c— STUDY OF THUNDERSTORMS LIGHTNING STROKES IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE COUNTRY. No One Has Yet Devised a Special Method of Protection For Man in Thunderstorm—Why so Few Light. ning Strokes Fall in the Cities. Probably no other scientific subject fas s0 much interest for the general public as that of meteorology. The work of the Weather Bureau is watch- ed more closely than that of any other department of the Government, and scarcely a newspaper reader fails to see what it has to say about the weather. One division of meteorology, however, has more interest, especially for women, than any other just at present, now that the hot season with its thunderstorms is approaching, and protection against lightning is a fruit. ful subject for discussion. This pro tection has two sides—that of life and property—one interesting the farmer more than any other person, and the other mainly womankind. The discus- slon over the best means of protect- Ing buildings from the electric fluid from the clouds has been going on for many years, and the lightning-rod agent has always been the butt of the cartoonist and the comic paragrapher: ways been let alone by these worthles, probably because no one has yet de- methods of protection for man thunder-storm. but that seems to have been disproved by the United States Weather Bureau, which has been investigating the sub- ject for the last dozen ycars. The subject was taken up in 1890 by the Bureau in a desultory sort of way, a country records of deaths by lightning. Then the officials at the various weather bu- reau stations throughout the country searched the local newspapers and re ported their facts. As this did not yield the results desired, a clipping bureau was employed in 189% and 1900, and in the two years nearly clippings were received. he search was then abandoned, one reason being the work of classification of the enor- that no really useful information was obtained in this way. The result of the work is given in a paper prepared ologists of the Bureau, under the di- rection of his chief, Willis L.. Moore. as the Bureau was able to learn. 713 persons were killed or received fatal injuries from lightning in 1900. Of this number, 219 were killed open, 158 in houses, and 56 in barns. about the rest, 151, were unknown. 973, of whom 327 received their barns, and 29 under treees. The It very ing 317 cases occurred is unknown. is believed that these statistics nearly show the actual injuries and it may be accepted as a fact that 700 to 800 lives are lost each year by lightning stroke. Frem the data ob tained, it has also been possible to form some idea of the death-rate due to lightning in the various States and Territories. Thunderstorms occur wits considerable frequency over all the territory east of the 100th meri- dian, excepting a narrow strip along the northern border. West of that me. the frequency steadily diminishes un- til it is practically zero at the Pacific Coast. There are regions of maximum thunderstorm frequency— one in the Southeast, with crest over Florida, one in the middle Mis- sissippi Valley, and one in the middie Missouri Valley. The average number of days with thunderstorms in the first-named region was 45, in the sec ond 35, and in the last 30. three its ley and Tennessee. The greatest nim- ing the wears 1896-1900 occurred Pennsylvania—186; followed by Ohio with 135, and Indiana, Illinois. and New York with 124 each. The great. east fatality from a single stroke oc- curred at Chicago, where wleven per- sons were killed while huddled upon a pier on the north shore and other figures the facts are de. ducted that statistics of deaths by lightning based upon total population are not comparable, except for areas having about the same density of pop- ulation. It is stated that in general the death rate by lightning per million of total population of any section is about one-half in the cities of what it is in the rural districts, and that the more densely populated the districts the less the rate, Mr. Henry says that while the belief is general that the chance of injury by lightning 1a less in cities than in the country, it is hard to determine what the foundation is for such an idea. It is not surprising that so few lightning strokes fall in cities when their area is compared with