Smyrna times., 1934-10-18
SEEK WAY TO
USE LIGHTNING
Much Electric Energy is Lost
Each Year That Might
Be Utilized
MUCH RESEARCH STUDY

Washington.-One billion kilo-
watts of electrical energy is poured
down on the earth every year by
thunderbOlts, the American Meteoro-
logical society was told here recent
ly at its annual meeting.
The tremendous potentialities for
power from the clouds at present
out of the reach of man, were de-
scribed by DR.. B. F. J. Schonland,
director of research for the Insti-
tute of Electrical Engineers, at
johannesburg, South Africa.
The studies of the various phases
of lightning and thunderbolts have
been undertaken, Doctor Schonland
said, with the hope that knowledge
of the mechanism and nature of the
thunderbolts may enable man to
utilize at least part of the tremen-
dous electrical energy being con-
stantly built up in the clouds and
discharged to the earth.
Much New Information.
The latest research to make light
ming divulge its secrets has already
yielded much new information as
to the speed of lightning. its man
ner of building up voltage and the
amounts of these voltages, Doctor
Schonland said.
Measurements of the electric po-
tential in the cloud show that each
centimeter of cloud has a voltage
of 10000, or more than 1,5OO,0O0,OOO
volts per linear mile Generally, the
voltage Is dissipated before it
reaches this high potential, though
some thunderbolts have been esti-
mated to reach 1.0OO,OOO,OOO volts.
BY far the largest part of the cleo
trical energy in the cloud. fully
nine-tenths of it. is discharged in
side the cloud before it reaches the
earth. and only one-tenth is dis
charged in the bolts that reach the
ground, the research shows
The electrical potential of -, 400
volts to the inch, it was determined,
is built UP by the splitting of drops
of water in the cloud.
The top of the cloud, the expert
ments show, is positively charged,
while the base of the cloud is mega
tive. The large drops have a posi-
tive charge and the small have a
negative one. By gravitation the
large drops fall down from the top
of the cloud to a lower level, where
the small negative drops are dis
charged.
Leading" Flash.
The downward movement of the
large drOplets carrying positive
electricity. Doctor Schonland stated,
accounts for nine-tenths of the dis
charge, and this takes place within
the cloud. The negative charge
from the base of the cloud to the
earth accounts for the remaining
one-tenth of the charge
The latest findings, Doctor Schon-
land added, dispute the theory pro-
mulgated several years ago by Prof.
G. c. Simpson of London, that the |
base of the cloud is positively
charged. while its top is negative. |
Experiments, he said. show the op-
posite to be the case.
BY the device of special camera
Doctor Schonland. In collaboration
with III. Collens of South Africa, 1t
has been possible to make photo
graphs of lightning which furnish
data for measuring its speed.
The main flash. the photographs
show. is always preceded by lead
er," or trail blazer. This path
finder" travels from the negative
charged base of the cloud to the
positive charged earth at speeds
from $40 to 10000 miles per
second.
The main flash travels in the op-
posite direction from the leader"
starting upward from the earth,
from the spot struck by the lead
er," and following exactly the same
path traversed by the leader" back
to the cloud.
The length of the Header" was
found to vary from 1.6 to At miles.
The longest time occupied by
leader" stroke was measured at
$40 millionths of a second for the
"a mile stroke. The quickest flash
.ook sixty-nine millionths of a sec