Evening star., 1914-08-09

Some living in extreme terror OF thun-
derstorms ask whether there exists in the
United States any locality not visited by
such disturbances. The Pacific coast has
very few storms and in some 7placcs In
California they are absolutely unknown.
Our zone of greatest danger includes an
irregular area In the east. covering all
the Atlantic coast states and extending
inward as far as eastern Illinois Thun-
derstorns are here more fatal though
less frequent than in the gulf states.
What little movement they have is gen
orally to the eastward and they decrease
as they approach the north. Some years
are almost free from violent electrical
storms, while in others they occur with
considerable frequency. Rarely Is there
an excess of them in all parts of the
country in the same year.
As source of forest fires. lightning
ranks second only to sparks from loco
motives. The same lightning fash may
strike and blast a number OF trees at the
same time. IL a tree is tnfiammable and
rendered very dry by the flash. fire is
quite sure to result In other cases the
dry humus at the base of trees is ignited.
It has been said that the great sequoia
trees OF California are repeatedly struck
by lightning and that although not killed
their tops are stunted in consequence.
The shape of their crowns would seem 10
favor this belief
The effect of lightning on the ground
is almost as remarkable as its effect
upon trees. II may enter the ground
without disturbing 1t or 1t may tear
large holes or melt the surface. The
fusion In sand or earth by action OF
lighting is termed a fulgurite and
often takes the form of an irregular tube
of glass.
While standing under a tree a man
was struck and killed. At the point OF
his walking stick a hole had worked
where the flash had entered the
ground. The soil was blackened for
metal in the ground increases the dan
ger Of stroke. After all. no single
place seems to be absolutely safe from
the heavenly artillery. Fields trees
houses, all come in for their share Of
danger. Skyscrapers are safer places
of refuge than might be imagined. be-
cause the iron used in their structure
goes down into the ground In deep
foundations. Yet >skyscrapers are not
free from danger, Only two years ago
the fagstaffs, of Tammany Hall and the
Flatiron buildings were struck, 'splin-
tered and hurled into the street below.
The old saw which says that light
ming never strikes twice innthe same
place is fallacy. 1t is recorded OF one,
man that he was. struck, six ytimes.i
The first bolt struck him when; he was
a lad of fifteen. while .an was sitting,
in a rowboat with his feet in, the water.
A few years later while walking on a
railroad track a fash hurled him into
the air and left him dangling over a
stone wall. At the age of twenty
three a bolt reduced the church pew In
which he was sitting to splfnters and
tore his trousers into ribbona.. About
Ave years later he was thrown. to the
ground during a storm by bolt which
killed his horse and twisted hts piow
into spiral In 1889 q bolt knocked
him under the dining table and. rem
dered him unconscious. And. finally.
while returning home from town with
a horse laden with provisions he was
stunned while passing under q achest-
nut tree yetrhe lived TO die a,natural
oeaen-a'ee rea pntats-s 1sn .us
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Many other curious stories grow out
of the ravages of rhunderboRs.s 1t 10
said that an English curate- was, praying
that lightning might strike, a brewery.
when. strangely senough,r the wish was
i granted and r,the sbrewery9 .wentsnp in
flames. Its owner sued the, spaArof and
got damages. All br" Jss1Se ssnan
A globe Of fire glided along a field in
France until II touched the feet of a
young peasant. girl. - From her toes ii
rose. and after opening her skirts like
an umbrella ii came out at the neck
: Of her low bodice. As. sfIs fell 10 the
ground two bystanders ran to her as
sistance and found her shocked but un-
injured. except Q slight erosion gpf her
skin where the ball had touchsdi her.
remarkable vagary of lightning il
that which sometimes shaves a person as
clean as q razor, and leaves him unharm-
ed. Usually when hair Is razed In this
manner it never grows again. Sometimes
people are bereft by lightning Or their
senses Of hearing or smell Or are rem
dered mite. 80 4H'HS " "svct7
Morbid fear Of lightning results not
only from the knowledge that II tais an
uncertain foe, but from the increased
barometrfc. pressure preceding a.. gust.
Such atmospheric depressiom are fuel for
morbid fears. Yet according. TO govern
mental statistics lightning, causea fewer
violent deaths than any other agency
known. f7l-:-z~~s gT'+ ss,~- -7t7kt
Copyright, 1914. BY John Ensth wstan.,
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