The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-12-02
Common Sense and Lightning. Rods,

Mr.. George B. Prescott, the electrician
of the Western Telegraph Company Of the
United States, has published an article
concerning an alleged electrical phenom-
enon observed during a thunder storm in
. private dwelling. The phenomenon
consisted of electrical discharges from the
water and gas pipes of the dwelling, which
was furnished with lightning rod. The
question was rs to the electrical mani
festation. Mr.. Prescott believed that it
was due to the defective connection of the
lightning-rod with the earth; but in order
to satisfy himself fully in the matter he
took the trouble to send an assistant to the
locality ard subject the premises, pipes
and rod to actual electrical tests with the
galvanOmeter.
The result was that the lightning rod
was found to be so sadly defective in its
ground connections that it could not con-
duct the electricity into the earth except
feebly; and whenever thunder storm oc-
Cured the house became charged with
electricity, and the current being unable
to pass down the rod made its way
through the building to the water pipe
and escaped through it into the ground.
The details given by Mr. Prescott are in
tcresting. He advised the immediate con-
nectlon of the rod with the water pipe,
which would thus serve as an extensive
conducting terminal for the rod, insure the
safety of the building and put an end to
the electrical manifestations among the
pipes before mentioned.
The case is a representative one, as the
rod was put up in the same defective man.
ner as the majority of rods, that is, the
bottom of the rod was simply stuck down
IA, foot srfr, oro,,rI or rocly orDH
thus practically insulated. The advice
has been repeatedly given in many re-
spectacle newspapers and scientific jour
as protection for building, must have
large conducting terminal in the earth.
The terminal NAV consist of an iron
water pipe, as in the present case, or very
considerable extension of the rod itself in
to wet or damp earth; or trench filled
with iron ore or charcoal may be made
available.
If "a man employed to put up tin-plpe
to conduct the rain-w water from the roof to
the cistern were to solder up the bottom of
the pipe, thus preventing any flow, his
work would be rejected and he would be
stigmatiZed as fool. But this is substan-
TALLY what our lightning rod men are do
ing every day. They put up rods for the
alleged purpose of conducting the electric
fluid, but seal or insulate the bottom of the
rods so that the fluid cannot flow into the
ground; and the majority Of the employ
ers are so ignorant of the subject that they
are unable to detect the fraud
The known laws that govern the flow of
electricity are almost as simple as those
relating to water. If a proper connection
exists between the rod and the earth the
building will be protected, for electricity
will flow through the rod with the same
certainty that water will pass through an
open leader from roof to ground. But if
the bottom Of the pipe is sealed the water
cannot run; and if the bottom of light,
ning-rod lie sealed or insulated the cleo
tricity cannot flow.
The golden rule for safety is to have the
bottom of the rod placed in connection
with large mass of conducting material
in the ground.