The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1860-07-26

man. l ne mass o! metal which aurroue
ded the 80 hands employed in the mi
were so many potent protectors; but th
same precautions should be used to guar
against the electrical atmosphere wbic
invariably Precedes and surrounds thun
der cloud, as against the cloud itself
The true position to which the root
should be affixed having been ascertaine,
as mentioned above, the next importan
question is as to the quautity ofiron tt
De used. a wire one quarter OF an i3cl
thick will etfectually protect any buildin;
providing there be point of stiff meta
set up on every prominent part, with a!
many outlets into the ground a
there are points in the air, the wholt
being connected by cross wires ex
tending over the building. Galvanized
wire is preferable to all Others, as it i:
not liable to oxidation. The greater the
quantity of iron, aud the more numerous
the outlets, the greater the safety. Tbi.
is in accordance with FraDklin's direo
tons. except the quantity of iron is in
creased. A large building should have
some hundreds of feet of rod, and any
building whatever should have not less
than tWo points and two outlets. There
is good reason for this apparent profu-
sion of iron. Explosions of electricity
vary in intensity, some being very feeble,
while others are OF awful power No GER
tain calculaton can be III ade as to wheth
er the coming shock will be light or hea
W; hence it is prudent to guard against
the latter as in doing so We effectually
disarm the former. A light shock will
be carried of by single rod without in
jury; but the discharging power of such a
rod being uniform, With its receiving pow
er because of its siogle outlet, an explo-
sion on its point may occur, charged with
so prodigious a volume of electricity that
the capacity Of the rod is not great enough
to carry il of. Herein lies the great
danger of an insufficient conductor The
discharging power being fixed and limited
any excess Of electricity will Leave tie
conductor, fy off into the house In search
Of another, whether it be the stove pipe
or the human body. and do its deadly
work. Innumcrable cases where such
results have followed an excessive dis
charge on conductor having a single
outlet 10 the earth are on record. Ac-
counts are often Published of injury to
bulldogs, though protected by conduc-
tors; bat careful examination into the
facts OF the ease has invariably shown that
thoug the conductor was free from de fleet
its capacity u as too small 10 break up and
carry of heavy shock. Il follows then,
that the dischaFging power of a eonduc-
tor must be equal to is receiving power;
that building should be armed without
points on all its prominent projestlops,
because no calculation can be made with
certainty on which prominence the shock
may talltbat these receisiug points should
have Dunerous dischargDg points deeep-
ding to moisture in the earth, and that
the whole should he connected By wires
10 several directions across The roof, so
that whichever point may happen to re
'ei,e the shock will he aided by the en-
ire pet~ork OF aetal 10 instantly uitiga-
iink It's intensity by distributing it. o. er
a large surface, and passing it of by nu-
nerous outlets. The fluid concentrated
. this shock ha been previously distrib-
Iled over the surface OF an immense body
u clouds How unreasonable it is to ex
3ect single di-chargjng point to pass fl
he volume Of electricity accumulatey in
20 great body of sapor. It is for these
-easons that the cheap eonductors are so
,tten mere traps, bringing the dangerous
-lemeDt into building instead of leading
t away
1t is mistake, as yell as useless ex-
,en-e, to put up glass insulators to pre-
,eot the lightning from leaving the rod
ind passing into the house. No fash
Rill quit a properly constructed rod, be-
,ause lightning never avoids good con-
iucting medium to follow bad QUE
Hence the rod being continuous and the
staple not so, iron staples are entirely
,afe. An explosion will shatter glass
,nes into fragments. aud the scet and
md ioe of winter vii as certainly destroy
hem. AS few thunder clouds pass over
sitheut dischargiBg their watery contents,
he glass iasulators become vet, and while
n that condition are as good conductors
Is the iron staple. An immense amount
IF humbug has been propagated among
he people by ignorant peddlers engaged
10 selling rods, on the necessity of glass
nsulators. They have introduce and
,old there as indispensable to protection,
either through entire ignorance of their
wotthlessness, or to enhance the profit on
tbeir wares. So, also. with respect to gold
Of platinum points, costing several dollars
each. These servo no other purpose but to
prevent oxid ation But the point ofaqigbt.
ming rod rarely or never oxidates. Its
exposure to the air causes it to dry rap
dIy. Ii galvanized iron be used. as re-
commended for the wire. it will stand for
centuries uniDjured. The great object lie
to make every prominent part of the
building to bristle with points, and to sup
ply them with an abundance Of outlets to
the earth, giving to the whole rod dis
charging power proportioned to, or even