The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-08-10
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AN ODD ELECTIC STORM =


In the Medicine Bow range, some
fifty miles west Of Laramie City,
Wyo., in February. 1878, I was one
of five men employed to develop a
vein of silver-bearing ore.
During the latter part Of February
Albert Walters and / were working
the night shift. AS we went to work
one night 81 brisk wind came off the
range. carrying a light fall Of snow.
and Albert gave warning hat before
morning there would be a blizzard.
About II o'clock he called me to the
surface. since the storm had become
get to h dump with the rock I sent
up from the shaft. When 1 came
UP I was much alarmed by the wind.
Can we make it to the cabin" I
inquired.
Got to-" was Albert's comforting
reply.
When we entered the swale Just
above the cabin I fell down. In fall
Ing, 1 slid my hand rapidly along
my snowshoe pole. and I noticed that
a dim light followed it. When 1 had
got upon my feet again. I drew my
mitten across my face to dislodge the
snow from my wraps, when both
wraps and mitten began to glow
family. Then my beard and hair be-
gan to snap and stir. as II each in
diVidual hair was trying to straight
en- itself out. 1t was a TRANCE and
eery feeling. I knew we were in a
heavily charged current of electric
ity. and fastened to overtake Albert.
who had gained some distance dur.
Ing the delay caused by my fall.
Throughout the swale were scat
tered a few old scraggy trees. and
l uphan I ny,oPt0nL 49, "
was standing braced against the
storms. with his eyes fixed intently
on one of these trees. I raised my
\ eyes and saw one of thu most amaz-
Ing of natural phenomena. From
my reading and other sources of in
formation, l think it must be of very
rare occurrence.
Three little rosettes Of light, like
stars. were swinging on the tips Of
three of the branches. Quickly more
appeared and in a few seconds the
tree was a mass of twisting, sauirm-
ing ribbons of light. The
OF the tree trunks. the restless whip
ping of their branches, the snow
swirling In great sheets through the
freezing air and the sullen sl<y that
hung gloomily over the lonely n
scape. made the scene one Of strange
and awesome impressiveness.
IN a IeW moments We saw that 9th.
e rtrees were similarly Illuminated.
and we also observed that the earlier
lights began to die out, which show.
ed that the current was not OF very
long duration. The current travelled
almost due east. and as near as we
could observe through the storm. Il
was confined to a narrow track. When
1t reached the grove of timber that
surrounded our cabin the lights in
the middle of this track were posi-
tive and brilliant. while on the edges
they were feeble and uncertain.
1t seemed to take several minutes
for a tree to become charged to the
point of illumination, but once tho
conditions were developed the light
travelled over the limb tips with great
rapidly. After whirlins nv snow
shoe pole round my body a few times
as swiftly as l could a faint light fol-
lowed the outer end. 1 do not think
the current was over twenty minutes
In passing. and from the vay the
lights fickered. died out and reap
peared in a faint glow, I concluded
that the current lost its strength
gradually.