Yes; when the earth is charged with a different electricity to that which is in the clouds.
594. Does lightning ever pass directly from the clouds to the earth?
Yes; when the electricity of the clouds seeks to combine with the different electricity of the earth.
The mingling of the electricities of the earth and the air must be continually going on. But lightning does not attend the phenomena, because all natural bodies, vapours, trees, animals, mountains, houses, rocks, &c., &c., act more or less as conductors between the earth and the air. It is only when there is a great disturbance of the electrical forces, that terrestrial lightning is developed. When lightning strikes the earth with great force, it sometimes produces what are called fulgurites in sandy soils; these are hollow tubes, produced by the melting of the soil.
595. What is the extent of mechanical force of lightning?
Lightning has been proved, in one instance, to have struck a church with a force equal to more than 12,000 horse-power. A single horse-power, in mechanical calculations, is equivalent to raising a weight of 32,000 lbs. one foot in a minute. The force of lightning, therefore, has been proved to be equal to the raising of 384,000,000 lbs. one foot in a minute. This is equal to the united power of twelve of our largest steamers, having collectively 24 engines of 500 horse-power each. The velocity of electricity is so great that it would travel round the world eight times in a minute.
"After it a voice roareth: he thundereth with the voice of his excellency; and he will not stay them when his voice is heard."—Job xxxvii.
The church alluded to was St. George's church, Leicester, a new edifice, which was completely destroyed on the 1st of August, 1846, by a thunder-storm. The steeple was rent asunder, and massive stones were hurled to a distance of thirty feet. The vane rod and top part of the spire fell down perpendicularly and carried with it all the floors of the tower. A similar disaster occurred to St. Bride's church, Fleet-street, London, about 100 years ago. The lightning first struck upon the metal vane of the steeple, and then ran down the rod and attacked the iron cramps, smashing the large stones that lay between them. The church was nearly destroyed. By the same wonderful force, ships have been disabled, trees split asunder, houses thrown down, and animals struck dead.