The blue at the top of the mast.

[oneighty]

It was a dark and stormy night off the coast of North Korea 1952. Lightning had been flashing, popping all around our two hundred twenty foot long steel hull mine sweeper.

Now it was quiet. The blue light dancing at the top of the mast had we watchers on the bridge mesmerized as we stood mouths agape at seeing this St Elmo's Fire.

Was there noise? Was there odor? I do not remember. St Elmo's Fire stayed seemingly a long time as many of our crew were summoned to the bridge to witness this rare event.

Once my wife and I driving north on Route Seventeen on a darkened night and crossing the swampy delta between the North and South Santee Rivers were treated to an immense display of Fox Fire, Will O'the wisps. It appeared that a whole section of the delta was aflame.

We did not stop to observe there in that wilderness as it was spooky to say the least.

180

[JitterbugPerfume]

1. A rare priviledge

Does anybody know what causes St Elmos fire?

[Dr Batsen D Belfry]

2. Link here - Pretty cool!

St. Elmo"s Fire

[JitterbugPerfume]

3. thank!!!!

cool

I saw ball lightning once Scared the poop outta me

[Dr Batsen D Belfry]

4. I saw St. Elmo's Fire once

when lightning hit the flagpole outside a dorm when I went to college. It just glowed blue on top for a while. It was pretty cool.

I got my appreciation for lightning a few years later though. I was an RA in college and had to respond to a fire alarm in the furthest building from the office during a thunderstorm. I ran my ass off across the 150 yards to get to that building, and just shy of 75 yards, I heard this crackling sound and all the hair on my body stood on end. I dove under the footbridge that went over the creek bed just as the lightning hit.

It looked like billions of fireflies floating around me


DBDB

[oneighty]

5. Not lightning

I think. But?

While working with the Army Corps of Engineers in and on Lake Superior at on this particular day of snow flurries and freezing rain and wind I was asked to climb a safe Harbor entrance navigational light (Little Lake) to check the condition of the light at the top.

I was wearing a yellow slicker suit with a hood. Once at the top of the mast a great sparking of electricity leaped between the hood and my face creating loud crackling sounds. I did not feel anything but I came down many times faster than I went up. It was very frightening. I suspect it was static electricity discharge.

180

[Freebird12004]

6. thanks for the story