Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-10-13

TO PROTECT THE wORKMEN AT THAT DIZZY
HEIGHT
Bad weather has interfered materially with
the erection OF the additional lightning rods
on the Washington monument. So far only
one Of the.circular rods on the roof corners has
been placed and another partly placed in posi-
ton. With continued good weather the work
could be entirely completed in a week, not
withstanding published statements that 1t will
be couple OF months at least before the tips
are all up. It is generally supposed that the
workmen now engaged on the monument have
a very hazardous task to perform; that they
dangle, suspended by a single rope. over 500
feet from the ground while at work, with
nothing to insure their safety but the strength
the rope The s worf no% n progress
Is much less hazardous than some that had to
De done while the construction OF the monu-
has been taken against accident since the work
on the structure was begun, and the safeguards
now are none the less carefully prepared. Col;
casey has never allowed the work to proceed
from stage to stage until all the safeguards were
as perfect as human ingenuity could make
90 fearessW % are ,asr OF as iaS hnf
nothing can give way, and that only natural
degree OF carefulness ON their part is necessary
to insure their safety.
STRONG SCAFFOLDING FOR SECURITY OF THE
wORKMEN.
Long before the lightning rods and tips
were made in Philadelphia the scaffold-
ing necessary to place them in position
had been most carefully constructed. The
large lower scaffold, which can be seen on q
OF long heavy timbers run out of these windows.
The joints Of the scaff0lding at the four corners
are suspended from the top of the roof Besides,
there by strong bands encircling the roof 1t is
impossible for this scaffolding to slip even at
the corners, for the roof Is larger below the scat
10 nj md III,
spread the structure cannot slip. Then there is
. smaller scanold built from the top window
below the cagstone. All the timbers Of this
and bolted together, and heavy ropes bind it
firmly to the face of the monument roof, which,
being larger below, prevents it from slipping.
THESE two scanOldings form the base Of opera
tions.
THE FIRST STEP IN THE WORK
is to place in position the circular copper gold
plated rods along the four corners of the roof,
and connect them with the interior lightning
rods. This is now being done. Three holes are
drilled through the stones on each corner or
hip, and through them are run copper rods
connecting the outside circular rods with the
also connected by four copper rods,
50 that sixteen such rods win form
are screwed into the exterior corner rods when
they are placed in position. To do this it
rs necessary TO work at different heights on
the roof. A secure cage is raised or lowered to
any point by means Of a block and fall, firmly
secured at the top. A man can work in this
cage with perfect safety.
AFTER the corner rods are placed the next step
will be to fit in position the horizontal triang-
ular gold-plated copper rods, which are made to
the faces of the roof. These rods are screwed
into the circular rods on the corners, and into
these horizontal rods are screwed the one hum
dred and seventy-two needle-pointed tips,
(twenty-eight of these were previously erected
which are Intended
TO RECEIVE THE ELECTRICITY
directly from the clouds. 1t can then pass
uninterruptedly to the ground from the tips
through the horizontal rods to the corner rods,
through the roof by sixteen connections to the
immense iron rods in the well, and thence to
the ground. To place the horizontal rods in
position wOrkWen are to be lowered in q NOV
able scaffold, from which they can work. This
is to be raised and lowered by means of block
the top of one of the faces Of the root, and work
down to the lower scaffold, and the same with
the other faces When it is remembered that
all of these scafOldings are protected with
strong ratings 1T is not surprising that the men
who have been repeatedly exposed to greater
danger work fearlessly.
THE THEORY OF THIS NEW PROTECTION
from lightning is that these two hundred light
ning-rod tips will attract the electricity from a
cloud passing over the monument, no matter
how heavily charged. They will receive it
quietly, each tip performing its share and con-
duct it harmlessly TO the ground. There is a
prove sufficient, but the plan was carefully
prepared by eminent scientific and electrical
experts, and is considered the best that could
be devised.