333 
XLV. 
AN ACCOUNT OF SOME ELECTRICAL PHENOMENA, 
BY REV. TIMOTHY ALDEN, a.m. | 
Communicated in a letter to the late Rev. John Eliot, p. v. 
—— a 
Newark, WN. J. 29th August, 1812. 
REVEREND AND DEAR SIR, 
I THINK the following narrative will not be unacceptable to the 
American Academy of Arts and Sciences. It is, however, submitted 
to you for such disposal, as your benevolence may suggest. 
On the evening of the 28th of May, 1809, in time of a severe 
tempest, the mansion house of the Rev. Uzal Ogden, p. p. of this vil- 
lage, was somewhat injured by an electric explosion. _ The lightning 
entered at the ridge-pole by the chimney into the upper apartment, in 
which there was no fire place. It shivered a picture frame, hanging 
by the chimney, and from that passed toa brush, the bristles of which 
were secured by wire, lying on a table, and split it into seyeral pieces, 
the sharp ends of some of which were driven. upwards with such 
force, at an angle of about 45°, as to perforate and remain strongly 
fixed in the planchment, 
=e young lady of Dr. Ogden’s family was sitting in a chair, leaning 
her right cheek against her hand, with her elbow on the table before 
mentioned. The fluid, after its effect upon the brush, was directed to 
her right elbow, where it broke the skin. A small portion of it was 
conducted by the arm to her face, on which it made a slight contusion, 
but did not affect the sensorium, so as to deprive | her. of recollection oti 
for a moment. 
The principal stream proceeded from the ive sounded 
down the right side, leaving a narrow red streak, to the ball of the lit- 
tle toe, which, from the position of the foot, rested on the @oor and 
