CURIOUS LIGHTNING FREAK. BISHOP. 241 



tree until the force was spent, leaving the stone in the split 

 as in a vice. The body of the trunk was so completely 

 shattered into slivers that it took ^wo men nearly half a day 

 to collect the fragments from the unmowed hay-field on the 

 other side of the wall. 



The water-pipe was broken at a point nearest the shat- 

 tered tree, nine feet distant. When the broken pipe was 

 taken out it was found to be strongly magnetic. So strong 

 is the magnetism even at the present time (December, 1912, 

 nine years afterwards), that a handful of nails held to it will 

 be drawn quite firmly to the edges of the break. A piece 

 of steel rubbed a few times on this piece of pipe becomes so 

 strongly magnetized as to pick up pieces of iron. The opposite 

 ends of the break have opposite polarities as demonstrated 

 by the magnetic compass and steel magnets. 



The inference is that the electric current burst from 

 the pipe-line to the tree, and on leaving the pipe broke it, 

 and on entering the tree at its roots carried the stone up 

 through the bursting trunk until, the force being spent, it 

 remained in the split of the unshattered top. 