the Im- mense territory embraced in the rural districts. The modern city’s bulldings, with metallic roofs and steel frames, are fairly good conductors of electric. ity, and much less In danger of re ceiving a damaging stroke of lightning than an isolated dwelling in the open country. Then the multiplication of telephone, telegraph, and electric light wires in many cities add to the effect. fveness of silent discharges in rellev- ing the electric tension during a thun- der-storm. All this, however, Mr. Henry declares, {s set at naught if a cloud with a tremendous store of en- ergy approaches, and all of the wires [in ten cities would not prevent it frow discharging right and left until its store of energy has been dissipated, and only then will the danger be over. OLDER THAN THE INDIANS. Bones of Prehistoric Men Unearthed by the Recent Tennessee Floods. After noticing the more material de- struction wrought by the recent flood there are interest and fascination in studying some of its freaks which ap- peal more to sentiment and the stu. dent. Ancient graves were washed up at several places. The editor visit. ed one of these Monday. On Dave Wade's farm, between his residence and Richland Mills the flood washed up what is called an “old Indian graveyard.” The burying place was located on a knoll rising gently from the creek and evidently supposed to be above high water by the prehis. toric people who buried their dead there with such care. But all trace of a graveyard had long since disap- peared and not even a tradition re mained among the old negroes in the neighborhood. The field was worth $60 an acre before the flood and last year sixteen acres, including the old graveyard produced fourteen bales of cotton. { The land had been in cultivation long | before it came into possession of Mr Wade, and, as stated, there was | neither trace nor tradition of a grave yard, But when the «k spread | the bottoms as never before. this knoll | extending down into the hend of the creek suffered great destruction by the swift current flowing across it | The soll was swept away and when the flood receded the grav | posed. We cannot tell how deep the bodies were originally buried, nor how many graves are yet uncovered, nor | how many were swept away, | no trace, left exposed dently graves of graves of small children The vaults were f similar to vaults in Thin slabs of limestone, brought from some acrogs the ways along graves are about in le and ten wide, indicating that | buried on narrow to the back who first the gkelet » ly The body had been vault whic was flat thus it by the mourners | placed it there rest undisturbel cr evi are Some of these we 9 adults and some somewhat of today. rmed graves evidently perhaps are placed edge ends. The two feet to six feet to sixteen inches the as are a body to lie flat and graves distance cresk, the sides and ngth bodies the aide they permit i we persons Say the side in the other bury; xed into the ing on placed covered by rocks, and was and loved ones that the body to the end of when the flood exposed these care. time prepared vaulty, they were soon and in the souvenirs, the t people were carried away was found in one grave, contained nothing 'ut decayed bones. she Indians who this country up to about one hundred years | ago, not usually bury their dead with such care. They simply opened a grave, wrapped a blanket about the dead body, laid it in the shallow grave i and filled in the earth. Students ethnology claim this country was hab..»d by a race of idol | people, commonly call Builders,” who were driven out by Indians mound of other ancient ahsence these opened wones of occupied 1 did in tte "Mound od builders hese but they Indian in respects, while the Spiris Indian worship many i {idols worshipped the The graves recently washed up on the Wade farm may have some con- nection with a discovery made about thirty years ago in the bluff on side of the creek. Dave In- | mann, who then lived at the Mrs. Hays | place, went to some dogs that had {| chased a rabbit into the rocks on the { bluff. Among the rubbish he i two small clay figures, one the form {of a man, the other a woman. They Hv “Great opposite or five inches high. —Pulash. Citizen. | Why Burglars Prefer Quakers as Vie- tims, { occurred in suburban the past few weeks and that