Evening star., 1923-06-03
Cellar Is Safest Place
During Thunderstorm

F you are afraid of lightning
take courage, for Uncle Sam s
statisticians in the weather bu-
reau say that only about SOC
persons are killed a year in the
United States from these fiery darts,
which means with our present pop
ulation that the chances are about
100000 to l that you will escape
this fate.
OF course nobody knows just what
nature may do, but scientists have
been able to keep tab on her and her
pranks and find out her tastes, and
though lightning is likely to strike
any place they have found that she
hits cows oftener than people, barns
oftener than houses. country dwell
ings oftener than city homes, trees
at the edge of a wood more frequent
Iy than those in the thick of it. oaks
oftener than naples. and human be-
ings out-of- doors oftener than those
who are.i in the house.
There are certain sensible precau-
tions for people to heed in thunder
storm, most of them, however, diff
ferent from the superstitions which
have been handed down in many fami-
lies. Therefore, do not follow the
footsteps of your grandmother and
jump into a feather bed. believing it
will keep you "from being struck" j"
and 1t is useless to hide your scis-
sors and steel knives, thinking they
will draw the lightning, for you can
Judge how futile are such precau-
tions In influencing in any way. either
to bar the progress or attract from
its path such tremendous force as
lightning, since the flash which kills
ranges from zoo feet to a mile in
length and Is of $4,000 horsepower.
MANY people believe it is fly
lfl ing in the face of Providence"
to stand by an open window in a
thunderstorm, and perfectly safe to
remain there If the window is closed.
The facts in the case are that it is
immaterial whether the window is
open or closed and the only reason
for keeping away from a window is
that IL the lightning does strike that
side of the house 1t will enter the
window as the point of least resist
ance, the thin sheet of glass, of
course, counting for little in the path
of a powerful force like a thunder
bolt. Doorways for the same reason,
are we'll to avoid. not however, in
order to keep away from drafts"
for lightning does not drift with the
wind, as does smoke, its forkings fol-
lowing the strata of air having the
greatest relative humidity. and there
is no evidence that the motion of
the air currents affects it ct all.
The weather bureau scientists ad-
wise people to keep away from chirI-
neys and open fireplaces, for a CHM
ney, being the tallest object on the
house, II is the path the lightning is
most likely to take. y
They also pronounce as dangerous
a position inside the house near
wall to which a wire clothesline is
attached outside. Another place to
avoid is between two good-sized
metal objects. as an iron sink and
radiator, or between either of these
and a downspout, for in seeking an
outlet to the ground lightning has
a tendency to jump between two such
metallic bodies.
An especially dangerous place Is
right underneath hanging lamp or
electric lamp globe hung from the
ceiling by a chain Lightning may
follow the chain and then jump off.
Your safest place is in the cellar,
especially If it is deep and damp,
somewhere near the walls-remem-
bering to avoid a place. between the
furnace and a metallic object.
Wood, stone, brick and stucco
houses are equal in their safety. all
are poor conductors. Steel framed
building are excellent conductors and
though they are sometimes struck the
people inside do not know it for the
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