The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-09-13
LIGHTNING RODS.
A Good. hammered Piece on n Big
Subiect-Read It for Yourself.

Editor Press and Banner:
My dear Sir-In your last issue you had O
short piece condemnlng the use OF lightning
rods. beg 10 differ with you and Will give
my reasons for doing 10.
took The ground you do until some time
ago. Science and iacts have convinced me.
You know all laws established, whether by
God or man, when transgressed the trans
gressor must suffer Tor should.) and often the
innocent suffer with the guilty. For In.
stance: some fiend In human flesh shou Id
apply midnight torch To some house In
your town and thereby destroy thousands OF
dollars worth OF property besides some souls
being burned while Hseep-and this Is done
to avenge some trivial wrong done TO him.
You 8. e this natural law In regard 10 fre
was dlsooey ed, ana great sunerlng was .he
sufficient force OF wafer, and hre engines
enough 10 force that water In sufficient guam
tity to have stayed the fire, would you nave
their power aud skill? or course you would
not, Just 30 In regard TO lightning rods.
Sod has established laws In the heavens, and
when these laws are violated, very often
man and beast suffer for 1t, though they be
ipnooent.
Now, to the point: What causes these elec-
tricnl explosions in the heavens? Science
pure and pure vapor. coming III contact,
thus causing an explosion" When In small
currents theexplosion takes place, the impure
air or vapor IL consumed In the heavens, but
earth Is 80 great-too great TO be consumed In
the heavens, the electricity is bound TO fol-
low this current Till 1t Is burned up, thus
purifying the atmosphere and making this
earth durable for man and all living crea-
lures.
trolled, the laws nre bound to be executed,
and often we suffer death and destruction.
But God In his Infinite wisdom and mercy
has raised up men TO invent meuns whereby
these destructive agencies can oe' conducted
In many ways for our good. such as the tele-
graph, electric cars, lightning rod &C., &c.
There are two ways to rod house, barn,
&c. proper way and al improper way. No
doubt you had In view the improper Tor old
way in view when you wrote what you dia; no;
straight up the chimney, thus affording as
good az no protection 70 the building.
The proper tor scieniihel way IL to run the
rod from one side of the building over IL and
connecting IL with the ground, thus forming
u complete circuit as in u telegraph battery.
This is always tested by battery before
com pleied.
A house thus rodded will keep the Impure
air that is always, more or less. accumulating
around and above every house, carried 10 ana
in the ground, keeping the atmosphere above
the house pure and thus preventing an ex-
plosion when an electric storm approaches.
Now, Mr.. Editor, l wish To call to your
mind one tact, that can't be {or never mas
case ON record where house or steamboat
that was properly rOdded that was ever
struck by lightning! Yet there are houses
every year destroyed by lightning, and peo.
pie Killed, all around the world, and the rod
ued huust, untouched.
This seems strange, does 1t not? NO, when
we will think for a moment that u Ii one ol
Gods natural means for our protection. az we
have means of protection In our natural
laws.
There have been houses struck by ligh thing
that had rods on them. but they always
proved TO be the old way (or Improperly rod.
ded or disconnected rod, :say. always, and
II you eau prove TO the contrury, II Will pc
valuable Information TO the l.. r Co. as the
first case on record ID. j. Raborn.