have been brought to the attention of the local siderable annoyance, Thelr investiga- tlon the robberies fact that in almost every instance the houge visited home of a member of the Society of Friends. police, but now they think they have found the reason. They say it is due to the fact that no Quaker. will keep firearms in his home. The thieves know this, and when they set forth on a suburban expedition they choose some section peopled largely by Quakers and confine their depreda- tions to the homes of the Friends. The average burglar has a wholesome dread of a shotgun, and orefers to enter a house where, while they may be arrested, there is not one chance in a hundred of their being shot. — Philadelphia Telegraph. I End of Noted Mustard Seed Case. The famous “mustard seed case,” the suit of Henry Runkel va, Robert Dixon, came to an ending in the Circuit Court at Kenosha, Wis., when a jury returned ‘a verdict for the plaintiff and fixed his damhages at $76.26 and the costs of the action. Four years ago the suit was started. Runkel! had purchased from Dixon a large quantity of what he sup- posed to be rape seed, but which when sown proved to be wild mustard seed. The plants came up and the Runkel far mawas overrun with the wild mus. tard. He demanded $5,000 damages and tho case has been In court ever since. ~—~Milwaukee Sentinel, ¥ of WHY PLANTS ARE PRETTY. THE AGENCY OF INSECTS IN MAK. ING FLOWERS BEAUTIFUL. Nowhere Else in the Realm eof Life Can We So at a Glance Perceive the Interaction Between All Liv- ing Beings. The following is an extract from an article by Prof. N. 8. Shaler, of Har- vard University, in Harper's Maga- zine, entitled “The Relations of Ani- mals and Plants:" If we watch a honey-be>, or, better, we may note that he discerns the sought-for flower afar off. indicate this from a hundred feet more away. He knows the seeks by its gray corolla, which serves him as well as a tavern sign that looks up and down the travelled way serves other wayfarers. When the bee comes to the place of business he finds convenient footing provided by the petals, so that he can into the center of the cup. Then he has an immediate reward in a sip of nectar, and, it may be, fur- { ther pay in the store of pollen that can gathered, balled upon his thighs and takén to the hive, As he tumbles about in the flower | the soon becomes covered with pollen, which adheres to the short | hairs on his body, with the result that some of it is conveyed to the next blossom that is visited, and serves to bring about the prontable cross-ter- | tilization. As the the habit of be hee in of of in their round are spreading the work any one day on the same kind plants-—though in the course the | season they resort to a variety of { species-——the pollen they carry about, though still much of it is wasted is vastly more effective than If it | trusted to the chance of the wind. What we observe in the actions of | bees they vi simple | such as a rose, is the beginning 3 1 ‘¥ @ between piants bees of were as flower, { of a series of relations | and insects which, i of insects and | somes, is often | ed: most noticeably so In which are contrived with | the particular moths or butterflies, Here we often find very eurious ar rangements of the corolla, so that the in allures it, i polien fastened Wun other species other shapes of blos- ly elaborat those plants reference to species of wonderfully ndert visits of seeking the nectar whicn is sure to have some of the upon its body in a po fust will be brushed the next | the species which is visited, The contrivances of the plant are matched by those of the way which {| laboration between served to give to each group In large part their shape. and tc the much of their liigence It Is evident that come beautiful b during ages since attract the visits and moths that have shaped their bodies. their modes of life and upon their | profitable relati 8 with the | Insect sition where the {| upon the pistil of flower of insects in a 4 singular col them which has indicates insects ints flowers have be ¥ endeavors the coal of bees, but made period to terflies and these creature: their instincts flowers of vo how between contact insects and plants The groups are in two very widely parted realms, yet out there cf their neces has led to come an a vast enhane