Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1912-05-30

of the johnson killing was that the
bolt came without warning. The
heavens were clouded. but there was
no storm. and. like most golfers, the
unfortunate player was not daunted
by the gloom Of muggy day.
Most wonderful, however, Of all
lightning pranks hereabouts was the
recent attack on miners working 1888
feet underground In the passageways
OF the Hudson river aqueduct tunnel
II the miner isn't immune, what hu-
man creature Is? The reader will be
surprised to learn that lightning casu-
alties in mines, though not frequent,
are not uncommon. The intake of air
from the surface above sometimes acts
as ready conductor, or the current
descends the metal cable by means
of which the elevator cage Is operated.
The horror of the possible stroke is
increased tenfold by the danger of
its touching off the explosives that
are used in blasting.
Down shaft No. Of the great
aqueduct, near Cornwall-on-H Hudson, on
July l. plunged the bolt, first follow
ing the elevator cable, then ripping
its way through steel car at the bot
tom and dividing into two currents,
each of which came rolling and hiss.
Ing down the railway tracks of the
east and west tunnels. respectively.
David Emery and Thomas Brown
stood at the head of the west tunnel
engaged in blasting. Brown had his
back to the shaft and was in the act
OF dropping stick of dynamite into
a hole. The bolt passed him with q
slight shock, made connection
through his feet with a fuse wire in
his hand and exploded the stick Of
dynamite. A vast mass Of rock was
turned up by the impromptu blast and
bots men were hurled great distances,
sustaining terrible injuries. The mar
vel of It all was that they weren't in
stantly killed by this extraordinary
coming together Of unclaimed light.
ming and high power explosive.
Franks and Tragedies.
OF pranks and tragedies along cleo.
trio wires and to power houses, troll.
Icy care and linemen q volume could
be written.
Lightning pays attentions to man.
kind In q more delicate fashion than
this. It has playfully snatched q whip
from q riders hands. made on with
the Knitting needles of two gossiping
women who were sitting knitting. and,
selxing the pitchfork from the shout
der Of farm laborer, carried It OF
nifty yn0ds or thereabouts and twisted
the into corkscrew. It has
torn music from the hands of q
sing 3outh and destroyed It. and
has H1ted a candle and a gas Jet.
II hes eorght up the scissors from the
hand q y girl seated at a sewing ma.
chine and whisked them OF, while
It lifted her bodily upon the machine,
where she found herself when she re-
covered from her experience. It has
melting earrings without killing the
wearer.
Lightning performs queer pranks in
its journeying toward the earth. The
gliding Of picture frames Is often care
fully removed by the lightning to q
distance and applied to objects never
intended to receive this style OF dec
Grafton. 1t is reported that the gild-
ing of an altar ornament In French
church was removed and placed on
silver vase. On another occasion
lightning came down the chimney Of
a house In which dance was being
held. Ii entered the room where the
dancers were plotting out fear Of the
storm outside and deposited upon them
all coat of the SCOT 1t had brought
down the chimney. 1t did no other
harm.
The English cottage pictured above
affords good example OF the ex-
plosion which follows when lightning
penetrates closed rooms. The down.
ward flash entered through the chin.
ney and roof and then the explosion
blew out the glass of the windows
and the center woodwork Of the door.
The sturdy oak was blown asunder by
the explosion caused by the fash
igniting the gases which its own in.
tense heat engendered when passing
through the tree. The tree was
strong British oak. three feet in di-
ameter. yet was rent oomplstsly
asunAer