Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1853-07-29
Insurance against Lightning.
TO OWNERS OF PROPERTY

property. lhe Time mas arrived wnen every
man should think for himself. and not submit Il
be deceived by imitators and impostors. |
it il necessary to have q Lightning Rod at
tached TO a building, in order TO project i
from the destructive influences of lightning, it i
important TO have one constructed on scientific
principles, and adapted to the purpose which i
is intended 10 serve. A poor rod causes mis-
chief, by failing to protect the building which i
is designed to shelter; and creates uncertainty
and doubt in the minds Of the public in regare
to the utility and salty Of those which are really
valuable and safe. As good rod costs no mort
than poor one. ii certainly becomes purchaser
TO examine What they are going to buy. and moi
cxpend money on worthless article, and thus
expose their property to destruction Tor want o
| proper protection. have put up near six thou
sand rods, and have shipped great number 10
various parts of the world, especially TO the
Southern States, and have never heard of the
loss of single life, or the destruction of dol
| lars worth Of property, by lightning, in any
! building to which one of my rods has been at
tsched. Can as much be said in favor Of any
other rod in use!
I have received information of some sixty or
eighty instances in which rods that have put
up have been been struck by lightning, in all OF
III
ui,hou, the sgh;es, injury to person OF property.
There is hut one true principle on which rod
can he made to answer the purpose for which il
! is erected. The laws which govern electricity
do not change, and il we study nature in this
respect as We do in others, We shall be able to
, comprehend them. There are many erroneous
opinions entertained about lightning, and the
construction and erection of rods: for instance,
many suppose tha, the highest objects necessarily
receive stroke first. Let US look at this matter
a moment: According to the laws of nature, a
thunde,holt $50 We call it) proceeds. under GER
tain conditions, naturally to the earth as rain
does. Unless, therefore, it comes within the in
flueuce of some body which attracts it, it pro-
ceeds in a straight course TO the earth. The OBJ
iect tha, lies in its path becomes its conductor,
" he,her it be a tree, a dwelling, or anything
else, high or low. II will be seen, therefore,
iha, rod whose only merit is its capabiiity Of
conducting the Lightning TO the ground. after it
has received it. is of but little value; inasmuch
as any other part OF the building is just as likely
TO lie in its path and receive lbe stroke. as the
rod. 4 house, to be protected by such rods,
mus, needs b. surrounded by them; and herein
consists one Of the principal merits of my Elec.
tro- Magnet Rod, viz: that they possess an ab-
soute attraction for the lightning, thus actually
inviting and drawing it from the cloud when in
dangerous proximity to the building, and carry
ing it safely TO the ground. thereby creating an
equilibrium between the cloud and the surround
ing atmosphere, and thus preventing q stroke.
Another opinion which is held by many, and
which is very erroneous is that rods require in-
suIatiop. This o!,Jrct would be very desiIable,
if il could be attained but this is impossible.
As glass j. non>conducter only when dry, and
becomes, by being wet, a good conductor, the
space between the glass and the rod becomes, du-
ring shower, filled up by inPedimerts, thus af-
fordina a free passage TO the electric fluid, which
naturally ahandons the smaller for the larger
body If the latter is as good a conductor il
therefore flies from the rod to the glass, consul
ming the moisture (Which conducted i) it
passcs ard the stay nail or staple which passes
round the glass is necessarily larger than the
glass or rod and therefore presents greater sur
face (it being well understood that lightning tra-
verses the surface Of its conductorsl. it passes
from the glass To the staple, and by this is cons
Quoted into whatever it is attached to. The
suit is the destruction Of the property All this
is no secret. 1t takes place every summer, es-
peciay in the country, simply because more rods
arc put up THE i-l"" ihAsA Than in the cities.
Another point cu which grea; stress is laid, is
the use q screw joints on the different sections
of the rod. Nv objection TO this plan is. that
the joints very apt 10 rust; in fact but l,'ie
time is required 20 break the connection at every
Joint. the surface of which becomes coated with
a dry hard crust which destroys the metallic
connection. This is great disadvantage to the
rod for the fluid is liable to be thrown from il at
at each joint thus exposing the building to the
full severity Of The stroke.
This difficulty is obviated by using turn-eyes
instead of screw-jcinis. BY means of these we
obtain, without reducing the size of the rod, an
extension Of its surface. | arrange spring be-
low the ground in such manner as to keep the
d,ffcrcnt sections OF The rod always in connection
with each other. The advantage of this spring
is that it contracts and ex xpands, according TO the
expansion and contraction of the rod thus secu-
ring, at all times the same degree of pressure on
each section of the rod. A square rod should
always re used in preference to a round one.
The difference in price is very triaing, and the
advantage very great. A lightning-rod. especi-
alIy its top ser,inn, should be made much heavier
than many that are put up. Another very great
defect in most rods is, that they are not placed
sufficiently deep in the ground to reach the
moisture in time of drought. This is a mat>
ter which should oe regulated according to the
character Of the soil from six to ten feet Is usu.
ally the proper depth. Inaieniion 10 this matter
often been productive Of serious consequences.
The manner Of driving stay-nail or staple,
when used to attach rod to a building, requires
judgment. 1t should always be driven up
wards, so as to allow the water to drop from
the outer end, instead Of following the course Of
the staple into the material into which il is driv-
en-. The stay-nail should always be in metallic
connection with the rod at the time of the stroke
as the fluid descends the rod, the staple is as
much charged, in proportion 10 the size, as the
rod but the fluid will not leave stronger for a
weaker conductor, more especially when the sta
pie is driven into hard dry wall. which pos
sesses no attraction. and the rod is in connection
suciion-Pump. A rod such as have deserted,
with proper point and cluster. will and mus,
protect building from lightning.
And now The question occurs, what is props
er point Many rods that have seen, which
have been pot up during the past summer, have
points Of copper, ENC, lead, cast-iron polished,
&C., which, % is needless for me TO say, are ut
terly woriLl,s5.
But there aio some persons, who, in imitation
Of my patent, profess 10 put up magnetic point
OF points these are nothing hut the ordinary
magnets, which can he made ou, Of a tenpeuny
nail. They possess no power, or attraction for,
electricity whatever; neither can they bear the
slightest stroke Of lightning.
A proper electric point tor lightning rod can
be formed only in one way, aud that is by chem
ically combining certain kinds of metals in such
manner as to make point not liable 10 fusion
cno h,.h ibo -,