Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-05-16
THE LIGHTNING-RoD MAN.
How an Individual with Ready Made ST.
tistics Swindles Farmers.


How an Individual with Ready Made Sta
tistics Swindles Farmers.
'How is it that you still manage to
sell SO many lightning rodsp" was
asked the other day of an agent who
makes Pennsylvania his stamping
ground.
Because people want them" he re-
piled. "It is rare that you can sell
one in town or city nowadays, but
nine farmers out of ten want them"
do they believe in themP''
"They do-after have got through
talking. 1t is the man who is not
posted who brings reproach on the
lightning-rod business. To be sue
cessful business man you must be
loaded"
'Howp"
"Well, l call upon farmer who has
Just built fine barn. He has boon
told that rods are N, &. He receives
me very coldly, and promptly an
nounces his belief that am hum
bug. laugh and pretend to feel very
jolly, and presently bring out weapon
number one.
"What is that?"
"rhe losses sustained on barns by
fire insurance companies doing busi-
ness in the State. | show him that in
one year 2. 140 barns were struck by
lightning and consumed. Of this num-
Der only four had rods. They were,
of course, the rods made by a rival
company. Our rods would have saved
them. Then comes weapon number
two. | show him list of 1000 barns
on which we have rods, and not one of
them has ever been damaged. F"
"And he is convinced?"
"On, no. have whole battery in
reserve. get the position OF his barn
by compass, and then find at least three
reasons why it is unusually exposed to
lightning / advise him to cut down
certain trees in case he won't have
rod, and offer to bet him 500 to $40
that his barn will be struck inside of a
year. | explain how thunder storms
originate, what attracts lightning,
which corner of his barn is the most
liable to be struck, and why our rod
beats all ="
"Where do you get all your sta
tisticsp"
MAKE them for myself, sir. may
be little over or little under, but it
makes no difference to the farmer. !
have the number OF barns burned in
the United States last year. made
my own figures. He can accept them
or not. l don't press him to buy a
rod, but | am bound to give statistics.
He invites me to stay to dinner, and
after dinner demonstrate the virtues
of our rod"
"HowP"
"By an electric battery. have
only to show him the sparks and
flashes on the point to make him be.
lieve. Then | talk about circuits,
grounded wires induction 'attrac.
tion' and so on, and he gets in such a
hurry for a rod that we have to work
far into the evening"
"Does your conscience ever trouble
youpn
"Never. Every body should have q
ightning-rod-on of our own make
They are ornamental. They give g
jaunty air to roofs and chimneys.
} There is no delicate machinery to gel
out of order. 1t is no expense to rur
one after it is up. While you are of
huckleberrying in the daytime OIL
, asleep at night the lightuing-rod is at
, tending right 10 business and no
, charging cent. No, sir, my con
science is as clear as bell, and my
, sales this year will be one-third larger
than last. I've got statistics to show
that every barn in the State equipped
, with our rods escaped hurricanes ant
/ cyclones as we'll as thunderbolts las
year. IN. Y. Sun.