Meteorological essays / by François Arago ... with an introduction, by Baron Alexander von Humboldt. Tr. under the superintendence of Colonel Sabine.

  • François Arago
Date:
1855
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Meteorological essays / by François Arago ... with an introduction, by Baron Alexander von Humboldt. Tr. under the superintendence of Colonel Sabine. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    accoiint of an observation of a globiilar tbunclerbolt in 1826 at Altona. Pie writes : — It was, I tliink, in 1826 that a thunderbolt burst on tbe bouse of one of my friencls and colleagues at Altona, where I was tben practising medicine ; tbe bouse is situated about 100 or 130 feet above tbe Elbe. My friend, Dr. Van der Smissen, Avas Avalking in bis drawing-room, wben be at tbe same instant beard a tbunderclap and saw an ignited mass of about tbe sbape and size of a ben’s egg appear near tbe wall and run along a plank of tbe floor, Avbicb was covered witb a coat of varnisb, as is usual in our town. Tbe bail ran towards tbe door about as quickly as a mouse would bave run tbe same distance ; tben^ witb an explosion, it leapt to tbe banisters of tbe stairs descend- ing to tbe ground-floor, and tbere disappeared as it bad corne, witbout causing any damage or leaving any traces. §4. I received tbe following description of globular ligbtning from M. Hapouèle, a Avell-informed proprietor of tbe Départe- ment de la Moselle : — “ About 2 o’clock on a summer-day in 1837 (I cannot remember tbe précisé date) I was standing in front of my stables, under tbe sbelter of tbe projecting roof. Opposite to me, at some little distance, Avas tbe open door of a dwelling- bouse, and between it and tbe place wbere I was standing tbere was a large space covered Avitb farm-yard manure. Suddenly I beard a violent claj) of tbunder, and saAv a bail of fire of tbe size of a large orange descend a little obliquely, about forty feet from me, toAvards tbe middle of tbe beap of manure, Avbicb it seemed about to enter, but on arriving Avitbin tbree or four feet of tbe beap its doAvnward course was excbanged for a hori- zontal one parallel to tbe ground, and directed toAvards tbe door wbicb my wife bad tbat instant sbut. Wlien arriA^ed Avitbin forty or tifty feet of tbe bouse tbe electric bail resumed tbe oblique movement witb Avblcb it bad descended, and reascendcd slanting upwards tOAvards tbe clouds, and passing AAdtbin balf a yard of tbe edge of tbe roof, to a beigbt of fifty or sixty yards, Avben I lost sigbt of it. §5. Mr. Butti, marine painter to tlic Pbnj)ress of Austria, ad- drcssed to me from Trieste tbe folIoAving communication : —
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