The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1881-09-15
o, happy sleep!
LIGHTNING RODS.

Remarkable Increase la Their Use
Uncle Daniel Taken In by an Agent.
Ia If u Rod Peddler in New York sun.
THE use OF lightning rods has in
creased steadily ever since franklin dis
covered their usefulness. There are
noT three large factories in Philadel-
phia, Chicago and St. Louis, which
make all sorts of rods, and there are an
almost infinite number of smaller con-
Germs. We manufacture a great deal
for Mexico, South America and West
Indies. In the latter country they want
the best. | have had to furnish for these
specially constructed points or tips,
heavily plated with platinum, which
cost fifty dollars each. All the
tips are supposed to be pointed with
platinum or gold plated, but very often
they are simply brass, or covered with a
yellowish wash-that is the sort which
the peddlers very often sell. Good
ordinary tips are worth, manufacturers
prices, 81 to 50 each; iron rods about
eight cents per foot; copper rods from
six to twenty cents; insulators, or TRIM
mingS, at the rate of from one and one
half to two ceuts up to fifteen cents per
foot, according to the length of the rod
employed. We do not send any light
ming rods to Europe. The best pro-
tected building in New York, think,
is the new Union League club house.
The churches of st. Leo and st. Bernard
are also well rodded. The Cooper in
stitute is we'll supplied with lightning
rods, which were intelligently provided
for in the original construction of the
building by the making of a small we'll
hole from the roof to the ground inside
of the edifice, near where the elevator
now is, through which they run down.
The best rOdded private residence /
know of is that of Mr.. Moses Taylor, at
Elberon, near Long Branch. 1t was u
good thing for both the public and
the lightning rod men when the dis
covery was made that lightning always
went for angles and sharp projections of
buildings, so that rods were required at
each corner to make the house really
safe. What with sections, four ground
connections, rodded tips, etc, the bill
for roddiug house ought to be salts
factory to the man who makes it out,
and the results ought to satisfy the man
who pays it.
"a lightnIng-rod man came down TO
Uncle Danl Drew once, with note
from some professor at the theological
college that he was interested in sug-
costing that the college should be rod
oCu. w AGb Will IL SOoL' 0ShC0 SAOIC
DanN. Il cannot say positively said
the man, until have measured it, but
it may be as much as 800, or possibly,
even $780, Obi That's all right; go
ahead said Uncle Dan'l, and he gave
him a written order. The work was
done and the bill was sent in for 81 900.
Uncle Dan1 declared that he wouldn't
pay it; that the man who took the order
said it would be only 500 or $500. 'Ah p
replied the bland gentleman who
came to collect, we cannot be RESPONSE
BILE for the mistakes and bad judgment
of our employees Uncle Dann had to
send a man to the college to see if they
had actually put up rs many feet of rod
as they claimed. He found the build
ing overland with rods until it looked as
if it was in big cage. That professor
would not let him dig to ascertain what
the ground connections were, but he did
pull up one ground rod on the sly, and
found at the bottom of a deep hole
eighteen feet of rod cOiled up. Uncle
Dann eventually paid the bill, but /
never heard of his buying any more
lightning rods.
Il never heard of lightning rod man
getting the worst of job except in one
case, and don't vOuch for the truth of
that. 1t is said that one of the craft
drove up in front of a fine, new and
large house out west and told a man
who was reading at the door
that he ought to have lightning
rods on his house. The man SAID
he hadn't thought much about
it. Then the peddler said: Have you
any objections to my putting up rod
on this cOrnery' No. the man said, 4
have not And, as the peddler's wagon
was right behind him, the expert climb
er had the rod up in a few minutes
Now said he, that corner is safe,' adj
dressing the man who was still reading;
but the lightning might come along and
knock blanks delights out of one of the
other corners. Have you any objection
to my putting up a rod on each of them
and the quiet reader looked up from his
paper and said he hadn't any objection
When the job was done the peddler
presented the bill. What's this? said
the man yawning and folding up his
paper. Bill for the rods,' exclaimed
the peddler. Rods! 1 didn't order any
rods" why, certainly you did Not
at all. only said had no objection to
your putting them up. And hadn't.
This is the county court house. l don't
even live in this county. OF course I
had no objections"