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Entered according to Act of Congress, in June, 1870, by J. W. Burke & Cos., in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the So. District of Georgia
Vol. IV—No. 4.
THUNDER AND LIGHTNING. i
W" -
than an elongated electrical
*' spark, which passes between
two electrified clouds, when brought
near together. For instance, when two
clouds unequally charged with electri
city approach each other, the excess
of electrical fluid rushes frwm the one
overcharged into the one undercharged,
until both clouds contain the same
quantity. This produces a flash of
lightning. Sometimes, the electricity
from a cloud is discharged by some
object on the earth —a tree, or a moun
tain, or a church steeple—this is called
a thitnder-boU.
Thunder is the sound which follows a
flash of lightning, and is due to the vi
brations caused by the passage of the
electrical spark through the air. Thun
der is rarely heard until an appreciable
time after the flash is perceived ; for
this reason, that “light travels with
immense velocity, reaching the eye in
stantaneously, whilst sound travels more
slowly, and reaches the ear only after a
sensible intermission of time. The dis
tance of a clap of thunder may be ascer
tained by counting the number of se
conds between the flash and the report,
and allowing five seconds to a mile.”
When an electrical cloud overcharged
with positive electricity passes near the
earth (which, yqu know, contains posi
tive and negative electricity in equili
brium) it acts upon the earth by induc
tion ; that is, it drives from itself the
positive, and attracts to itself the nega
tife electricity. As soon as the attrac
tion between these two electricities —
that in the earth and that in the cloud,
becomes greater than the resistance of
the intervening air, a spark or flash
passes, and the thunder-bolt is said to
fall, or the lightning to strike. The flash
generally passes from the cloud to the
earth, but sometimes it passes from the
earth to the cloud.
The attraction between the two elec
tricities increases as they get nearer
together. For this reason, elevated ob-
MACON, GEORGIA, JULY 23, 1870.
jects are most likely to be struck, such
as church steeples, high trees, lofty
buildings, mountain tops, etc. Good
conductors of electricity, such as metals,
moist bodies, and the like, are more
likely to be struck than bad conductors.
Hence, the danger of standing under a
tree during a thunder-storm.
A lightning-rod is a metallic rod pla
ced upon buildings to preserve them
from the effects of lightning, such as is
shown in the picture. It should be of
sufficient size—a copper rod of a half
inch in diameter, or an iron one of
three-quarters of an inch, being large
enough to protect any building. If
made of several pieces, the different
parts should be welded or screwed
together with the greatest care. It
should be a sufficient distance above
the top of the building, and terminate
with a single platinum point. Platinum
is best, as it prevents the point from
rusting, and is less likely to be fused by
the lightning. The rod should be car
ried down into the earth until it meets
with a layer of wet or moist earth ; and
if this cannot be had, a pit should be
dug, and nearly filled with some good
conductor—coke, for instance — and the
end of the lightning-rod carried to the
bottom.
The lightning-rod was invented by
Franklin, who thought that it acted by
drawing off the from the
cloud, and conducting it to the earth.
We have seen that it acts just the re
verse of this. The cloud, acting by
induction, repels or drives off one kind
of electricity in the earth, and attracts
the other sort to itself. Now, by the
use of the lightning-rod with its metalic
point communicating with the earth,
we permit a flow of electricity from the
earth to the cloud. This flow not only
prevents the accumulation of electricity
in the earth, but tends gradually to
neutralize the electricity of the cloud
itself; and the rod acts in a double
way to prevent the building from being
struck.
HOW TO CATCH MONKEYS.
—
) 'Cv HAVE heard of a company of
'ulp% Winters who caught a number
of monkeys in the forests of
( ' g Brazil in the following amus
ing way: They had a lot of little
boots made, just large enough to be
drawn easily over a monkey’s foot, and
filled the bottoms with pitch. With
these they set out for the woods, and
soon found themselves under the trees,
where the monkeys went rattling on
over their heads, but never for a mo-
Whole No. 160.
ment removing their eyes from them.
Then they placed the little boots where
they could be seen, and then commen
ced taking off their own boots. Having
done this they let them stand a while
near the little boots. All this the mon
keys very carefully noticed. The hun
ters were too wise to attempt to catch
them by climbling the trees ; they might
as well have expected to snatch the
moon as to lay hands upon one of these
little fellows. They had an easier way
than this, and one much more effec
tual ; they simply sat down under the
trees while the little chatter-boxes
were rattling on over their heads, but
never for a moment removing their eyes
from them. The hunters now taking
up, their own boots, haying carefully
looked over them, drew them slowly
one after the other upon their feet. Not
a motion escaped the observation of the
monkeys. Having replaced their boots
they hurried away into the thicket of
undergrowth not far off, where they were
hidden from the sight of the monkeys,
but where they could see everything
that happened under the trees. They
left the small boots all standing in a
row.
The monkeys soon descended from the
trees, and imitating the motions of the
hunters, thrust their feet into the boots
set as a trap for them, chattering and
gesticulating all the time, in great glee.
As soon as they were fairly in the boots,
out sprang the hunters from their hid
ing places and rushed among them.
The monkeys affrighted, at once started
for the trees, but only to find that they
had destroyed their power of climbing
by putting on the boots. So they fell
an easy prey to their cunning enemies.
This is the way the monkeys were
Caught, and how many young persons
are caught in the same way. In their
desire to do what they see other persons
doing, they fall into serious troubles,
and often bring upon themselves ruin
ous habits that follow them to the
grave.
Laziness is a good deal like money;
the more a man has of it the more he
wants. .