Ancient Belief in Wrath of the Gods

Shannon News, 27 December 1929, Page 2

Ancient Belief in Wrath of the Gods

FEAR OF LIGHTNING. . The knowledge that lightning is mot due to the wrath of the. gods is small comfort even to moderns. Those who a.re terrified by an intense lightning flash are still legion. Their fear is quite justifiable. The enormous voltage evident even in a minor flash is nothing to play around- with carelessly. There are few people loft, however, who seek to deceive themselves .into a feeling of safety by pulling down tihe shades. The old feather-bed, supposed to protect its occupants from being struck, no loniger exists. What can one do to obtain the maximum of safety? One thing is to stay in the house. Only 10 per cent, of the fatalities due to lightning occur to those indoors. The recent code prepared by the Bureau of Standards and the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, recommends the following shelters in the order of preference: Large metal or metal framed buildings, dwellings having lightning protectors, large buildings, small buildings.

Dense Woods Afford Safety. If out of-doors one should keep away from small sheds and shelters in an exposed position, isolated trees, wire fences and helltops and wide open spaces. When out in the country one should seek shelter in dense woods, a grove of trees, a depression; in the ground, a deep v. Hey or gorge, or at the foot of a sitc;v> vr overhanging cliff. All these rules follow out what might bo 1 expected from a knowledge of t/he laivs of static ■ electricity. There is always a tendency to discharge froni thte sharpest- points and through the least distance. Thus, a tall tree offers an excellent .target. It has plenty of points at the branch ends and projects above its surroundings. Where many trees aire close together the danger is not so great for all help to carry off the charge. Also, each tree is equally likely to be struck and the chance that it will be the one near you is less by ■reason of the greater number of trees. A lightning rod, also offering a sharp point, is a good target, but because it is made of metal, a good conductor, the charge is carried off to earth. The reason why small boats are so often struck is because they offer the only prominence over a considerable axoa. ,