Hi Scott and the list,
It seems that Professor Olmstead was an emminent Scientist, although his
theory on telegraph lines and lightning has not been born out he appears to be
the first to associate periodic meteor showers and comets.
http://docsouth.unc.edu/bios/pn0001301_bio.html
"He published many scientific papers, including those on the thermometric
observations made by Dr. Joseph Caldwell in 1820-22, his thoughts on the causes
of hailstorms (1830), and the behavior of lightning (1850). By his detailed
observations of the famous meteor shower of 13 Nov. 1833, he established the
periodicity of such falls and their origin by matter from outside the earth's
atmosphere revolving around the sun, perhaps derived from comets. "
--
73 Warren K2ORS/WD2XGJ/WD2XSH/23
FN42hi
http://www.w4dex.com/wd2xgj.htm
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Scott Tilley <[email protected]>
> While reading the morning paper, Canada's 'Globe and Mail' I found this
> interesting little quip:
>
> "On this date in 1847, The Globe reported: 'The various wires of
> telegraph beginning to intersect so many sections of our country are
> said to have a decided effect upon electricity. That eminent scientific
> man, Prof. Olmstead of Yale College, states, that as the storm comes up
> and especially when over the wires, say 50 or 100 miles distant, the
> lightning is attracted by the wires... 'It is my opinion,' he says,
> 'that we shall never have very heavy thundershowers or hear of lightning
> striking, so long as we have telegraph wires spread over the Earth.' ' "
>
> Source: Glode and Mail, Monday, November 6, 2006
>
> If this where only true! Or, perhaps the demise of the telegraph and the
> rise of radio did us all in and doomed us to thunderstorm static forever ;-)
>
> 73 Scott
>
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