Thunder and Lightning

the bay tree." And this is why the Roman emperors, in fear always of the fire of heaven, crowned them

hat there is no such absolute privilege. If certain trees are rarely struck, that is, perhaps, due less to its species than to its size, its hygrometrical condition

its place amongst the ordinary run of trees, subject to the unjust anger of Jupiter

his also is not the case. There is an instance on record of a fig tree being struck by lightning

oted that beech tree plantations are often resorted to as a refuge in times of storm. But it would be a mistake to place too much tr

ts upper branches, which were wide and strong, four of the finest were destroyed; a fifth, stripped of its bark to a great extent, was not tor

cy (Manche), an oak and an ash were struck by

an ash was struck and destroyed. On August 23, i

me virtue was attributed to the house-leek, a thick herbaceous plant, which grows usually upon wal

es resinous trees, such as pines or firs. But this also

ng list of sixty-five different kinds of trees, with the record of the numb

o

pop

e

lnut

f

ill

ne t

h tr

ech

ar t

rry t

stnut

ata

me t

ple

ntain

berry

al

abu

cac

udo-a

ig

ange

ive

bi

ma

most cases pick out the tallest. But this is not an absolute rule. The isolation of trees, their qualities as conductors, the degree of moisture in the so

ave been exposed lengthwise to the electric spark given out by one of Holtz's machines, with the result that the oak wood was pierced by the electric fluid after one or two revolut

in starch with but little oil, such as the oak, poplar, willow, maple, elm, and ash, offer much less resistance to the electr

the wood of which has a great quantity of oil in winter, but in

inter its resistance to the electric spark equals that of the beech and other trees which are rarely struck by lig

angers those persons are exposed who take shelter beneath the trees during a thunderstorm; there are innumerable examples of the imprudence of taking refuge from the rain un

es, chosen from a considerable

g questioned the security of this retreat, all immediately fled in the direction of a neighbouring wood, except one young girl of fourteen years. Several who retu

ral minutes later, the lightning struck the tree, killing two of the labourers outright, and grievously wounding the third. The latter was found almost completely naked; his garments, burnt and tattered, were scatte

llumined the sky; the seven workmen were thrown down, one of them being hurled several yards away. Three of them were able to get up and go to the farm, the others were severely burnt, and half asphyxiated. One of the victims

er example no

storm as they were coming home from the fields, and took shel

oak, were struck and thrown down. One of them was ki

cherries was killed on a tree which attracted the f

ar a number of similar cases happen. The impr

to be drenched on the road, rather than offer his life as a too generous burnt-offering to the lightning, for the oak's robust trunk, or

For this reason, a person leaning against a tree receives the full discharge; a

e neighbourhood of particular trees may be regarded as a protection a

ctricity of the atmosphere; and, moreover, by means of these graceful branches, an inaudible but continual exchang

tion of the dwelling into account, which are not always easy to define. Their protection of the neighbourhood is not constantly the same. For it to be effectual, the foliage should be very low, and they should be at least two metres distan

the same flash. For instance, on May 23, 1886, in Belg

nately. A case occurred where the lightning seemed to have taken aim

on the fluid with an e

agriculturists of the country declare that no storm ever passes their way without lightning falling there. In the middle of this wood one

he others have their trunks perforated, or split in different parts. Usually trees are cleft from to

runk in strips here and there. But that does not prove conclusively that the lightnin

plained by an ascending movement of the

e wooden shoe belonging to one of the men, was found hanging from a high branch of the same tree. Now, at a little distance, there was a tree which had also suffered greatly by the passage of the electric fluid. In the soil at its base a round hole was to be seen, shaped like a funnel. Directly above i

instance the lightning h

tree blasted by lightni

dulating, and thrown up aroun

, in which case they recover from their wounds. Very often they are merely stripped of their natural garments, in

example of this ki

e base. They were both split asunder, and the bark peeled off from the summit to the soil, a len

