Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1860-06-16
While You, great George, to show affront,
Your sharp conductors change to blunt,
The Nations out Of joint;
franklin wiser course rursues.
And all your thunder fearless views,
BIZ keepiag 10 the point

Your sharp conductors change to blunt,
4 The Nations out Of joint;
Franklin wiser course rursues
And all your thunder fearless views,
By Keeping To the point
2. A sufficient height qJooe Tie roof 81
the building.--lt is said that lightning has
never been known to strike within a distance
from the rod, twice as great as the height
Of the rod above the building. Or in 9th
er words, rod viii protect circular space
whose diameter is four times as greatas the
height Of the point. A barn forty feet long
wo'd therefore be safe with arod at The mid
die ten feet above it; or with rod at one end
twenty feet above or with a rod at each
end ten feet above A barn ninety feet
long, like that Of our Tennessee correspoR-
dent, would require rod at the center, or
at each end twenty-five feet high above
the roof. Or, rod might be placed 229
feet from each end, eleven feet high, and
be equally efficacious. These two rods
might be connected by horizontal one to
Ia larger on at the center running down in
to the earth.
3. Il continuous connection throughout
The best rods are welded together in one
piece. But where this is inconyenient,
the two parts may be screwed together with
each end into one common nut; or they
may be placed side by side or rivited, or
screwed together, The connection is as
complete, SO far as thunder and lightning
are concerned, by two surfaces in actual con
tact merely, as if welded together; the only
preeaution in this case being to secure the
connection from any accident which may
after lapse Of years produce a separation,
and which would immediately make the
rod worse than no rod at all, by attracting
the fluid, without provision for its escape
to the earth.
A. Entering the earth seuera5 feet at
The bottom.-However perfect every part
of the rod may be. it viii do more harm
than good, unless the fluid can pass off with
perfect facility and become dissipated in the
earth. Moist earth is always pretty good
conductor; dry earth is poor conductor.
1t is therefore highly requisite that the rod
descend deep enough to enter the perman-
emily moist stratum, or the portion that
remains moist Independent Of the drouth Of
a summer This viii Of course vary in diff
ferent places; but as a general rule, hole
at least six feet deep should be dug for this
purpose. twill greatly assist the dissipa
ton of the fluid by placing in the bottom
of the hole, in contact with the rod, at least
half a bnshel Of common charcoal, which is
an excellent conductor.
Some rods, perfect in other respects, be-
come worse than useless by not sinking
deep enough, Some years ago a meeting
house was struck BY lightning, altherg
furnished with what appeared 70 be an ex-
celIent conductor. The building was injur-
ed, and the earth torn up around It. On
examination, the lower end was found to
enter the earth but a short distance, and
the season being very dry, and the soil des-
Ititute of moisture, no escape was afforded
for the electric buid.
5. TIE size Of the rod should be suffi-
Gent to carry off any discharge without be-
coming heated, as would be the case if too
small. Three-fourths Of an inch would
doubtless be enough in any case whatever.
The portion above the building must how
lever be sitter, to withstand stormy winds,
espesially if it rise many feet above the roof.
We found the best way by Welding togeth-
er three or four pieces Of different sizes,
placing the larger below. This gives the
rod a gradual taper to the top. The larg-
or portion should extend down far enough
In admit ofthorouph stiffenin9
6. The proper mode Of Fastening to
the building, is very impelfcctly understood.
The electric fluid always takes the best con-
ductor, and will not pass into wood or 9TH
er imperfect conductor, so long as it can
find ready escape through metal. The
discharge from a machine severe enough to
knock a man senseIess, may pass untelt
through metallic rod held in the hand, pro-
vided the escape through the rod Is perfect
and unimpeded.
So there is no danger ofthe 1nidpassing
into the building through the wooden sup-
ports. so long as there is a ready commune
COTTON to the moist earth below. Nothing
can be more absurd than the commonplace
tice of passing the conductor through glass
rings supported by large iron staples. For
In the first place, eery small discharge
would leap over the glass from the rod to
the staple; secondly, the glass when wet
with rain, is no insuator at all-is perfect
Nv useless; thirdly, the staple, with its sharp
points driven into the building, serves to di-
rect the current from the rod to the build
inc. whenever there may be an excessive
discharge.
No support is better than seasoned or
painted wood-an incomparably poorer con
ductor than iron, and not presenting the
slightest chance for any considerable portion
Iof the electricity 70 enter the walls. An au-
oer-hole is bored for the passage of the rod
I As matter Of precaution in extreme cases,
Ri Is best to have the wooden supports pro-
Iiect about half a foot from the walls, 50 as
|to hold the rod off at that distance. lnthe
instance We have already related, # rod
being 81 heavily charged as to melt the
point into ball, not the slightest effect was
visible upon the wooden supports which
held the rod in direct contact.
By observing the preceding directions,
any farmer may employ a common black
smith. and erect his own rod properly, with