each of taem from ntl sities inter which has in the quality of { lower life relations, and the higher intellis To this interaction 1s mainly aue { development of the vast array of in. | insect species, perhaps two million in | number, and in hardly measure | the variety among planta. em has won beauty logs Wanted Too Muck. “Some folks want the earth, ;and { that's no lapse from the confines ot | vamacity,” remarked the head watch | Jewelry establishment. months ago the boss handed me one | house. He sald he wanted ft regu. | lated and instructed mo to give 12 my best attention, explaining that If the timepiece proved satisfactory the store could dispose of an even dozen like it to the purchaser, whe repre | time In the conduct of its business | chinery and asked the possible pur. | chaser to carry the watch in his pocket for several weeks and then having. He reappeared at the end of quirements had not been met and that the sale was off. The boss curt ly remarked that he did not care for such trade, adding that any closer running than had been exhibited by the watch was well-night impossible, “No,” concluded the watch maker, fMdly, “some folks wouldn't be satis- fled if they handled the switch that {controls the earth.”—Washington tar, Wildfire in Dismal Swamp. The great Dismal Swamp has again been afire, but the flames were got un. ! der control. Frightened wild animals, as well as human beings, were driven from the boggy fastnesses swept by wie flames. There is no small game left in the northern part of the swamp to speak of. The budding vegetation was dried up, and nearly five square miles of the ' mest timber land in the swamp were a stumps, the sole evidence of what Sad been worth thousands of dollars to the mills, The high winds that have swept the coast during the past few days fanned the fire, and it was only the prevail ing direction of the gale that drove the flames outward to the edge of the swamp, where they died. The flames illumined the sky for a great distance, and the woods near the swamp were impassable for smoke. —Richmond Dis. THE INSIDE ROUTE, Hatteras for Coastwise Vessels. Cape Hatteras, the most dangerous point upon the “Atlantic seaboard, will cease to exist as a menace to coast wise navigation If the present plans of the United States Government are car- ried out, the details of which will be called to the attention of Congress at the present session, and an appropria- tion urged for the execution. For generations the name of Cape synonymous with shipwrecks and loss of life. All sorts of schemes have been pro- posed to minimize its dangers. lions of dollars have been spent in at- tempts to properly light thee brated Diamond shoals, which round Cape Hatteras impossible after years storms, of labor to ed was placed at Diamond shoals only to de away from her glant mushroom anchors. During a!l this their ashe ce and milll of property and hundr of continued to lost Every brought a long record of Cape Hatteras The sailors coming from cisco dreaded this ons any other the th Horn. The tried ive it a has to blown steamers lost were driven time vessels of dollars’ Learings 18 mM cus winter on be disasters San in long voyage round ‘ 3 COASIWIRG YeREein But 1t permanent menace to to g wide bert? remained as a more one has commerce on navigation, and injure coastwise sther agency. i the cape contem- Atlantic than any plan to avol an practicable and channels, yy which trade will be enabled to Cape Hatteras protected from the fury of the way down the sandbars, ingeni thoroughly system of inland canals ' coastwise 3 wi and plates ing and pass behind ocean the whole coast by low-lyin he Dismal Sw ditch of co ratively small im- nee § 1 through its length {ere b irdered by cy 8, gum and iarge coast vessels can sail or tow in safety. now put Hatteras and will, it claimed, more st of towage In this The saving in time i the to hu small canal, a miger- to be desnens magnolia extra insurance ships becauss of Cape its dangers in for the « than pay new inside route an safety will be an item of no ortancs magnificent fleet of yachts kept yorthern waters can then pass up fown the coast ‘n safety. When ite is finishel a coastwise transportation to take place passage from Boston to officials to be of the future. as the in this a ked at The } first ane step PENNSYLVANIA