The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-07-05
AGAINST LIGHTNING.
Precautions to BE Taken Against the
Currents Wild Work.
From the PhIladelphia Times.

from the Philadelphia Times.
While 1t is impossible, even with the
utmost precaution, to make life and
property absolutely safe from the de.
structive lightning stroke, very much
can be done by simple common-sense
care 10 reduce the danger to the mini
mum. The newspapers almost daily
record the loss OF life or the destruc-
tlon or valuable property by lightning,
ana those who intelligently note such
reports must understand that in a very
large majority of cases where life or
property is destroyed by lightning. the
disaster could have been prevented.
In nearly every instance where the
loss of life is caused by lightning the
victim invited the deadly bolt by being
near an open window or door or other
wise exposed to a current of damn air
that Is a good lightning conductor, or
by taking refuge under trees in a
storm,
1t is very rare for lightning to enter
closed house and cause the death OF
inmates. In nine cases out of ten
where lightning enters a house, II is
through an open door or window or
some other opening that permits n cur
rent of damp air into the building.
Many closed houses have received the
electric stroke without any injury to
the inmates and with little damage to
the building. The outer surface being
wet during the storm, furnishes better
conductors, and the charge diffuses or
reaches the earth usually without seri-
Gus disaster.
In no other way have the people, and
especially the farmers Of the country.
been 80 much imposed upon as in the
sale OF lightning rods. An imperfect
conductor attached to a building is
much worse than none at all, as 1t can
serve only to attract the electric stroke
without conducting 1t to the earth.
Some country buildings have many
more lightning rods than would be
needed if they were OF the right kind,
and many others are so bunglingly and
economically supplied as to be entirely
unequal to the protection of the struc-
ture. But one conductor should be
used to protect a building and that Is
the copper cable. The conducting
power of a lightning rod is the amount
OF surface 1t presents to the electric
charge, and a small copper cable with
senting a complete conducting surface,
vastly multiplies the conducting capac-
ity.
such a conductor If attached to a
complete circuit of cable near the base
of the roof with rods and points at
tached to each chimney or any other
prominent point of the building, and
two or more conducting rods from the
circuit to the EARTH gives the best pos
sible protection against lightning. The
copper cable is a stranger to rust, and
Is the most enduring metal that can be
used for the purpose.
1t is wise for every property owner to
have the house protected against light
ming as herein suggested. but the ne
cessity for such protection to the barns
OF farmers is of supreme importance.
The new hay crop is now in the mows
OF the farmers barns, and the grain
crops will soon follow. No matter how
favorable is the condition of new hay
and grain crops stored away in mows,
they create a large quantity of gases
which are constantly escaping from the
building and which are highly inham-
mable.
This fact explains why when a barn
containing fresh crops is struck by
lightning, 1t becomes almost immedi-
ately enveloped in destructive flames
The necessity for protecting barns
should. therefore, be fully appreciated
by every farmer of ordinary intelli-
gence, and the only way to protect a
barn is to obtain the very best conduc-
tors. They are only little more cost
ly than the ordinary lightning rods,
but they give the best possible assur-
ance of safety to barn and crop.
Our storms are very gradually in
creasing in violence, and it is logical
that they should. Mountains, rivers
and forests on both hill and valley at
tract storms, toy with them and tenn
per their ferocity, and as we are stead
lily denuding our country Of forests the
storms may be expected to increase In
violence. The cyclones which are so
common in the western states are not
produced by a different climate, but
solely because there are no mountains
or forests to hinder them in their
sweep.
In this section Of the country the
chief destruction from our storms is in
the lightning stroke. and 1t can be
stripped of it's terrors under all ordinary
by the simple and COM
nonsense precautions we have ind-
Gated. We often read of the freaks"
Of lightning, but an electric discharge
Of the clouds follows the law of attrac-
lion as scrupulously as the fallen apple
follows the law Of gravitation. 1t goes
only where the greatest attractions is
and the greatest attraction
can always be offered by the copper
cable conductor intelligently attached
10 the building.
HoW's ThiSP