260 



NATURE 



{July 13, 1882 



locate them, as well as to determine their light. A wedge 

 inserted in the field of a transit instrument will permit the deter- 

 mination of the light of each star observed without interfering 

 with the other portion of the observation. If the stars are all 

 bright, time may be saved by dispensing with the thin portion of 

 the wedge. In equatorial observations of asteroids the light 

 may be measured photometrically with little additional expendi- 

 ture of time. Perhaps the most useful application would be in 

 the observation of zones. When the stars are somewhat scat- 

 tered it would often happen that their light might be measured 

 without any loss of time. By this instrument another field of 

 usefulness is opened for the form of horizontal telescope advo- 

 cated at a former meeting of this Academy (Proc. Amer. Acad. 

 XVI. 364). Very perfect definition would not be required, 

 since it would affect all the stars equally. To an amateur who 

 would regard the complexity of an instrument as a serious objec- 

 tion to it, a means is now afforded of easily reducing his esti- 

 mates of magnitude to an absolute system, and thus rendering 

 them of real value. 



ELECTRICITY ON PIKE'S PEAK 

 'T'lIE following extracts relative to electricity, from Pike's 

 -*• Peak Monthly Abstract Journals, have been very kindly 

 forwarded to us by General Hazen, the chief of the U.S. Signal 

 Service, in accordance with a request made by us ; we believe 

 their publication will prove useful : — 



November 23, 1S73. — Atmospheric electricity manifested itself 

 when line was broken by a crackling sound when binding screws 

 were touched, and bright sparks drawn when storepipe was 

 touched by my fingers. 



December 7, 1873. — While line was broken 1 heard relay 

 working ; thinking line had been repaired, I hastened to adjust ; 

 received a severe shock, which convinced me that something 

 stronger than our battery had charged the wire. Instrument cut 

 out and lightning arrester screwed closer ; in a few minutes a 

 continuous stream of electricity passed between the two plates of 

 the arrester with a loud noise, resembling that produced by a 

 child's rattle ; the fluid passed not in sparks, but in five or six 

 continuous streams of light, as thick as a pencil lead, for two or 

 three minutes at a time, with short intervals between ; this con- 

 tinued fir over an hour. 



December II, 1S73. — On retiring I accidentally touched my 

 drawers with two fingers of my hand, and drew two sparks from 

 them. This is a common phenomenon after a snow-storm. 



January 12, 1S74. — Electric shocks. 



January 24, 1874. — Received electric shock when opening 

 stove door ; as usual, it was not repeated. 



February 25, 1874. — Same as January 24. 



May II, 1S74. — During the entire day severe shocks werefelt by 

 any one touching the wire, and, the line being open, I could 

 make plain signals with the key for abont ten minutes. 



May 20, 1874. — p.m., report could not be sent on account 

 of atmospheric electricity (a thunder-storm). 



May 21, 1874. — A A asQ °f nre about two feet long leaped 

 from arrester into the office, illuminating the rooms. 



May 24, 1874. — A heavy thunder-storm passed slowly and 

 directly over the peak ; large sparks passed constantly through 

 the arrester, while a strange crackling of the snow could be 

 heard at times. While making the 2 p.m. observation, I heard 

 the snow crackle as above mentioned, and felt at the same time 

 on both temples, directly below the brass buttons of my cap, a 

 pain as if from a slight burn. Putting up my hands, there was 

 a sharp crack, and all pain had disappeared. 



May 29, 1874. — At 6.20 a terrific storm commenced ; blinding 

 flashes of fire came into bath-rooms from the lightning-arrester 

 and stoves ; loud reports followed in rapid succession. 



July 1, 1874. — A party of visitors were caught in a thunder- 

 storm not far from the summit, and all state that they experienced 

 peculiar burning sensations on face and hands, and heard a 

 hissing sound proceeding from hair aud whiskers. 



July 9, 1874. — Heavy thunder-storm ; large sparks passed 

 through the arrester during its continuance. Mr. Copley tele- 

 graphed me this forenoon that he twice got knocked down, while 

 repairing the line, by electric shocks. 



July 14, 1874. — Thunder storm ; lightning in beginning very 

 severe. I received a very painful shock while working over the 

 line by my fingers accidentally touching the metal of the key. 

 July 15, 1874. — Thunder heard in the distance throughout 



the evening, while strong ground currents passed through the 

 arrester. 



