South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-11-18
BROWN MOUNTAIN
LIGHT Is COMING
INTO ITS OWN
Blue Ridge Spot FavOrite
Haunt, Geographical Re
port Declares.


professors and business men who
sought surcease from their sorrows
IN the mountainous regions OF west
ern North Carolina have during the
past few summers given up some OF
their much-needed hours OF sleep 20
chase what most OK them believed
% be nothing more than a phantom
or the witch fires OF some maker
OF mountain dew. but the Brown
Mountain Light f. now coming into
It's own as an accredited electrical
phenomenon" says a bulletin OF the
National Geographic Society, issued
from It's Washington headquarters.
Brown Mountain lies II miles
from Blowing Rock In the Blue
Ridge mountains in the western part
OF the state and, though plainly Wis
ible from the resort, rs in an unin-
habited and sparsely wooded section.
Suddenly and without warning
light sometimes blazes out on the
crest Of the mountain. slowly moves
down its side and then fades out,
sometimes il seems TO rise from the
top OF the mountain and hang sus-
pended in the air. where II fades.
Wrath OF Infinite Variety.
1T has as many whims and moods
as temperamentaI artist. some
times appearing several times dur
ms one night now stationary, now
slow, again swift in It's flight. and
sometimes it cannot be seen for a
comparatively long period Of time,
when tie sky is clearing after
rain. Those who have studied il
IN all its guises say that il often Is
not unlike the star from a burst
ing sky-rOcket. though much bright
er. and that 1t is sometimes red ana
sometimes yellow. due probably 70
the condition Of the atmosphere
Scientists were at first prone to
cavil at the stories which came out
OF the mountains with the tourists,
thinking perhaps that locomotive
headlights or willy mountaineers
were playing tricks on active imagi-
nations. but today DR. w. ]. Humph-
reys, physicist Of the United States
weather bureau, and other meteor
ologists OF note believe that there
occurs around the mountains crest
a brush discharge Of lightning,
similar TO the famous Andes light
ming or the st. ElmO's fire. which
gave rise among the ancient Greeks
10 the myth Of Castor and POllux.
That glow which accompanied the
slow discharge Of electricity to the
earth from the atmosphere. in
southern climates, during thunder
storms. seen on the tops of masts.
spires. or other pointed objects was
II -.
after one OF their patron saints. be-
cause they felt that when the sign
appeared they had nothing further
TO fear from the storm.
Compared TO Andes Display.
Perhaps the most remarkable
feature Of the electrical discharge
which takes place either from the
earth TO the clouds or from the
clouds to the earth around Brown
mountain IS that Il is silent The
same thing is true of the electrical
displays in the Andes. which nave
long been known 10 scientists and
travellers in the South American
continent as the Andes lightning. Tt
appears as a silent but very lumin-
Gus discharge Of electricity along
the crest OF the Cordillera Real In
Chile. I'm a region where thunder
storms are practically unknown.
Its visibility Is sometimes very
marked. having been noted by the
former director OF the meteoro1o-
gical and geOphysical institute Of
Chile. while he was out at sea. more
than 800 miles from the head cordil-
lera. The actual discharge. in which
the mountain acts as lightning rod
between the clouds and the earth,
resembles a glimmer. but sometimes
the flashes which take place at the
point of origin are strong and
powerful, then gradually diminish
IN intensity and finally disappear in
TO the night The light flashes over
the mountain from late spring TO
fan. and the displays grow less brill
liant as one goes farther south.
The same phenomenon has also
been noted in the Swiss Alps. One
observer. after a long period Of hot
and dry weather. reported that he
had seen n succession of semi-Cir-
cular flashes which shot up from
mountain I'm the Bernese Ober-
land. occasionally lighting the Jung
frau group Such displays are not
able for their likeness In appearance
90 the aurora. except that they do
not reach such heights"
A desert variety Of cactus forms a
natural commas by alw-avs pOfnting