﻿THE 
  TORNADO, 
  OR 
  WATER 
  SPOUT. 
  

  

  377 
  

  

  electrical 
  current 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  light 
  bodies, 
  lying 
  upon 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  electri- 
  

   fied 
  surfaces, 
  may 
  be 
  attracted 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  by 
  the 
  other. 
  

  

  The 
  phenomena 
  of 
  the 
  rise 
  and 
  fall 
  of 
  electrified 
  pith 
  balls, 
  called 
  

   electrical 
  hail, 
  sufficiently 
  justify 
  this 
  last 
  mentioned 
  statement; 
  while 
  

   the 
  continuous 
  stream 
  is 
  illustrated 
  by 
  the 
  electrical 
  brush, 
  or 
  the 
  blast 
  

   of 
  air 
  produced 
  by 
  a 
  highly 
  electrified 
  point. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  also 
  be 
  conceded, 
  that 
  thunder 
  and 
  lightning 
  are 
  caused 
  by 
  

   discharges 
  of 
  electricity 
  between 
  the 
  earth 
  and 
  clouds, 
  analogous 
  to 
  

   those 
  of 
  a 
  Leyden 
  jar 
  or 
  pane 
  ; 
  the 
  air 
  performing 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  an 
  elec- 
  

   tric 
  in 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  glass, 
  while 
  the 
  cloud 
  acts 
  as 
  a 
  coating. 
  

  

  It 
  follows 
  that 
  the 
  phenomena 
  above 
  mentioned 
  as 
  liable 
  to 
  arise 
  

   between 
  oppositely 
  electrified 
  bodies, 
  may 
  be 
  expected 
  to 
  take 
  place 
  

   between 
  the 
  clouds 
  and 
  the 
  earth, 
  with 
  effects 
  as 
  much 
  exceeding 
  those 
  

   produced 
  by 
  human 
  agency, 
  as 
  the 
  snap 
  and 
  spark 
  of 
  an 
  electric 
  bat- 
  

   tery 
  are 
  exceeded 
  by 
  thunder 
  and 
  lightning. 
  If 
  in 
  the 
  one 
  case 
  pith 
  balls 
  

   and 
  other 
  light 
  bodies 
  are 
  lifted 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  other, 
  water, 
  trees, 
  houses, 
  

   haystacks 
  and 
  barns 
  may 
  be 
  powerfully 
  affected.* 
  If 
  from 
  a 
  point 
  

   electrified 
  by 
  a 
  human 
  contrivance, 
  a 
  blast 
  of 
  air 
  is 
  induced 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  as- 
  

  

  * 
  This 
  figure 
  affords 
  an 
  illustration 
  in 
  miniature 
  of 
  

   the 
  rise 
  and 
  fall 
  of 
  bodies 
  situated 
  between 
  oppositely 
  

   electrified 
  surfaces, 
  which, 
  in 
  the 
  gigantic 
  operations 
  of 
  

   nature, 
  are 
  conceived 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  exciting 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  tor- 
  

   nado. 
  The 
  phenomena 
  represented 
  by 
  it 
  are 
  designated 
  

   in 
  Pixii's 
  catalogue 
  as 
  " 
  grele 
  electrique," 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  thus 
  

   explained. 
  A 
  metallic 
  rod 
  supports 
  one 
  ball 
  within 
  the 
  

   bell 
  glass, 
  another 
  without, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  

   the 
  knob 
  of 
  another 
  rod 
  R, 
  proceeding 
  from 
  the 
  conductor 
  

   of 
  an 
  electrical 
  machine 
  in 
  operation. 
  The 
  brass 
  ball 
  be- 
  

   ing 
  by 
  these 
  means 
  intensely 
  electrified, 
  attracts 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  pith 
  balls 
  which 
  lie 
  upon 
  the 
  metallic 
  dish 
  in 
  which 
  

   the 
  bell 
  is 
  situated, 
  and 
  which 
  should 
  communicate 
  with 
  

   the 
  cushions 
  of 
  the 
  machine. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  pith 
  balls 
  

   come 
  into 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  electrified 
  ball, 
  becoming 
  simi- 
  

   larly 
  excited, 
  agreeably 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  law 
  they 
  recede 
  from 
  

   each 
  other 
  and 
  are 
  attracted 
  by 
  the 
  oppositely 
  electrified 
  

   dish. 
  Reaching 
  the 
  dish, 
  they 
  attain 
  the 
  same 
  electrical 
  

   state 
  as 
  at 
  first, 
  and 
  are, 
  of 
  course, 
  liable 
  to 
  be 
  attracted 
  

   again. 
  

  

  VOL. 
  V. 
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  v 
  

  

  