July 16, 1874. — Severe thunder-storm ; sharp flashes and 

 retorts came through the arrester to the terror of several lady 

 visitors. Outside the building the electric effects were still more 

 startling. The strange crackling of the] hail mentioned before 

 was again heard, and at the same time my whiskers became 

 strongly electrified and repellant, and gave quite audible hissing 

 sounds. In spite of the cap I were my scalp appeared to be 

 pricked with hundreds of red hot needles, and a burning sensa- 

 tion was felt on hands and face ; several of the visitors who were 

 outside had the same experience. A large dog who had followed 

 his master outdoors became terrified, and made for the door 

 with a pitiful howl. Lightning was seen in all directions in the 

 evening, and ground currents passed incessantly through the 

 arrester. 



July 19, 1874. — A severe thunderstorm passed close over the 

 Peak between 1.30 and 2.30 p.m. ; lightning struck wire be- 

 tween 2nd and 3rd poles from the house ; for a moment the 

 wire resembled a rope of fire and vibrated violently for some 

 inutes after the discharge — no damage done. Frequent loud 

 discharges took place along the ground-wire between it and the 

 rocks on which it rests. Hair and whiskers of anyone out- 

 doors were electrified by each discharge. 



July 21, 1874. — Heaviest thunderstorm of the season to-day ; 

 lightning terrific ; constant crackling of fallen hail and peculiar 

 clattering of the rocks as if shaken by subterranean convulsions, 

 indicated the highly electrified state of the summit. 



August 2, 1874. — I was obliged to keep the telegraph instru- 

 ments cut out during the greater part of the day. 



August 3, 1S74. — The lightning rendered the line almost 

 useless the entire afternoon ; T got severely shocked when 

 sending my report. 



August 13, 1874. — Seventeen visitors to day ; some of them 

 made the ascent during a severe thunderstorm, and were much 

 alarmed by the effects of the electricity upon their hair, one of 

 them declared that his hair stood up so stiffly as to lift off 

 his hat ! 



October 5, 1874. — Severe thunderstorm below summit in after- 

 noon, observers severely shocked whilst calling Fenton at lower 

 station. 



May 22, 1875. — During storms to-day (hail and snow) electri- 

 city <]uite strong. 



May 23, 1S75. — Electricity strong at intervals during day and 

 night. 



May 24, 1875. — Hail from 3.55 p.m. till midnight, accom- 

 panied by very strong electricity, decreasing and increasing in 

 intensity, a notable fact in all hail-storms. 



May 25, 1875. — Electricity has shown itself nearly all day 

 with variable force (hail frequent during the day). 



May 29, 1875. — Hail about midday accompanied by electri- 

 city. In all our hailstorms the fall of hail entirely ceases for 

 about a half a minute, following a heavy electric discharge, and 

 the hailfall is considerably heavier for some little time following 

 the discharge than before. 



July 5, 1875. — Terrible electric storm in afternoon, at first its 

 effects were felt only by the line, but about 2 p.m. its presence 

 was evident everywhere on the summit ; a constant stream of 

 flame from the arrester ; a constant crackling noise heard out of 

 doors as though made by small pistols. 



May 11, 1876.— During hailstorm at 7.30 I was compelled 

 to cut out the wires owing to intensity, this I attempted with 

 ungloved hand, and learned a lesion that was an impressive one ; 

 luckily I escaped with a slightly bruised head and a fearful 

 scare. 



May 25, 1874. — During a thunderstorm the wire outside, at 

 two or three places, kept up a peculiar singing noise, resembling 

 the singing cricket. I have previously noticed that the singing 

 noise is never heard except when the atmosphere is very damp, 

 and rain, hail, or snow is falling. 



June 16, 1876. — At 5.20 p.m., as 1 was sitting on a rock 

 near the monument, on the eastern edge of the summit, a 

 blinding flash of lightning darted from a cloud seemingly not 

 more than 500 feet north-east of me, and was accompanied by a 

 sharp, quick, deafening report, and at the same time I felt the 

 electricity dart through my entire person, jerking my extremities 

 together as though by a most violent convulsion, and leaving 

 tingling sensations in them for a quarter of an hour afterwards. 

 Straine, who was sowing wood in the shed at the time received 

 a similarly violent shock, and says that a ball of lightning ap- 