BRIEFLY TOLD. Special Dispatches Boiled Down for Quick Reading, PATENTS AND PENSIONS GRANTED Two Killed and Twenty-Five Hurt in a Trolley Ditaster— State's Claim to Be Paid by the Goverament.. Wasbiogton Bask Merger Alighted on a Tree Top Lightaing Bolt From a Clear Sky—Sesks “Doctored” Meat Pensions granted : Robert Elliott Pitcairn, $8; John F. Price, Wilkins burg, $12; Pnoch Hugg. Philipsburg $10; Frederick Ott, Pittsburg, $12; jos eph T. Guthrie, Reynoldsville, $12; Geo F. Fleegle, Hope Church, $30; Nicholas Ahles, Carrollton, $12; Joseph Shook New Castle, $8: John Thomas, Windber $8; Theodore Lebarron, Grand Valley $12; Alexander C. Rohback, Mifflinburg $10; George F. Aer, Pittsburg, $12; Jas H. Powers, Allegheny, $12: John Mates Turtle Creek, $8; Ellen Roberts, Brad ford, $8; Margaret Anstadt, Boone, $8; Mary Wiland, Blandsburg, $8; Margaret Himmel, Carrollton, $8: Hannah A. Al ston, Allegheny, $8; Clara EF. Dennis, Turbulville, $8; Caroline Baner, Pitts burg, B Patents granted: Robert M. Downie Jeaver Falls, drilling machine; Buroth, Uniontown, wheel: Bertrise R Hogan, Erie, sectional Washing- D. Keyes, Blairsville, lehr for nealing plate glass: Herbert Kintz an H J Lennard, Sharpsburg, wrench Thomas Lindsay and L. L. White, Wil lamp hanger; William J. Long, adder ; merding, Pleasant, ompound, Rehn Loui system D separating George i fastener Lansford, block s i Roll, grate bond; Ananias Mt fluxing and Soyer Riebe John J ores; ne : aatron front and *¥h Ey 7 PRIM ames lracy and W doll 3 controlling mecha r heaters: Jo garment stretcher War Dep: rin r Stone a wa nt bacl General was in settlement overnment art did not i of the cf jured mn an ac zareth Street gent and of veasels the the passage of contemplated in made, is simply a channels through larger class now as being of dredging survey matter narrow strip of land which forms Cape its north and south ag>, is considered and most easy harbors on the pass into the Elizabeth River at Nor. folk and thence down tho one of the safest of access of all the const bor. When the improvements contemplat- ed are made it is probable that the “inside route” will be continued below Beaufort inlet. This will give ine United States the greatest stretch of protected water ig the world. It will be valuable in war time, as small war. ships and whole fleets of torpedo boats can pass from northern waters almost to the gulf without once go- outside. Washington Evening Star. Dentistry Through a Mole in a Sheet. “The Nawab of Rampur, which place is about 1,000 miles to the northwest of Calcutta, came down from his home to call on us,” said Dr. D. 8. Smith, of Calcutta. “He brought 150 people with him the whole 1,000 miles just to see about getting his mother's teeth fixed. She wanted a set of false teeth and because every English woman had two sets the maharima must have two sets also. The Nawab of Rampur is a Mohammedan, so, of course, the mother could not show her face. Like. wise on that account I had to go to Rampur to do the work. Two thou. sand miles to make two sets of false teeth. Well, it cost the Nawab 4,000 rupees. The old woman—she was a grandmother, as is almost every older woman in Indla-—lay back with her face covered up and I worked at her mouth through a hole in a sheet." ~ Louisville CourlerJournal. The yearly interest upon France's debt 1s equal to $4.20 for every. mam, woman and child in France. home 1 about 1 when policeman Hanson was found dead seen later entered hotel A blind horse belonging to Watson coal operators, Beaver Falls over a precipice near the edge of the pit mouth, and went crashing to The animal The by smashed into kindling wood driver, [Thomas Wood, escaped jumping and alighting in a tree top The stockholders of the Title Guar. mngton, voted to merge the two institu tions. The new concern will be known as the Washington Trust Company and will have a capital of $300,000 The commencement Beaver Falls High School took Wednesday. The class members were Ivy Chandley. Clara Behnaman, Eliza- beth Craig. Stella Bliner. Edna Peirce, Vera Hamilton. Howard Douds and Thomas Moorhead. Col. David C. Keller died at his home in Reading, aged 63. He served with distinction during the Civil War and was prominent in Grand Army and Ma- sonic circles. He was formerly commis. sioner of Berks county Pure