Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1853-06-17
Insurance against Lightning.
TO OWNERS OF PROPERTY.

insurance against Al6utuluS.
TO OWNERS OF PROPERTY.
would ask q careful reading and considc ra'
ton of the following facts by every owner ol
property. The time has arrived when every
man should think for himself, and not submit to
ts deceived by imita, ors and ippostors. II
it il necessary to have q lightning Rod at
tached 70 q building. in order 10 protect 1t
from the destructive infucn ces Of lightning, it is
important 10 have ono constructed on scientific
principles, and adapted to the purpose which it
is intended to serve. A poor rod Causes mis-
chief, ty failing TO protect the building which II
is designed to shelter; and creates uncertainty
and doubt in the minds Of the public IN regard
10 the utility and safety Of those which are really
valuable and safe As good rod costs no more
than poor one, il certainly becomes purchasers
TO cxsnias wtst they are goi ng to buy. and not
cxpead money on q worthless article, and thus
expose their property to Destruction for wan, Of
proper protection. have put up near sir thou
sand rods, and have shipped q great numker 10
various parts OF the world, especially to the
Southern States, and have never head OF the
loss OF single iifr, or the destruction Of dol
lars worth Of property. by lightning, in any
tu,kliag to xhick one of my rods has been at-
tsched. Can as much be said ia favor Of any
other rod in u.e'
| have received iniormaticn Of some sixty or
eighty instances in which rods that have put
up have been been struck ny lightning, IN all ot
which it has been carried safely to the earth,
eitaoat the slist,es, injury to person or property.
There is but one true principle on which rod
can be made to snswer the purpose for which 1t
10 erected. The laws which govern els ctricity
do not change, AID il we study nature IN ms
respect, o. We do in Others, We shall be able to
comprehend thsm. There are many erroneous
opinions en,ertaaed about lightning. end the
construction and erection Of rods: for instance,
MANY suppose that the highest objects necessarily
receive stroke Grst- Let us look at this matter
q moment: According to the laws of nature,
thunderbol, $50 we call h) proceeds, under esr-
tain conditions, as naturally to the earth as rain
doer. Unless, therefore, il comes within The IN
Auence of some body which attracts 1t, 1t pro-
cecds in . straight course 10 the earth. Inc op'
iec, tha, lies in its path becomes its conductor,
whether IL he q tree, a dwelling, or anything
else. high or low. It wiil be seen, therefore,
that o rod whose only mrtit is its csPaLility ot
CONDUCTING the lightning TO the ground, after "
ha. received it, is of but little value; inssmach
as any other part Of the building i't tust as nke'y
to lie in its path. and receive The stroke IS the
rod. A house, to be projected by such rods.
must needs be surrounded by Them; and herein
consists one Of the principal merits Of my Eiec-
t,o-N.enei Rods viz: that they possess an ao'
spsu,e attraction for tho lightning, thus actually
inviting and drawing it from the cloud when IN
dangerous proximity TO the building. and carry>
ing il safely 10 the ground, thereby creating an
equilibrium between the cloud and the surround
ing atm phere and thus preventing stroke
Another opinion which is held by many, and
which is very erroneous, is that rods require IN
.u,s,ion. This object would be very desirable
If il could be attained bu, this is impossible
As glass is a non>conducter only when dry ana
becomes, by being wet, a good conductor, the
space between the glass and the rod becomes, du'
ring shower, filled up by imPedlnen'', thus al
iording free passage to the electric fluid, which .
naturally abandons the smaller for the larger
body if the latter is as good q CONDUCTOR I"
,he,efore flies fiom the rod to the glass, consul
ming the moisture (Which conducted ~ as "
masses; and as the nail or staple which passes
soupd the glass is necessarily larger thah 'o
class or rod, and therefore presents greater sur
face ii, being well understood that lightning tra'
.e,.es the surface of its conductors), it passes
from The glass to the staple, and by this is cons
Quoted into whatever it is attached to. lhe re-
.uh 10 the destruction Of the property. All this
10 no secret. Il takes place every SUMNER es'
pecialy IN the country, simply because more rods
have been pa, up Oh this plan there than in the
cities.
Another poin, on which great stress is laid. is
the use of screw-join,s on the different sections
of the rod. My objection to this plan is, that
the Joints are very apt 10 rust in fact, but little
time is required 10 break the connection at every
ioin,. the surfsce Of which becomes coated with |
q Ary hard crust which destroys the metallic
connection. This is great disadvantage 10 the
rod for the Huid is liable to be thrown from il at
a, each ioint thus exposing the building to The
full severity Of the stroke.
This difficulty is obvisted by using turn-eyes
instead Of crew-joio,s. BY means OF these. VIC
obtain, whhos, reducing the size Of the rod, an
extension Of its surface. I arrange spring be-
low the ground in such q manner as to keep the
different sections Of the rod always in connection
with each other. The advantage Of this spring
is ,hst il ccn,r acts and expands, according to the
expansion end contraction OF the rod thus 'eeu'
sing, st oil times. the same desree Of pressure on
each section OF the rod. A square rod should
always bs used in preference to reund one.
Th. difference in Price is very tIians, and the !