Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1904-02-09
TREES AND ELECTRICITY.
Injuries Wrought by Trolleys and
Lighting Currents.


Lighting Currents.
When trolley lines were first
put in operation along city streets
and country roads where there
were shade trees there was much
talk about the possibility Of ha.T'
to the latter from The currents
used by the former The same
suspicious have been entertained
in regard to electric light wires.
Unqucstionably much of that feel
ing was unjust, because there was
no chance for contact between
bare wires and the branches, and
electricity will not flow from an in
sulatcd wire or cable to any other
conductor. If the trees showed
signs of blight, the trouble usual
~ had a different cause. Never
thclesS, the opportunity for
touching a bare wire occasionally
does occur, and the transfer Of
electricity is promoted by the
wetting which rain gives to foil
age and branches. An investj-
CATION Of the matter has been
conducted by the Massachusetts
Agricultural college, and the con
illusions reached in consequence
have been embodied in a pamphlet,
says the New York Tribune.
Part of the damage results
merely from friction, and not from
the electric current. Still, there
.arr instances of injury from local
burning, which is clearly due to the
escape of electricity. The higher
the electro motive force or volt
age, thc more injury is likely TO
occur TO trees. There is practical
~ little or no leakage from wires
in dry weather. In wei weather,
however, when Il film OF water is
formed ON the bark. more or less
leakage is INSTRUMENTATION
insulation is insufficient and con
tact with the tree exists. ground
ing takes place, and burning, due
to arciHg, results.
No authentic eases have been
observed where the alternating
current, employed for lighting
service. has Killed trees, though
there are authentic cases. cX-
trcmelNrarc, where the direct cur
rent, used i'm operating street rail.
roads. has killed large shade trees.
This has been accomplished by re-
ivcrSing lac polarity, causing the
, positive current 10 traverse the
rail and thc return current the
feed wire, which usually carries
the positive. The high resistance
offered by trees and plants i'm gen
I rraI serves as Il protection
against death from an electrical
contact The least resistance in
trees occurs i'm the vital LAYER and
those tissues adjacent toit. Flee
llrlc currents OF whatever nature
when applied TO plants of rer
tain intensity, act as Il stimuluS
The physiological effect of the Iii
rect current ON vegetable life diff
tcrS from that of the alternating
the latter current acts more as q
stimulus To the plant than The for
mcr. There is evidence to support
the idea that current Of not suf
licient strength TO cause burning
may overstimnlatc the plant and
cause a retardatiOn of it's activi
ties which will subsequently re
suit in death. Earth discharges
in thunderstOrmS are more com
mon than generally supposed.
and are known to disfgurc and
cause the death Of trees.
As TO the damage done I o trees
by charged electric wires coming
in contact with their trunks and
branches, it should be a compare
lively easy matter to arrange a
device for holding the conductor
away from the tree.
Great Naphtha Fire.