Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-08-10

upon the naked flesh. We read OF cases
where il printed the pictures OF animals
and trees upon the flesh, but more often it
lust leaves unsightly burns. Some people
killed by lightning are horribly burned,
and others are left dead without single
marx upon them. l. Is not unusual for
lightning to fash down and give a man a
haircut and shave. Sometimes it Just
burns the mustache.
/, is recorded, and seems to be well
authenticated, that lightning has been
known to kill men and animals, leaving
them standing or lying in perfectly natu-
mi positions, bat when they were touched
they c.umbled in.o dust; but would have
to see the ashes to believe it. As light
ming varies all the way from gentle leak
age OF the energy from the clouds to the
earth to gigantic fash Of thousands and
thousands OF horsepower, 1t is quite inn
possible to determine whether this could
happen or not. Certain II Is that heavy
bolt would kill SO quickly that the body
would not move unless it was tossed by
the discharge itself.
great many cattle are killed each year
by lightning. This Is because they in
vsriably seek shelter under or near fences
during severe storm. As many as 1000
head OF cattle have been known to be
killed by single flash OF lightning. Ex-
pertinent has also shown that II takes less
current to kill an OK than it does to kill
strong man.
sometimes lightning will strike barn
and kill every other COW standing In the
stable; again 1t will strike a bunch Of
western horses and kill all OF those stand
ing on the outside, leaving those in the
centre without injury. Lightning has
been known to travel long way along a
wire fence and kill cattle.
MORE FREAKS.
During the hot summer months when
fhunderstorms are OF frequent occurrence,
the daily papers are full OF stories about
lightning freaks. l find one where
lightning struck q small shed in which
seven workmen were sleeping on the
hoor, killing every other man. This was
explained by the fact that it killed the
tsllest men because their feet came
nearest to an iron pipe under the floor
near the opposite wall. In another state
lightning is said to have fused q watch
CHAIN in mans vest without doing him
any serious injury.
Perhaps the most common item OF all is
'he story of lightning stripping all the
Clothing of person and leaving the VIC
I'm otherwise unframed. have noticed
number OF trees which were struck by
hshtnins and stripped Of Their bark. This,
~ 'ne case OF trees, is explained by the
Iaet that the lightning followed down the
tree between the wood and the bark,
where the sap is more plentiful and the
tfaVeiing easier. The steam from the
ooiilng sap blows the bark entirely away.
1t Is hardly logical, though quite possible,
70 attribute this reason to cases where the
human body has been thus rudely stripped
OIL Its artificial covering.
IL there is anything more uncertain and
lreasish than the weather it 10 lightning.
me expression that "lightning never
strikes twice in the same place" is far
from being true, and yet it demonstrates
ehe uncertainty and vsciIlating character
oi the phenomena. A house in England
mas already been struck more than three
hundred times. They say that lightning
VIII not strike a beech tree, but 1 have
seen beech tree torn to splinters by
'ishtning. 1t does the unexpected thing
always.
LIGHTNING RODS.
MOI so very many years ago the country
was hghtning-rod crazy. Nearly every
Duiiuing was equipped with lightning rods
as a. suggested by the late Benjamin Frank
i'h' Lightning-rods stuck up from gable
.oois' towers ana chimneys. There is no
question that lightning rods arr good
.ning II lightning does happen to strike
Duiiding, but lightning is so very unlikely
70 strike buildings and lightning-rods are
sueh feeble protection in case it does that
'ne large insurance companies do not