126 Mr. Snow Harris on Lightimig Conductors 



mast upon the metals about the parrel of the top-sail-yard 

 at d, where the accumulation became again concentrated, pro- 

 ducing a powerful expansion and heating effect so far as the 

 lower cap at e ; and thus it passed along •per saltum over the 

 lower mast m, from one me- 



tallic mass to another, until 

 within a striking distance s 

 of the sea and hull, it di- 

 vided upon the hull and sea 

 in convenient directions s 7i, 

 s o, s 2^- In this course, as 

 indicated by the waving black 

 line Q, b, c,d, &c., it evidently 

 sought assistance from all the 

 conducting matter it could 

 seize upon ; such as the wet 

 ropes, the copper funnel for 

 top-gallant rigging at 6, the 

 iron work and other bodies 

 about the topmast cap at c, 

 as also the men in the top- 

 gallant crosstrees at c. The 

 charge evidently divided up- 

 on them in proportion to the 

 assistance each could afford 

 as a small auxiliary circuit, 

 as in Exp. 3; the men near- 

 est the mast would be ne- 

 cessarily in the more direct 

 course of the discharge, the 

 others would be more or less 

 so according to their respect- 

 ive positions ; that these 

 poor fellows who were killed 

 suffered in this way as being 

 conductors to parts of the 

 charge is evident from the appearance of the bodies. Mr. 

 Sturgeon calls especial attention to the circumstance of the 

 men being thrown in opposite directions, and thinks it remark- 

 able : but how could it be otherwise? the intervening air 

 being caused to expand violently from a central point, would 

 necessarily operate as a central force ; surely there is nothing 

 very new in this. About the parrel of the topsail-yard at d, 

 we should expect jigain powerful effects ; for here again the 

 charge became concentrated, and set the sail, &c., on fire. 

 This IS quite in accordance with the known laws of electrical 



