Devils Lake weekly world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1914, 1911-12-29
TOYS OLA STORM.
An Experience on a Mountain Top
4 Alive With Electricity.
MEN eLowED WITH SPARKS.

The Discharge From the Lightning
Laden Cloud Envstopsd the Party
and Turned Il into Sort Of human
Pyrotsohnie Display.
We had spent a week 10 painless
and dense woods. working toward
high mountain In northwestern Mon.
tans. At last we left the pack hor,ses
In care Of the guide. and three Of Us
Get out on foot for the peak We
carried plate camera. provisions.
gan. Ice pick. aneroid barometer for de-
t:,rmining elevation and other neces.
sary articles. For several hours we
climbed over ridges and up ravtnes.
The anal accent was slope of rot.
ten shale. For four and a half hours
we climbed the loose rock. with not
solid bit Of footing. Halfway up the
slOI,e we observed that storm cloud
had gathered southwest Of US. not far
! abOve ridge which we had crtHsed
early in the morning Suddenly bolt
of lightning flashed from the cloud to
the earth. A little later a wreath of
| smoke ascended from the ridge. and
we knew a tire had started from the
lightning.
About half past we reached the
summit. narrow top but few feet
in width. on which was pile Of rocks
shoulder high. government triangu-
lation monument. Before was preci-
pice. at the foot of which was an un-
named and unexplored glacier. Be.
hind was the rotten shale up which
We had scrambled. To the right
narrow ridge. with powders as large
as small house. connected our sum
nit with the one beyond.
Against the eastern face Of this sum
NIT great masses Of snow and ice
formed the head Of the glacier. To
the left was steep. open ridge.
The glacier was furrowed by hun
dreds of chasms. The yellow rocks Of
the neighboring submits were flanked
BY great masses of Ice on the one side
and by tremendous precipices on the
other. Far away the mountains blend
ed with the blue sky. On the crags
were u few mountain goats.
What il that noise7' shouted one
Of the boys suddenly.
What noise? do not hear it."
replied.
"Over at the monument"
II will go and see" -
The monument was not a dozen
steps away. AS | approached it /
sn,elled the pungent odor OF ozone
and instantly l knew We had for
gotten the storm cloud gathering near
us to the south. The summit on which
F, we stood presented to the electric
cloud above sharper point in com
parison with the earth than can be
made on any electric machine. The
exchange of electricity between the
charged cloud and the earth began Mt
the rock monument. which was lit
tie higher than the place where we
stood | may have heard the noise:
do not remember. L smeIled the ozone
aud turned toward my companions
with the cry: I'VE are in an electric
storm: We must run for our lives"'
| In a few seconds the electric dis
charge had increased with wonderful
rapidity. My rife was shooting sparks
from the end OF the barrel. which
were visible in broad daylight. did
not drop the gun: l threw it. My
scalp felt as if each hair was bristle
on end pushing against my hat |
could feel the discharge from fingers.
cheeks. nose and chin. and / was
wearing heavy rubber soled shoes.
which should have assisted in making
me nonconductor. -.,
One Of my companions threw away
his ice pick. as had thrown my gun.
The other. seeing my white face-as
he nfterward told me-was completely
unnerved and knew not what he was
doing or what to do Before was the
cliff Behind was the rock shale. with
no protection. To the right was the
impossible ridge. connecting the sum
mits and blocked with masses. of rock
There was only one way-to the left.
Shall we 70 this way" said ore.
extending his hand In that direction
The extended hand and fingers were
aglow with sparks shooting outward
from the body. and instantly the arm
was jerked hack to the body with a
startled exclamation. Stronger and
stronger grew the charge. 1t seemed
to Oil our bodies and cracked from
every projecting rock.
Half dazed. hooked my arm in the
carrying case of my camera and with
1t dashed down the ridge. followed
closely by my two companions We
crawled under a big rock and. with
our feet agninst the ice and our hacks
against the solid mountain. felt safe.
Thus we remained for perhaps an
hour. Then we began to feel hungry
and in this trying position ate our
luncheon.
We returned to the summit. Fortu-
nately the cloud had passed to the
south Of US. and we had experienced
only the edge of the manifestation of
electricity. Had the cloud been direct.
~ overhead this story would perhaps
never have been written Morton j
Elr0d in Youths Companion
Reasoning It Out.
~ have calculated that | can't lose
much II put my money In electrical