Kansas City daily journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1892-1897, 1895-06-23
VALUE OF LIGHTNING RODS.
CONSIDERED FROM A SCIENTIFIC
POINT OF VIEW.
statistics OF Deaths by LightninE-Some
Popular Errors-More Valuable
In the Country Than
In the City.
From the Washington Post.


| literature of lightning and lightning rods s
small monograph by Alexander McAdie.
forecaster at the Washington weather bu-
ment The bulletin deals with s the tn e. question s
of protection from lightning shocks. by
means ( Of rods Of the resuseitation n Of hu-
ming stroke. and Of the annual amount of
damage to life and property by the same
4 review Of the destruction of property
and and the number Of fatalities from light
cheaper to insure than to put up rods
Ssp Sshis % sss
given in some of Mr.. McAdie's tables may
FrTm sd 5s to l m h there mere
eSsed Sy 9 h these sasf
we're east Of the Rocky mountains. The
come next and churches last, but in pro
During the ten years ended is2$ there were
'iTA The a8o%Ht r q damage done by lightning
summer months. The statistics Of the
ho9 an 9r s denhs 1880 pt to
year from lightning. Of which nearly, all
b hf the ns ShS es sn IN Aa 4s anG to
August. The statistics of the relative num-
ber Of deaths to the nubsr of
one record known to exist shows seventy
four kil.Sd out of 2l2 struck
Lightning seems to have an inexplicable
oak is most frequently, struck, and next the
AS to the necessity of lightning rods, Mr.
taSt,te that the risk in the Country is i've times as
great as in the city. For ordinary dwelling
in cit city blocks net nndny eypqseH
A very considerable protection is afforded
by the tin roofing. cutters, cornices and
"Beyond doubt. Franklin proved his case
that lightning rods were etilcaGious in the
conductors, when struck by lightning, suf-
fer little damage compared with those
!TRe chief defects likely to occur are
blunted points and breaks ks in the continu-
iity, OF the connection; The junction OF 9
5 c6ndueting ri the % charge to earth. and md Sec
ond, the prevention Of disruptive dis
cloud electrifcation. The latter explains
why rod terminates in point and like
wSy points IN ag9Ss go9a Mh
buildings. Indeed points are somewhat
IKE small water pipes connected , saoy1s with
the largest reservoir. Furthermore,, when
reservoir, these minute drains may be of
service in keeping the height of the water.
''In the case of lightning the points are
the small escaDSG ape PpeT the layer of air 6
and Mdei the 'oeh Cloud au % a earge M
the. overflowing and destructive element,
4 large conductor. be it rod or tape. on
or waterway, which has its gate shut until
the flood is imminent Then the gate is
torrent to keep to the provided path, we
trust II, its ability to safely hold the flood.
out Of e H the ghRRg ns does
carry the fash to earth; but there. are
eases. cases where ne the discharges have been
carry the lightning flash the lightnlng con-
Drs neay sh2gq 9 To line of
charge the conductor should be surrounded
Mr. .McAdie goes at some length into the
technical requirements of good lightning
a, aods, such as VIII render the most thor
remarks on Popnar r errors in T regard sp te
ightnng shocks i Is mstake he says
SERIES e @ S Pfhss has led doRn Kim 10 Son
GuSs g Ssrt th9, t, usually s4i after Ss one stroke there
time; It IS not always the most exposed
Paes that III Is struck ys and fey inches q
% bar the passage of bolt that has torn
Its way through thousands OF feet of space
during thunder storms, in the doorways
OF barns, close TO cattle or near, chImneys
- 'iNPiaNVS' ''i tue usHtf manu-, lHtTe is
70 nsaate ones self IN ieatheT Il Seb BEDS Ss Sin sSma
articles of steel, also, do not have the
power to attract iightning,as il is populariy
put. or determine the path of discharge
Just in advance of thunderstorms,
whether because of the varying electrical
potential of the air. or OF the changing
conditions of temperature, humidity and
pressure, and failure OF the nervous or
ganiZation to respond quickly, or TO what
eyer cause II may be due, il cannot be de-
MED that there Is much suffering from
depression, etc, at these times Ii is
perhaps possible that these sufferlngs may
One q The most interesting instances
giyen, Of i,oh lightning stroke and the ehicien-
Is that OF the Washington monument
This structure. which was, at the time the
highest in the world. was originally pro-
tected merely by an aluminium cap eight
inches high, by five on the base connected
with the IRON framework of the eleyator
shaft. On April ), 1855, the monument
was struck five times in twenty minutes
but failed, on examination, TO show any
effects OF the discharge. on June 8 how
ever, the shaft received a bolt that split
through one OF the large stones OF the
pyramidion, and further protection was
deemed necessary. over 200 metal points
were accordingly inserted In the seams
OF the pyramldion and connected by heavy
which was grounded in water in The arm,
pit beneath the shaft. Since this add.
tional protection was afforded there have
been no more shocks noted upon the shaft
TI.s.n NH, II