New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-06
LIGHTNING SEEKS OUT ITS VICTIM
IN THE BOWELS OF THE EARTH.

by the danger of it's touching off the ex-
/ plosives that are used in blasting
| Down Shaft No. OF the great aqueduct
near Cornwall-on Hudson. on July q,
| plunged the bolt. first following the Gle
vator cable then ripping its way through
| \ steel car at the bottom and Ovid
! ing into two currents, each Of which came
rolling and Kissing down the railway
| tracks Of the cast and west tunnels, re-
( spectiyey
| David Emery and Thomas Brown stood
at the head of the west tunnel engaged in
! blasting. Brown had his back 10 tho shaft
and was i'm the act of dropping "A stick of
dynamite into hole. The bolt passed
him with q sligh shock, made a connection
through his fec with fuse wire in his
! hand and exploded the stick of dynamite.
! 4 vast mass OF rock was torn M by the
| impromptu blast and both mon were hurled
great distances, sustaining terrible injuries.
The marvel of all was that they weren {
fl stantIy killed by this extraordinary com
ing together # unclaimed lightning and
high power explosive.
| The other haf Of the current, that went
careering alont tho east passagewav Of
| the tunnel. gav' even less account Of itself
! II shocked twenty-five men likewise pre-
pairing for dynamite blasts. but strange 70
| say touched nole Of the explosives and loft
ns badly frightned victims practically IN
harmed
OF pranks sld tragedies along electric
wires and 10 ppperhouses. trolley cars and
| linemen volume could he written. Lucky
we're the passengers If q Bronx car 4 few
weeks a. go who escaped with comparstively
light shocks thunderbOlt charge that
came down tplley wire The temporary
shutting down # electrical power during
severe storms SENS an imperative precau-
ton. TO the dagger Of flashes from above
f. added the rser peril Of earth shocks,
Instances where he earth discharges q bolt
into the heavens
| Overhead, noninsulated wiring in both
cases makes the path Of the current easy.
For example IL may 20 right through =
! trolley car and following tho rails or feed
wires. blow out ne fuses in q distant power
| station II has Tiled lneman fifty miles
away from It's origin; it has travelled
along the electrical signal wires into
railway box and instantly killed the oper-
ator working thee.
About all that he scientists have learned
! regarding uBUlHHb IN NiIdi IL ~ 'i''tiI'llJ,
| chewing the laws OF that element and that
| there are three kinds. ball. zigzag and
sheet The hrt OF these Is especially
| mysufying ia is actions. A small globe
| Of brilliant ligh, 1t moves slowly through
the air a short distance above the ground,
or even rolls aloig the ground itself. disap
bearing with anexplosion. Many instances
of the remarkable freakishness OF ball
lightning have ,een reported.
| In n volume the Association FRANCHISE
Il told the stOy Of nrebal which de-
| scended in the commune of Beugnon, and
was startling the peculiarities Of its
actions. Two Children, one twelve and the
other thirteen, mad taken refuge from the
rain within tn doorway OF a stable In
which were twenty-five oxen A courtyard
| extending BEIGE and sloping toward a |
| large pond tWnty or thirty yards away |
from the door, beside which stood a pop |
lar, permitted he children peering out TO |
watch the vaaries OF the lightning A
| globe OF fire liz size OF an apple suddenly |
appeared near the top OF the poplar. II |
descended brarh by branch and then fol |
lowed the truN TO the ground. II moved |
along the cour yard. very slowly. seeming
| almost 10 picl It's way among the pools |
| of water. and anne up 10 the door where
the children sood. One Of them, kicked |