Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1852-02-26
Electricity, Conductors, &c.

Electricity, its nature, and the best modes of
protecting life and property from its effects.
There is no one of the physical sciences on
which so little Is known as this. Years of study
and observation have convinced US tht this sci
ence--ifthe few effects, with fewer causes, thus
far taught IN the books can be called science
is yet in its veriest infancy and that this ee-
ment, in all the functions of vegetable and ami
NAL life, in health and epidemical diseases, IN
heat and cold, drought and it's reverse, and in
the varied growth o. all the productions of the
earth, exercises an agency now little dreamed
Of The writer, as far as he has gone has Civ
en- US, in our estimation, the clearest, most cor
rect and practical treatise thai has yetbeen laid
before the pubc.-ED.
The common opinlon,iC Sdol9s 4eatning rod
attached to barn Or olha. SaildipS, s sintended
10 receive the shaft Of lightning after it has left
the cloud, and conduct it harmlessly to the
ground. This it may do sometimes, but am
clearly of the opinion that this is the smallest
service that it renders. propose in thlspaper,
to enter into the subject at large, and to e&anne
it thoroughly, with view to It's more clearelu-
cldaton, for the benefit of farmers and otMrs
The cause of thunder storm, is disturbance
of the equilibrium of the electricity Of the earh
and the atmosphere, Thus, if cloud be mor9
highly charged with electricity than the earth
: a. =, ,bop of fbo
um the cloud becomes positively and the earth
negatively charged, in relation to each other, and
an explosion or discharge from the cloud 10 the
earth will necessarily take place, unless some
medium be provided for conducting the excess
of fluid from the cloud to the earth. A damp
atmosphere between the cloud and the earth,
connecting them, will accomplish this And in
all cases of this disturbance, there must reces.
sarily be stratum of very dry atmosphere be-
tween the cloud and the earth. Let us suppose
storm approaching. A heavy black cloud ap-
proaches rapidly from the northwest. is high
ly charged with electricity. Everybody expects
a thunderstorm. Now, the question is, how can
this threatening storm be prevented? believe
it can be in all cases. The prime conductor of
powerful electrical machine, represents an over
charged cloud A powerfully charged Leyden
jar, represents the same. Now, when either of
these are fully charged, if you hold with your
fingers the point OF needle towards them, you
will gradually, and insensibly, discharge them.
If you are smoking a segar, and approach the
burning end of it near the jar of the conductor
you will efectualy discharge them Though your
own body, unfelt. Whereas, if you approach
either with blunt object, say the knuckle Of
the finger, you will in the case of the conductor
receive sharp spark-a miniature streak o.
lightning in the case Of tie Leyden jar, VIC.
lent shock On this prlnc4pie, I have taught
many little girl to play TRICKS with the power
full electrical machines at the museums. dlrec
them to hold needle, or even pin, between
the knuckes OF the fingers, the point only pro
| iectng 10 a leve. with the apex of the knucIes
so that it will not be seen and as the operator
] turns his crank to get up a charge, hold the
! knuckles within an inch or two of the prime
: conductor. If she do this, in vain shall the op
= orator strive and labor to get up a charge. |
a she allows him 10 get the conductor fully charg
t ed, and then holds her knuckes, with the piI
: between them, to the prime conductor say with
}. IN an inch, it will be Immediately discharged
n and the operator is struck with wonderment, be
o ing unable to account for the failure Of his ex
9, petiments So, also shut the fingers Of the han
l. closely, and let the knuckes represent a row c
l. houses. Place a sharp pointed pin or needle be
d tween the two middle knuckles, the point nc
IF higher than the the knuckles Now hold tn
r, knuckles towards the prime conductor, approach
n ing ever so closely, and there will be no spar
!, seen, however vigorously the machine may b
1f worked but, without Withdrawing the knuckle
e merely relax them so as to drop the pin. and in
g stanly tile knuckles will be struck by the spark
W You may use the pin in any way you please
y and you cannot attract 10 il a spark but yo
d can discharge the prime conductor of the Ley
i den jar OF all its excess Of electricity, as befor
N described. In these cases tie excess of elec
trcty passes over the point of the pm, and tn
Of body of the person holding it. unseen and unfe
y, When these experiments are performed in
re very dark place, the point of the pin Is seen
G. be very luminous while the conductor is bein
r. discharged.
le Now, what is expected to be olucidated
n. these experiments IN relation to the subject
lightning rods, is this:
The great prime OBJ isct ora lightning rod,
= to form medium through which the equlibriu
cy of the electrical state of the earth and air ina
be re-established, or its disturbance prevente
Suppose a cloud to be approaching, heav
ed charged with electricity, directly ovel barn Il
ly led with the fresh harvest. If that barn be pr
rs vded with good lightning rod, 1t may
chance be protected by the rod receiving Il
BY shaft as it descends. But suppose several 20
he lightning rods were erected at distance to t
IN wlndward of the barn, they would effcua
lr- discharge the cloud of its electricity before
iul reached the barn. And here permit me to
mark, that believe a lightning rod affords me
protection TO some neighbor's buildings to
eawnrd of it, than it does to that on which it
sh situated. According to my ideas of the laws
- electricity, the proper protection of farm bui
a lngs should consist in the erection of lehtni
y" rods on several very high trees, or other ele,
ted objects at a distance of at least quarter
mile from the buildings, in such directiC
ma rom them as such storms usually come fro
mn, say, north, northwest west, south west, so
red and southeast. | would also erect lightn
ing rods on all the buildings, for special Esotecti
ath If dozen lightning rods were thus erected O
'ws farm, and properly adjusted, do not see h
ing 1t would be possible for the buildings on
farm, or anything else, to be struck with liz