FATAL SPOT
DOES IT ATTRACT LIGHTNING ? CURIOUS EXPERIMENTS [Per United Press Association.] NEW PLYMOUTH:, November 17. The remarkable theory that the spot on the farm on Barrett road, Omata, where the Maori, Hohopata Whanau, was struck and killed instantly by lightning on November 2, has some powerful attraction for lightning was advanced by Mr R. Davies, of Omata, after the fatality. The theory was investigated yesterday by experts, hut no definite conclusion can be reached until the effects of lightning upon the lightning arresters erected at the spot are observed. The day after the fatality Davies tested the spot for attraction, recollecting that many years ago cattle were killed by lightning at the same place. He has made a study of metallurgy and the location of metals by divining. His instruments gave a lead to the spot where the Maori was killed, and gave most definite oscillations on the point where the effect of the lightning was most apparent. These tests were renewed after Davies had demonstrated the power of his instruments to locate metal in the presence of Mr W. H. Huggett, borough electrical engineer, and Mr Donaldson, of the engineering staff of the P. and T. Department. Davies’ theory then advanced was that there was some metallic substance —nickel or the metals usually found in meteorites —in the ground at the spot.
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Bibliographic details
Evening Star, Issue 21571, 17 November 1933, Page 8
Word Count
224FATAL SPOT Evening Star, Issue 21571, 17 November 1933, Page 8
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