New-York daily tribune., 1858-08-07
THE LIGHTNING ROD QUESTION.

n
SIR: IN TIE TRIBuSE Of tie "a inst. we hul the
following queries sbou, the utility OF the lightning
rods:
"LIcprNNe Roo DO i.bug rod. protect bull hugs OF pre-
vent om being Injured by Lightning This IL very i'm
,nsrs r. ,pp.s, ha brIS ne. with rod, Gre
frequently strucs and then tod that ths iost'n was
pa ibis Sumns /. reported covered wirh lightning
Wha. sssbe matter here Were they al ou. Q! order
In the At Boston aud Vicinity low houses we're
.tr1 bh oT.s ss?sd ' =, they oSq s ds rh,,s n =. a %
cose vessel no, touched and We have ssen TEE oin IA
piecss By the side OF bh ledge that escaped all barn snd we
have Ito~p tesmser mt sad n' 'ss % @ hv n
known well authenticated Of ihtnns rod protection We
think Boston must have prodoc ID some osss
hat might we looked To- ,ford 7me p;oo' ~hesher lightning
rods are OF not of any, or il any, Of bon much"
Although / have msde electrical machines and
thunder house, the latter to demonstrate how the
gh,pnsrc will protec. bulldog ffom the destruc-
tive power of hghtrus-I have nevertheless asked the
question hundred tines over contained II The article
Just re teired to. have even gone further, by taking
down the ligbtprg-Iod on bunding purchased-a and
took il down tor protection from electric artillery,
l. g. not wishing to have an ,adact're target on my
house 10 be fired At.
In my obecrvaiope aud for the last ten
years this cnity upon gh,nifgrod protection, The
conclusion up in favor of the rod about as soof
as do the predictions in the almanac OF dry and we,
weather in favor OF the osendsr-tbst H. the odds are
agaptt the predictions; and yet both these things
the iod and the almsnicsl predc.ionsi household
GODS receiving the worship OF civilized nations, WITH
bu few EXCEPTIONS. Not long ago 40 electrician OF
some note suggested that lightning rcds be sarmouned
by knobs instead of points, but his i1ea WAS dughe
at much my az. OF taking down the rod, and yet
it can be demonstrated by facts tha. the ro woid be
ard is mole e9csRt in st.rac.i ling the bolt when II
come. in that direction when surmountsd by the knob
than il is witn the point.
About a year ago commune sted facts and deduc
tiors upon lightDng.rod protection to 1he Sce"fI~
Am, ican OF yotr CITY, bu. that yaluabe )urnal would
not agree to them and stated an instances sganst
my position, that st. Marks seepe 10 Venice wa,
struck by lightning three times before the invention OF
said building In our own city, the Lutheran Courch
steepe 300 feet high has been twice sruck by light
Drg and the rod elted on III one OF the EXPLOSIONS
Houses and barns in city and neighDorhood have
been struck-some shattered by it aud some burned
down-upon which lightning rods were pesrng. 10
all htse facts learned professor AMI noe
say fey were not properly pu. up The Smith
sonan Institution at Washington City has besn struck
by lightning, ard il will hardly be Questioned that It's
rod is put up properly.
Now then. 10 the query: "Do Lightning rods pro-
"tect buildings prevent them from being injured BY
"lghtning Let us nov examine the question upon
its iLtrinsic philosophy. The theory-the philosophy,
OF the hghtpipg rod is ths will negsts the electrical
battery Of the tky. That il draws the chargs from
Jupiter gun with its ramrod before he gets il ccm
petey loaded with bis destructive bolts IL does not
pretend TO spike his csnnon with rat-ss ie, nor to
catch his bolts upon s point, but it pretends 30 draw
the powder from his gun nsidi)usly and silently Just
a. you may and can nega.e the electrician PRIME
conductor when ne is trying to charge ~ by holding
tie point Of teede IsIdiously c'ttH rs efelT'c0'
sybere
This is the protective character Of the lightning rod.
Electricians claim for 1t the power and efficiency OIL
neeatipg the electrical cloud when such cloud comes
IN pro ximity 10 its point-ssy within hundred fee-
agrea'er oietanee than the thunder house sa psi.-
charged cloud psss within the distance Of the rod
IL may sometimes happen 10 hga s;ieples, out even
in such cases tue bal and vaIe surmountng tlen
wll be likely 10 pr,duce the differently con,lhsehI
Effect e., bring down the bolt, instesd OF drawing
o the surcnarge ntly It's philosophy assigns 70 IT,
| an net coliutirg Frsnklins theory OF eiectrlcty
and lightning IN hghtnl'g-rod was pr|Jec'eo %
into tie electrical. magsz1e-ths Is, !oto the ciou1
reg Cn and thus he tapped as !, we're, Jupitsrs pow
der III. His wss preventive, not defense, as the
modern lightning rod must he, u IL re enytning pr
tec,ve; ard experience shows that the ~ ninh
houses do not give them any projection W.. W.
houses without them have not Ny own oD-erVa.on
leads to sdop. the a. the 's'ssl o .h1
Now If electricians claim for the lightning ro1 Ine
POWER Of protecting the house by the rod recsyegtus
belt teIpiOded electricity, tsen they snoulu u%es
logically surnount the roo Win knoo .l''s'i W, " ..
mail irstead OF the rsmrod 10 draw the charge. II
veu tear down mil dam suddenly, or the pressure Oh
water within forciby bursts II, the suddenness OF 'ue
torrent will disa things 10 pieces tna oosracl u,
path bu, if you bore good sized auger hole ID IL,
The water will run ou, irnoe snily, ana md IT. equ
lIbIium without causrg dsIsae. Such is compare
iyely the dynamic effect OF Atmospheric electricity
our mechanical and electrical philosophy, studied
frtm The books OF men and toe alphabe. o. nature
sets forth the truth.
might enlarse and illustrate aud state ACTS iai
beyond the limits Of aliOwancs .. newspaper com
mur catior but what have stated here, 10 the plan
est words at my command, are merely gwen as per
tnent to queries in the article referred TO, ana II
tended more for the purpose OF attracting stefne'
invest cation 10 q subject that fls 20 many VIE
tenor, and commands 90 much attention from tht
scientific mind of our world. J"iS "'h.
I0Heo,fe,, P0 AGlcs,, las