ST. ELMO’S FIRE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1228, 2 April 1914, Page 4

ST. ELMO’S FIRE.

ELECTRICAL PHENOMENA

SYDNEY, March If*

The electrical phenomena of the Antarctic regions has been described by Dr. ALiUson to various interviewers.

Ixcfernntr to I Ik; terrific .storms that tho expedition had experienced, Dr. M.'mvsoii said that the .snow heat on on to the faoo by the wind formed, an impervious icy mask on the face, and in tfie dari f : it’ wp* not unusual for very 1111catmy effects jo he produced. iiluo. lights, for instance, would "low on the tips of one’s nose, ears, hands, and part of tho clothes, This phenomenon was known as St. Elmo’s fire, and was a very remarkable feature" of the region in which their main ha so was .situated. The terrific winds driving particles of snow before tlmm at. a low temperature and high velocity were sufficient to explain the fact that the atmosphere was saturated with electricity. Electrical charges were escaping all the while into the surrounding atmosphere, and this showed itself as what was called St. Elmo’s fire. It was seen almost daily was produced from various causes, but throughout the winter months, and was very strong on occasions, ami the meteorologists frerjuently received considerable shocks from the metal instruments when changing the self-recording charts. This atmospheric electricity chiefly by the friction of the snow particles. They had a good deal of data about it. and hoped to say something more about it later on. Asked about flic aurora and whether ho believed in the theory that it took the place of lightning in the rest of the world. Dr. Alawson said that it was a fact that there was no lightning in Polar regions. and there, was no aurora in the tropic™. The aurora was probably a slower discharge of atmospheric electricity. With lightning it was the rushing of a cloud of one potential against the cloud of another potential that produced the electrical discharge, hut in the ease of tho aurora it seeme.l to he a streaming of electric current around the ends of the earth. There won' many theories, hub none of them was final. 'Their investigations wort; more in support of Birkland’s than any other. Jfirkland’fi theory was that the aurora was formed of electrical currents passing in the higher strata of the atmosphere and producing an optical effect similar to tint of tho discharge through vacuum tubes.