a chimney when fresh coal has been put on the fire. The lightning flashed in all directions, great branches gave way, and when the vapour cleared off, there stood the pear tree, its trunk a dazzlin

ervatory was struck by lightning, which took the bark off lengthwise in a strip, four centimetres

hich escape with light scratches. Two great oaks which had been struck by fireb

he bark riddled with a multitude of l

mber of little holes in the arm. There was a twist in the tree at the part where the elbow rested, and a hole penetrated the centre of it to the core of the wood. The surrounding bark

arne), burning several leaves, then struck some water-pipes at a depth of a metre and a half

ered on the soil, or hanging from the neighbourin

t on the branches of pines within a distance of 15 metres. Only a stump, 2? metres in height, remained standing. At the same time three other pines, which s

es be seen on trees, some short, others reaching to the top of the tree, a

in diameter, from which the lightning had stripped a piece of bark, about 10 centim

t may be double, and either stretc

in three shafts, hollowed three furrows that might have been made by three rifle shots fired towards the roots. These three furrows follo

vegetable body. They are to be found oblique in certain cases, but more often they surround the trunk in

s an e

es north-west of the castle of Valliere. The tree was 25 metres high, and in full leaf from base to summit; it was

ilar case, Au

curved round and round down the full length of the trunk, which was shattered by the meteor a few metres above the roots. Enormous fragments lay al

htning to the foot of the tree, along its

ad. The ivy which

ghtning, and the magnificent trees which adorn and beautify this charming and celebr

a metre of the ground. But, wonderful to relate, the whole mass of the tree appeared to have been twisted mightily by a force which worked with so much power that the tree could never regain its original position. The fibre, instead of growing vertically, followed the furrow made by the lightning, and became twisted like a corkscrew. There exist certain singular trees, the fibre of which grows in spiral fashion, and is called twisted wood by carpenters and cabinet-maker

electricity. We may even note casually that traces of similar spirals have been remarked on objects as well

h the atmosphere. But these observations would need to be confirmed by photographs of indisputable

y twenty metres high struck by lightning on the right bank of the Elster below Zeitz. On the lower part of

e; at times the furrow is deeper in the veined pa

stance of the ground. The band was five inches wide, but became narrower as it descended, and was finally no more than two inches wide. Th

more serious wounds from which the tree rarely recovers. We allude to deep fissures and breaks produced by lightning. When the fracture

standing. The other half was chopped up in small fragments and thrown to a distance of a hundred metres. These pieces

se cases the tree is s

iggest of a group of trees of the same speci

about twenty years old was cleft from the topmost bough to its roots; one half remained in its place

ssures. For example, in 1827, near Vicence, a pear tree, three

ecayed and desolate, standing sadly, like poor headless bodies

n the ground. The part of the trunk left standing was barked to the roots and splintered into fragments of varying sizes. They were scattered on the ground or hung from the

ightning is broken in several places, a

Italian poplar, sixty years old, thirty metres high, and three metres round at a height of one metre from th

3? metres from the ground, and the crown, still hanging by a shred from the trunk, lay on the embankment. The violence of th

outh, a fir more than a hundred feet high and forty feet in circumference, the admiration of the countrysid

f the tree into concentric layers, fitting them perfectly one into the o

s odd phenomenon), as a rule, do not show any injury on the outsi

as opened to be examined carefully, and it was stated that the concentric

of the trees from the top to the bottom, the sides of wh

hbouring elm half its own height, pierced it through and through, shivering it to tatters; the trunk was burst open to the r

man? It threatens, changes, apparently spares, returns to the charge and finall

n reflections: Nature, in her own mute

to make lightning more mysterious in

f in circumference, at two-thirds of its height, pulverized the lower parts, strewed the shreds over a circuit of fifty met

ing up of the sap so effectually, that, the strips only remained welded

rapidity, the top of the tree where the roots had been? This is something

e-Vienne). These two trees were about ten yards apart, and were simultaneously hit by the explosive matter, and in the twinkling of an eye, their leaves were changed. The pine needles found themselves on the oak, and the leaves of the oak went to brighte

