Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1912-10-18
A CURIOUS STORM
Snow Covered Trees Were
Charged With Electricity.
BALLS OF LIGHT ON BRANCHES
Mass of Twisting, Squirming Ribbons
of Light Next Spread Through the
Tree, While the Whole Scene Present
ed a Weird Spectacle.

In the Medicine Bow range, some
fifty miles west of Laramie City.
Wyo., in February. 1873. was one Of
five men employed to develop vein
of silver bearing ore on the east slope
of the Medicine Bow range, in Wyom-
ing, according to Youths Companion.
During the latter part of February
Albert Walters and / were working
the night shift AS we went to work
one night a brisk wind came Off the
range carrying light fall of snow,
and Albert gave warning that before
morning there would be blizzard.
About II o'clock he called nae to the
surface. since the storm had become
SO severe that he could no longer get
to the dump with the rock | sent up
from the shaft. When | came up
was much alarmed by the wind.
Can we make it to the cabin!' L
inquired
"Got to-" was Albert's comforting
reply
When we entered the swale just
above the cabin | fell down. In fall
ing | slid my hand rapidly along my
SnoWShOe pole. and | noticed that
dim light followed it. When | had
got to my feet again | drew my nitten
across my face to dislodge the snow
from my wraps ,hen both wraps and
mttcn began to glow family. Then
NY beard and hair began to snap and
stir, as if each individual hair was
trying to straightcn itself out. 1t was
IA strange and eerie feeling. l knew
we were in Il heavily charged current
of electricity ana FASTENED to overtake
Albert, who had gained some distance
during the delay caused by my fall.
Throughout the swale were scattered
Il few old scraggy trees. and when ]
overlook my companion he was stand
ing braced against the storm, with his
eyes fixed intently on one of these
trees. / raised my eyes and saw one
Of the most amazing Of natural phe.
nomena. From my reading and other
sources Of information, l think it must
NC vi NCiH ltllC NNNul LNAlNN'
Three little rosettes of light, like
stars, were swinging on the tips OF
three of the branches. Quickly more
appeared and in few seconds the tree
was a mass of twisting. squirming rib
bons of light. The grooming OF the tree
trunks, the restless whipping Of their
branches, the snow sWirling in great
sheets through the freezing air and tho
sullen sky that hung gloomilN over the
lonely landscape, made the scene one
of strange and awesome impressive
ness
in few moments we saw that other
trees were similarly illuminated, and we
also observed that the earlier lights h"-
gan to die out, which showed that Che
current was not Of very long duration.
The culrcnt Travelled almost due caSt,
and as near rs we could observe
through the storm, it was confined to
A narrow track When it reached The
grove of timber that surrounded our
cabin the lights in the middle Of this
track were positive and brilliant while
on the edges they were feeble and un-
certain.
1t seemed to take several minutes for
Il tree to become charged to the point
of illumination, but once the conditions
were developed the light Travelled over
the limb tips with great rapidly After
whirIing my snoWshoe pole round my
body Il few times as swiftly as | could
Il faint light followed the outer end.
do not think the current was over
twenty minutes III passing, and from
the way the lights flickered, died out
and reappeared in faint glow, | con-
cluded that the current lost its strength
gradually.