184 Hature'0 /iMraclcs. 



would distribute the electrical discharge over 

 a greater area. And because my line had con- 

 nection with the earth it could have been dis- 

 turbed electrically by conduction instead of 

 induction; or it may have been the effect of 

 ether-waves set up by the lightning discharges. 

 There is no doubt in my mind but that both 

 of these effects (ether-waves and conduction 

 through earth) may be felt when a discharge 

 takes place between a cloud and the earth. 



If we could, by operating an ordinary tele- 

 graphic key, cause the lightning to discharge 

 from cloud to earth, and some one was lis- 

 tening at a telephone in a circuit that was 

 grounded at both ends 100 miles or more dis- 

 tant from the cloud, the man who controlled 

 the discharges by the key could transmit the 

 Morse code through the earth to the man who 

 was listening at the telephone. Thousands of 

 people might be listening at telephones in 

 every direction from the transmitting-station, 

 and they would all get the same message. If 

 the receiving-station is near to the point where 

 there is a heavy discharge from the clouds to 

 the earth the earth-current is very strong- 

 flowing out in every direction. For some years 

 I had an underground line between my house 

 and laboratory, and no part of the line be- 

 tween the two stations was above ground. 

 Many and many times during the prevalence 

 of a thunder-storm have the telephone-bells 



