Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa Territory [Iowa]) 1840-1846, 1844-08-31
Lightning Rods.

About one o'clock on Wednesday morn
ing last, a small house in Hill street, New
Haven, which was supplied with a light
ming rod, was struck with lightning, not
withstanding. Prof. Olmsted, in a com
munication which we. find in the N. Ha.
ven HeD.d, states the circumstances O
the case, and accounts for the inetiicacy |.
the rod, as follows:- sos aH n',s
Although no lives we're lost, and nc
great damage was done to the premises
yet the bolt left very strong marks Of its
violence, in having taken no less than four
different routes to the earth, either Of
which would have been sufficient alone tc
have conveyed any ordinary charge A
tall sycamore tree, standing before the
house, received one part ofthe charge, ex-
hibiting on its surface curious marks q
the progress Of the fash, which coursed
its way in different ramifications, tearing
up the ground on opposite sides Of the
trunk.
A tin pipe on one corner OF the house
conveyed another part Of the charge, which,
tore off pieces of the clapboards. A third
branch descended the front chimney into
the cellar, where it manifested its effects
in dislocating portions If the stone wall
The fourth branch took the lightning rod,
which was attached to the chimney in tho
rear, followed il down to the tin cutters on
the caves, where it left the rod and found
its way to the earth through the tin spout
at the corner Of the building. "
/ Why did not the lightning rod pro ect
the premises, and conrey tie entire charge
harmless to the earthi Two facts indica-
ted, at the first glance, that the rod was de-
fective in its constructions; the first was,
that it shared the Office Of conducting the
flash from the cloud to the earth, with
three other conductors. Had it been a
perfect rod, it would have lnonopolized the
charge. The second was, that the branch
Of the fluid which entered the rod, LEFT it
on reaching the gutter, preferring The route
to the earth BY way OF the perpendicula,
lin spout. One defect discovered in the
rod was its inferior size, not being more
than half that prescribed for lightning rods;
but another defect, and one OF far greater
was the extremely bad termi-
nation Of the rod at the lower extremity.
Instead Of descending TO the depth Of per-
manent moisture, which on this sandy
hill is not less than eight feet, It termina-
tad at The depth Of t.Co jet, in dry san, san Ii
might nearly as well have terminated in a
glass bottle. The portion below the
ground was also rusty, which further inn
paired its conducting powers. 1t ought to
have been protected from rust BY coat Of
black paint, and BY being surrounded by
powdered charcoal, neither Of which pre-
cautions was used. The lightning pre-
ferred the tin spout to the tin rod, because
the former was nearly in contact, at the
lower end, with the run Of water from the
adjacent wash room. ~ i
Hence there is nothing in this case
which oughtin the least impair our conf
dence in lightning rods when well con-
although, it is an admoniion 70
ali householders to see that their dwell1
fngs are protected BY conductors, which |
ire made according 70 the established rules
Of science. u lsis9g aI igaeha