Food Commissioner Cope has directed that suits be commenced against three meat dealers in Pittsburg, whose names are withheld, for using sulphite to preserve sausage and chopped meat While harrowing his farms Elwood Barnes, of Doylestown Township, found a piece of beautifully marked flint, sev. en and a quarter inches long, two inches broad and an inch thick. It resembles a tomahawk or hatchet. The blade is con. vex and has thirteen notches cut in it. Water impregnated with sulphur, flowing from several mines from which the pumpmen were withdrawn, has kill ed many fish in the Nescopeck Creek. Rev. Harry C. Kline, pastor of St ohn's Lutheran Church, preached the ccalaureate sermon to the graduates of the Hamburg High School. The Pennsylvania Railroad Company has withdrawn its passenger train service from the Clover Creek Branch in Blair county, inhabitants of the towns of Royers and Creminea, after being ac customed to railroad travel for twenty years, are again dependent upon stage coaches to get to the outer wotld. of the place excraises COMMERCIAL REVIEW, Genera! Trade Conditions. Jradstreet’s says: “With almost uni- formly good wheat, corn, oats and cot- ton crop reports, improved retail demand caused by warmer weather, a full vol- ume of re-order business for this sea- of the year, good collections and heavy railroad earnings, the only cloud on the situation would seem to be the continued unrest of labor and the idle- of large numbers of industrial workers as a result thereof Wheat is slightly lower on good crop reports, but straightened supplies of corn and oats make holders confident. Corn supplies are half those of and 60 per cent. of the stock Cotton was depressed rt selling, but ral- lied later. Hog products generally are rather easier, lard 1s lower and butter is also off. Business failures for the week number 152, as against 190 last week, 192 this week last year, 167 in 1900, 158 in 1899 and 1Bg8. Failures in Canada number 17, as against 22 last week, and 24 a ago. Clearings aggregate $50,379,887 gain of B per cent. over ast Over SON ness ( visible only iast year s, 15 in Chicago carly on confident she in 231 in year s 1. week and of 30 per cent las Jia LATEST QUOTATIONS. Flour—Spring clear Patent, $480; choice Wheat—New Yorl ). 2. Ni 2. B 3 Baltimo #6 Corn—New No. 2 adelphia 671 “ Fi : 1.28 , 70%¢c; Phil- Baltimore No. 7a Ty 2, 4fx Pila- 1als ” . » “ A1LIMOTC 0 2, . ND Vegetables — Apples ; do No. 2s, all 23.25. Asparagus $2002.50 do, xd, per nd Prints, , 23a24; Dairy pts s, per dozen, 16a Cheese «New York State cheddars, flats, 1134a12¢c: do do Ohio-—Flats, 19%ar1c; Skims, gatoc. Swiss do do Live roosters Joatac; w 12%ar3c: old spring chickens per 1b, 1Ba2ac: Ducks, 10a13¢c steers, association and salters, late kill, 60 Ibs and up. close se lection, 11a12¢; cows and light steers, 814 aoc. poultry. —Hens, cach, 2%a30C; mnter chickens Hides—Heavy Live Steck. Chicago Cattle — Choice steady to strong, others weak to lower; good to prime steers $7.00a7.55; poor to medium $s.00a6.75: stockers and feeders $27%a 5.25: cows $1.50a6.00; heifers $2.50a6.50; canners $1.50a2.30;: bulls $2350a4360: calves $2 30a7.00; Texas-fed steers $5.50 a68s. Hogs—Mixed and butchers’ $6.00 a7.27%; good to choice heavy $7.15a7.15; rough heavy $6.9%a7.15; light $6.70a7.00; bulk of sales $6.0%a7 20. Sheep—Choice, steady :good to choice wethers $57 6.25: Western sheen $2.7%a6.25: native lambs §$35.00a700; Western lambs $5 25a 700; Colorado lambs $7.22 East Liberty —Cattle steady: choice $6.05a7.25; prime $6 50a6 80; good $580 a6.50. Hogs steady; prime heavy hogs $7.40: mediums $7 20a7.25: heavy York- ers $7.1507.20; light Yorkers $7.03a7.10; pigs $6.00a7.00: rough $680. Sheep hi prime wethers $sfoasBo: culls and common $2350a3.350: choice fambs $6.7%a7.00; veal calves $7.00a%.%0. LABOR AND INDUSTRY St. Paul's Building Exchange refuses a recognize the Building Trades Coun. Ci New York plumbers and gas fitters ro receive $4.25 a day, commencing uly 1. E. E. Schmitz, the labor mayor of San Francisco, says he is not a candidate for Governor. . Efforts are being made to induce Con- gress to pass a bill establishing a govern- ment type foundry. The Intetnational J ypogra | non is reported to ng the initiative in the matter.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers