjacent object which IL ih
infinitely poorer conductor.
This may be due TO the almost II:
conceivable force of q flash of light
ming. says il writer i'll Pearson $ Week
~. 1t is estimated that Il Hash OF
lightning IL mile long represents Il
pressure of discharge equal To 3t"m.
000.OO0 vOltS
As such Il flash lasts only about the
thouSaudth part of IL second the ell
ergy diSsipated by the discharge -
equal to 100000 horsepower iui III
other words. If we could t!nd S"tn"
means of saving and using lightning
we should he the richer by ii good
round sum for every flash.
Lightning is. as we KNOW. usually
accompanied by a peal OF thunde
which is louder the nearer the bearer
is to the point of the discharge. nui
this is not an i~nvariable rule. Their"
are cases on record of most deStrur
tive lightning flashes which were un
accompanied by sound
Such Il phenomenon occurred at Brad
ford some years ago. What is de
scribed as "a silent thunderbOlt" fell
in a graveyard destroying Il monu-
ment and smashing TO atoms nearly
seventy glass cases containing wreathS
and flowers.
In the same summer SWanScOmDe
in Kent. WAS terrified by Il freak of
lightning. All of a sudden "a great
mass of blue fire" swept along the
street. and next moment it was seen
( that the fine old parish church. built
nearly 100 years go. had been struck
The building. with all its fine old
carved oak. was soon Il roaring fur
mace. and only IL part of the chancei
was saved.
Scientists are still hopelPSSly at SEA
as TO the cause of that peculiar pine
| nomeuon known as globe lightning. AZ
Coventry some years ago during Il VIC
lent thunderstorm ii passed along Il
street like Il soap bubble built of blue
fire and drifted into Il shed. where it
exploded, blowing the roof off the
place.
At Rheims. in France. Il similar fire
ball came into IL CObbler'S shop
through the open window. The soil
tary occupant of the place sat perfect
ly still. paralyzed with terror. while
| his fearful visitant lowered for sever
al seconds overhead Then il moved
toward the fireplace and presently
passed up the chimney.
Next moment there was an eXpi"
sion like a shell bursting. and the ui-
per part of the chimney came crashing
down.
Not long ago Count G. Hamilton
made a record of q similar freak OF
electricity. He was sitting at dinner
at q house on Lake Wiener. in Sweden,
when just after Il vivid flash of light
ming a brilliant white ball appeared
over the table and after hanging poised
there for some seconds went off with
with a loud bang.
Fortunately it did no harm TO any
one. although it was quite close to
several people. Those who saw it sug'
gested it was like a ball Of cold light,
ming.
In November. 1902, Sydney. Austria
liza. was visited by Il terrific dust
storm, in the midst of which a perfect
rain of electric fl e balls began to fall
These set fire to 4 number of houses
and a most appalling panic set in. A
cry was raised that the end of the
world was at hand. and people rushed
out of their houses into the ink black
dust deep streets.
The most amazing and terrifying
displays of the power of lightning are
seer on mountains. In 1890 a party
was on the top of a mountain in the
Caucasus when a huge violet ball. sur
rounded by vivid rays. struck a rocA
near by and. exploding like a bomb
burst into atoms. One of the party
was badly hurt.