new conditions: the pine continued to be agreeably adorned with its festival

n that lightning sometimes shatters the living wood, or deca

hearth has been reduced to atoms by lightning

ield without setting it on fire, and buried itself

ying depths: the blackened layer is often very slight

tacked they shrivel up; an autumnal shade takes the place of t

holes. In two or three places the bark was raised from beneath; the leaves were yellow and shrivelled up as parchment w

trunk and roots are apparently uninjured. It is not unusual to see th

ng examples. They have been seen uncovered where the ground was much

ter with sudden death without leaving a trace of its passing, just as sometimes it strikes the trees without leaving any exterior injury. Now and then life is not completel

at lightning may exert a be

opinion of

the soil is due to the frequency of thunder and rain in spring; for the countries where it rains ofte

r the products of the earth, and science has discovered the cause to be the presence of great quantit

stripped of its bark in several places. Now, shortly afterwards it bur

nsiderable. This is especially so with grass when cut, to haycocks, ricks of straw, barley, etc.

etimes, however, the grass is simply

occurrence was observed

me of the stalks were burnt to cinders; but most remarkable of all, the pota

nces which were said to accompany the birth of Bacchus, gave the vine the privilege of protecting the neighbour

(Yonne), fifty vine-stocks w

e)--But let M. Larroque, who witnessed the curious phenomenon, describe it: "In a clump of lilies in my garden," says he, "I see the highest of them surrounded by a violet glimmer, which formed an aureola round the corolla. This glimmer lasted for eight o

ominate our world, as in the days when the

ut, contrary to the belief of the ancient

once they were conscious of several very violent shocks, given in the oddest and most extravagant fashion. Some felt the shock in their backs, while their neighbours received them on their arms or legs. They might have been shaken by a mysterious invis

whom they might well demand an expl

ample which bears

mines, and used by the miners to exchange signals with the men employed in working the lifts. Suddenly all the pits were brilliantly lit up. At the same moment the watchman saw a clea

ded the chastisement of heaven. By fleeing from the lightning flash, they believed themselves saved from death. Lightning dogs our footsteps, and works

ay be seen turned up at the foot of trees which have been struck, the sod is torn, and stones thrown to a great distance. Sometimes, too, an e

ular hole, having a depth of 1·20 metres, has been seen in a dyke

f which serve as a sheath to the fulgurite. But before treating of fulgurite tubes, which constitute the most curious phenom

. Often instead of spoiling or cutting off pieces of the stone, it covers the surface instantaneously wit

seen on tiles where struck by lightning. Humboldt made similar observations on porphyrit

ying extent, and this fusion, worked upon by an extraordinary heat, produces a coat having a pe

halk is of chalky origin; that covering

ocks, and even on trees, which have been struck by

of foreign bodies, some fragments of which have been detached by the ray and travel with it. This transport

e schistous and chalky rocks, even the trees themselves, coated over with layers of brown. It was certainly a case of the lightning having effected a deposit. This latter was very curious. Lines could be traced on it with the

elegraph-office in the station of Savigny-sur-Orge, I myself picked up a little black powder o

bolides, but direct observation proves beyond a doubt that the elect

escent tones by the passing of the centuries, are unearthed by scientific excavations, and displayed in national collections; long before man could have learnt t

e description and the first specimen of these extraordinary vitrifactions to Hermann,

ght for and found. The tubes, contracted at one end,

ounded as if they had been subjected to a beginning of fusion. The colour depends on the nature of the sand in which they have been formed. Where the sand is ferruginous the fulgurite takes a yellowish hue, but if the sand is very clean, it is almost

r three branches, each of which gives birth to little latera

originally, which has been stopped up by matter in fusion. The latter, instead of being s

ee principal directions. One might say it was slag formed by the juxtaposition, irregular and crumpled, of three blades of vitrified sand, which would be pressed together by leaving a narrow opening to their central vertical axis. This fulgurite, which is extremely light, measures six centimetres in length. It