The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-08-18

the weather bureau have studied she
caprices and freaks. rs well as tho
fairly regular habits # lightning, and
nave arriFel At certain conclusions
that are Of value. Tics believe that
there are certain precautions that one
may take il n electrical storm hat
are w9Itn Willie. even ia ugh they
carry no guarantees 81 immunity.
For instance. thss tell sou that the
safest plaee you ean Ind when such
danger threatens, is in a deep, damp
cellar, close 10 the walls. always bear
Ing in mnd net 70 pest yourself be-
tvee2 the furnace. # there be a fur
mace t'efe. and any metallic o ject.
If yo1 are eaasst out Of doors in a
storm, remember that the orst place
you can find is an Isolated tree. You
will be safer in tie heart Of q woods
and still more so II You reconcile your
self TO a thorough wettlng in the
open. If you must take refuge Under
4 tree, keep AVA from an oak. and
hunt out a beech. for the records
show that the oak is struck 81
times. The fir 30 and the pine . times
as often as the beech Next 10 the
beech in safety come the maple and
the birch.
Avoid Cows in Thunderstorms.
If you are with a number of people,
do not huddle together ia q group, for
II has been ascertained that larger
gatherings of men or beasts offer
greater attraction TO lightning than do
isolated individuals. And if, perchance,
you find yourself near a cow, get
away from her as quickly as possible,
for COWS are more often killed by
lightning than any other animals
twice as often, in fact. Sheep, horses,
pigs and mules come next In the order
given as to fatality percentages.
When you are indoors, as the storm
comes on, you will do well lot 10 for
get the advice as to the deep, damp
cellar. But if there isn't a cellar, there
are things to avoid. Keep away from
open freplaees and chImneys. for a
chimney being the highest part Of a
house is the path the lightning is most
likely to take. Also. keep away from
the side of a house that has a wire
clothesllne attached TO the outside Of
the wall, and don't get yourself be
tween two metallic objects such as an
iron sink and radiator, or between
either of these and a d~ownspOut, for
in seeking an outlet to the ground
lightning has a tendency to jump be
tween metallic bodies.
Steel Buildings Often Struck.
An especially dangerous place is d.
rectly beneath a hanging lamp or an
electric light fixture suspended from
the ceiling by a chain. Wood, stone,
brick and stucco houses are about
equal in the safety they afford, since
! they are all poor conductors. Steel
framed buildings, on the other hand,
are the best conductors. and they are
not i%nfrequently struck. but the peo-
| pie inside rarely yen know it. for the
lightning is almost invariably carried
| quickly and directly into the ground
nd its force dissipated.
AS to the force of lightning, it is esti-
mated that a thousand million volts
are required TO send a bolt to the earth
from the height of a mile, and the flash
that kills ranges from zoo feet to a
nile in length and Is frequently Of 90
90 horse power.
Bolts from high storm clouds have
)een known to penetrate so feet into
the earth, and when they strike in
sandy soil they form glass tubes by
melting the sand as they bore in The
National museum in Washington has
several of these thunderbolt-made
tubes that vary IN diameter from a
quarter of an inch to three inches.
1t is also to be borne in mind that
My so per cent Of the people struck
by lightning are killed. so efforts at re-
suscitation should be begun immedi-
ately and not abandoned until a physi-
clan pronounces life extinct The
methods to be used are similar to those
allied for when a person has been res
ued from drowning.