Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1906-07-05
Something About Lightning.


tive extracts. scientific answers tc aues-
lions about lightning, were taken from
The Laws and Nature of Lightning
AND How 70 Control IT," a pamphlet
OF thirty pages copyrighted by Dodd &
sruthers, Of Des Moines, Iowa, and are
published by permission:
Question. What is the cause of a
house being struck by lightning?
Answer This is not All Intelligent
question.
Let Us be intelligent with il.
To begin with, get the truth we'll
planted.
Before any lightning occurs, nature
first prepares a class OF conditions"
Remember Conditions.
These conditions are the storage Of
electric energy.
This accumulation of electricity is
called a charge
IL first first collects in the cloud. aud
tries 70 discharge 70 earth, but the drier
air beneath the cloud is very poor con-
dnc.or Of electricity and resists the dis
charge, and the charge continues 10
increase.
While this 10 going on In the cloud,
the earth directly beneath the cloud
becomes affected in sympathy with the
the cloud, ana becomes electrified too,
only III an opposite condition. and the
electric stress upon the earth pushes
toward the cloud, the same as the elc-
tric strain in the cloud pushes toward
the earth, but the air between resists,
and the house standing on the earth
suchs mp through the air, and thus it
becomes discharging point for the
ear tn, and in this way the house is
charged.
This in your PHILOSOPHERS is called
"induction."-the cloud inducing or
coaxing a condition or charge into the
house--and the charge between earth
and cloud becomes 90 great, the air can
resist no longer, the conditions Of light
ming ready, and of she goes. Your
electrified house flies to pieces, and ter.
ror and death is the sequel.
@. Then before the house 10 struck
are we TO understand 1.-The conditions
produced the fash. existed already in
house and cloud?"
A. That is il exactly.
AS the electricity accumulates in the
cloud, it induces an opposite condition
of electrifcation in the house, produc-
ing an electric stress between cloud and
house.
When the charge is big enough it dis
charges between the hou.e and the
cloud, and the path through the air
gets white hot, be cause the air resists
1t, and the timbers of the house, also
being poor conductors, are torn to
pieces, but the stove, being a better
conductor, and not in metallic
connection with the earth, becomes a
danger point, for it is an easy way,
and your family right get the electric
current through the stove il near 1t.
The same is true of water pipes and
screen doors, and tin valleys on your
home, and such places should always
be avoided.
Remember, the charge does no harm,
it is the discharge that does the mis-
chief.
But il there was no heavy charge,
there could be no heavy discharge.
Q. Why ale lightning rod points
sometimes melted?
A. The electricity is all trying to
escapelfrom the sharp point.
If the rod has poor earth connections,
or has joints, the electricity does not SC
easily reach the points, but is inter
rupted through poor conductivity; OF
if the points are not sharp, the dis
charge 10 greatly hindered.
This allows too great an acclumula-
ton in the rod, and when the final dis
charge takes place, 1t might tear the
rod loose from the building,a usually
in such cases, the ground around the
place where the lightning rod enters il
blown up, and at the point, the resist.
ance of the air causes such intense heat,
the point is melted, and a severe shock
10 liable to be given to the people in the
home.
A correct lightning rod, correctly put
on, properly grounded and sharp
pointed, seldom suffers in this way.
The correct lightning conductors can
b. secured, properly put mp and
perfectly grounded, by calling on Jas.
Peterson & Co., who will be pleased to
figcre on your job and furnish infor.
nation as to the cause and effect OF
lightning and the best methods of pro.
lection from il.
Webster Beaten by . Woman.
Tn Tho cs,u,oubof fofnouo caSa ~