Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1912-09-20
CAUSE Of TERROR
vagaries About Lightning With
out Reason.
Although Il Causes Fewer Violent
Deaths Than Any Other Foe Of
American, Il 10 Feared Most
by Many.

mostly mOrDlQ. II you dIS opoSe~o~
with such q fear, Uncle Sans stats
ticians can comfort you with the an
surance that the average citizen o.
the United States Is ten times more
likely to be murdered than to be
killed by . thunderbolt; eleven time.
more likely to be shot dead. through
malice or accident: twelve times more
likely to die Of heat or sunstroks
twenty-eight times more likely to de
of burns or scalds. thirty-four times
more likely to be drowned. Only
about ZIG people In our land are an
nually put to death by Joves nerJ
darts. OF course the death rate from
this cause varies from year to year
It was above the average in 1909, and
even heavier In 1906. Some astron
omers believe that the severity Of
thunderstorms 10 increased by SUI
spots. others that 1t varies with the
phases Of the moon, but meteorolo
gists generally deny these theories.
They agree that your danger from
the celestial artillery depends princi
pally upon the locality in which you
live, and your shelter at the time Of
the storm. The weather bureau, oS
careful observation and tabulation
discovers our zone Of greatest danger
from lightning to include an irregular
area of the east, covering all the At;
lantic coast states from Massacku
sets to Virginia, inclusive, and bit
ing inland until it takes in southern
Vermont, Pennsylvania, West Vir'
ginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and
eastern Illinois. Thunderstorms
therein are more fatal though less fire.
quent than in the Gulf states. II you
wish to escape thunderstorms almost
entirely. pitch your tent upon the Pa
cific slope. where such storms are
practically unknown. Or, II required
to dwell within the danger zone, Sc
lect for your castle house In the
midst Of a city block with continuous
tin roofs connected to well anchored
waterspouts.
The fact that lightning annually
strikes four times az many people OF
outdoor occupations as people In gen
eral emphasizes the wisdom Of keep
ing indoors during such disturbances
But II caught in the open bear In
mind that you are far safer In the
dense heart Of wood than at Its
outskirts, and that the shelter OF q
single tree Is particularly treacher
Gus, especially If near the edge OF
body Of water, even a ditch. But II
you must be near tree. seek the
companionship Of the beech, which IL
struck least often Of all, and avoid
particularly the oak, which attracts
lightning more than any other.
The oak is hit fifty-seven, the fl
thirty-nine and the pine Ave times al
often as the beech. Avoid above al
else a tree or other shelter where
under a group Of men or beasts are
huddled together. While in the shad
ow of the thundefhead, monarch Of
all clouds, be exclusive. The weather
bureau also warns you against door
ways, particularly Of barns and
stables; also a house connected with
a metallic clothes line.
While successful In tabulating the
destructive and fatal effects Of light
ming and. by deduction. formulating
such common-sense rules as the
above. our weather bureau, in com
mon with other great meteorological
institutions, finds the force behind the
fiery cannon balls and projectfles o.
Jupiter Pluvius too Elusive and vaga
rious to be reduced to law. Fol
years the bureau has been cleaning
from all parts Of the world reports
describing the eccentricities Of thi'
awe-inspiring phenomenon, Of which
Tlammarion has said:
1T ia like an elementary spirit, &c
centric or rational, clever or silly, far
seeing or blind, headstrong or indif
ferent. passing from one extreme t.
the other. 1t wriggles through space
1t moves among men with surprising
agility. appearing and disappearin,
like lightning"
But the most weird of all lightning
pranks on record is that of killing {
man and leaving him standing erect
as in life. Such a phenomenon wal
lately reported by a Canadian OBJ
server, G. Baillarge, who near Beau
mont saw a man struck by a thunder
bolt while walking in a field. Al
though dead, he remained motionless
standing with one foot In front Of thu
other in the attitude Of taking step
PRESIDENT FOR A DAY.