Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-11-15
The LOSS BY LIGHTNING
Director Sage Reads an Interesting
Paper Before Iowa Mutual In.
surance Association.
Unusual Number of Electrical Storms
and Farmers Suffer Many
Losses.
Five Hundred and Eighty.one Ami.
mails Killed and Eighty.six
Buildings Struck.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican,
Des Moines, Nov. 15.-In an address
today before the Iowa Mutual Insur-
ance Association, John r. Sage, direc-
tor of the Iowa weather and crop serv-
ice, gave some of the results of an ex-
haustive investigation of the destruc-
ton of stock by lightning in Iowa dur
ing the past year. He pointed out some
of the immediate causes of these losses
and told how they might, in part, be
averted. He said:
"A notable feature of the crop season
of 1899 was it's unusual number of Sc
were storms and excessive display of
electric energy. This was an especial
characteristic of the season from about
the first of May to the middle of July.
during which period more than three
fourths of the reported losses by light
ming occurred. May was the stormiest
month, the records showing that a
measurable amount of rain fell at some
station in the state during every day of
the month. In June there was but one
absolutely rainless day for the state at
large. And nearly all the severe storms
that occurred in these two months We're
accompanied by electric disturbance,
resulting in more or less damage to
farm property.
The United States weather bureau
office in this city has received 39o re-
ports of damage to farm property from
1.-the effects of lightning during the past
season. Last year the number received
| was only 204. the increase indicating a
more general interest in the collection
of these statistics, and also the fact
| that the season of 1899 was more pro-
| life in violent storms than the preced-
| ing year. Nearly all of these reports
were contributed by the agents and
other officials of insurance associa-
| tons; and it is understood, of course,
that they cover only a small percentage
/ of the total losses that have occurred
| in the state during the season. The de-
| tails are of interest. whether viewed
| from a practical or scientific stand
| point.
..The aggregate loss of property COW
cred by these 395 reports is S52.524. OF
which sum s35.194 was the total loss es-
/ timated on buildings. and s1T,3s0 on live
1 stock.
The number of buildings struck was
\ eighty-six, including twenty-nine nous
es and fifty-seven barns and outbuild-
/ ings. OF the fifty-seven barns twenty
i two were consumed with their valuable
1 contents, involving total loss of vi,
/ 657. In four of the barns and stables
1909 head of live stock We're consumed
4 and are not included in the number OF
| stock killed by lightning strokes, Only
~, str ypl
we're consumed. and the total loss on
I that kind of property was S2b9b.
"The reports show that two barns and
one house of the number struck We're
4 provided with plain wire lightning rods
/ but there is no evidence to prove tha'
/ they were properly constructed and at
tached to the buildings. The fact tha'
over se per cent of the buildings We're
destitute of rods seems to carry some
weight of evidence in favor of that form
of protection.
"These reports give details of the loss
of ISL farm animals from the direcl e.
fac+ of lightning. and this number does
lnot include the lo9 that We're crefIla' e
in buildings fired by electric bolts o1
,he live stock nine were killed in barns
4 that were struck and not fired; tins
! others were in yards and fields.
And We are again confronted by the
u fact that wire fences are directly re-
! sponsible for a very large percentage
of the loss of live stock in the fields
+ The reports show that of the 81 farm
4 ANIMALS killed by lightning S95. or g
nar cent of the whole number, were
aelectrocuted" while in close contac'
With wire fences. Tabulated by classe!
81 live stock the figures are as follows