Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-11-22
losses BY LIGHTNING
Director ofths low wsathsr ssr.
vice Reads Interesting Papsr to
Insurance Men.
tatistics For the Past Year Given
and Thor Significance
Pointed Out

6VlUSUV VW6
Common Sense Precautions IN the
Use Of Wires Would Prevent
Many Losssk
Des Moines, Nov. %. The paper read
by Mr.. ]. r. Sage, director Of the Iowa
crop service and weather bureau. at the
convention OF the mutual insurance
companies Of the state, Wednesday aft
ternoon, was on the subject, Losses by |
Lightning in Iowa : and gave some Of
the means by which they might be pre-
vented with little expense and trouble.
The total loss was $47.2s4. Mr.. Sage is
engaged in the work OF determining the
extent OF these losses each year. He
hopes to be able in comparatively
short time to give the people OF the state
an idea Of what conditions are most
likely to result in danger from light
ming, and how these may be obviated by
proper precautions. At present he Is
able to give some Information, but In
order to give the best possible service he
wishes to secure the assistance Of peo-
pie all over the tsate who will send him
reports containing the number OF build
ings destroyed by lightning in their vi
entity and the conditions that surround
ed them.
In the discussion that followed the
reading Of the paper. Mr.. Sage declared
that many OF the ills that befell the
world were the result Of man 8 IMPROVE
dence rather than God q providence, and
cited the Galveston horror as an in
stance. He asserted that most OF the
losses by lightning could be done away
with, and that the only reason they We're
not was that people were too careless to
take care OF their property.
The paper was. in part, as follows:
THE total losses reported amount to
s47,294 This includes Losses on build
ings s3S,040, and on live stock S9,254.
The total number OF buildings re-
ported struck was thirty five, including
twenty two barns, ten dwelling houses,
two churches and one school house. OF
the thirty-five buildings struck nine
teen were consumed, viz: sixteen barns,
one house. one church and one school
house.
AS in former years. It will be seen
that the heaviest lose has been suffered
by the burning Of barns. OF the twenty
two barns struck by lightning nearly
three-fourths We're consumed. mostly
with their contents. which in many
cases greatly exceeded the value Of the
buildings In the months of August and
September nine Of the ten barns struck
were burned. as result OF the combus-
season Of the year. Only one Of the ten
the aggregate damage to the other
houses was small. The estimated loss
of the sixteen barns consumed, with
! their contents was s34, 154, or an average
4 Of a little over 81, 600 each.
The reports show that not one Of the
buildings struck was provided with a
rod or other form of protection against
| lightning.
The reports give details OF the loss
of 253 head Of farm animals killed in
the fields. or outside of the buildings
that We're struck OF this number there
We're 1874 cattle, thirty-1ve horses, nine
teen sheep and five hogs OF the num-
Der Of cattle killed, 125 were found in
contact with wire fences. This indicates
i that over 81 per cent Of the losses of
cattle in the fields may be charged to
the account Of wire fences. rendered
deadly by electric force. OF the thirty
five horses killed thirteen were up
against wire fences
Some OF the details Of these losses are
worthy OF note. On June g. in Holland.
Sioux county, five head of cattle and
four horses were killed by a single
stroke. all OF the animals being in the
same pasture and in contact with the
wires: the lose amounting to s475. on
June %. in Deep River township. Powe-
shiek county fifteen cows. valued at $3.50,
We're killed by one stroke: they were ali
In bunch against the wires on Aug.
IA. in Penn township, Madison county,
seven cattle We're killed and found
4 against the wires. In Liberty township,
4 Jefferson county, on Aug IA, eighteen
cattle were killed. being found against
4 the wires and huddled under tree. The
bunch We're valued at s1,OOS. On June
4 u, in Lee township, Franklin county.
4 twenty cattle, valued at $500. were killed
4 by single stroke. and were found UNI
der willow tree in the pasture In gone
cases lightning struck the wires some
4 rods distant from the place where the
cattle We're found. In Dubuque county
q COW was killed by contact witt, a
lightning rod on the side Of barn, The
rod saved the building from damage, but
the current was strong enough to burn
the rod in two and kill the COW.
4 In Belmont. Warren county, on June
Il y dwelling house was struck by light
ming under unusual conditions. The
A bolt struck a cottonwood tree about
four feet from the corner Of the
Kitchen. Passing downward a short
distance It left the tree and struck the
corner OF the house. causing some dam
a age in its pathway to the earth. This
lis peculiar case, seeming to disprove
the general opinion that tall trees near
Fuse serve to protect it from de-
structive strokes. Trees have been sup
posed to be better conductors than the
dry timber OF a building.
In one case reported steer received
a fatal shock while passing under e
wire used to stay a steel windmill This
j instance serves as an additional illus
tration OF the dangerous character o: