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


The following interesting and instruc-
tive extracts. scientific answers to cues.
mons 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 MS be intelligent with il.
To begin with, get the truth we'll
planted.
Before any lightning occurs, nature
first prepares class OF conditions"
Remember Conditions.
These conditions are the storage of
electric energy.
This accumulation OF electricity is
called charge
IL first first collects in the cloud, and
tries 70 discharge to earth. but the drier
air beneath the cloud is a very poor con-
duc.or Of electricity and resists tile dis.
charge, and the charge continues 70
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 in an opposite condition, and the
electric stress upon the earth pushes
toward the cloud, the same as the elc-
trio strain in the cloud pushes toward
the earth, but the air between resists,
and the house standing on the earth
stichs mp through the air, and thus il
becomes dischargiDg point for the
earth, 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 30 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 10 the sequel.
q. Then before the house 10 struck
are we TO understand "ihe conditions
produced the fash. existed already in
house and cloud?"
A. That 10 il exactly.
AS the electricity accumulates in the
cloud, it induces an opposite condition
Of Identification in the house, produc-
ing an electric stress between cloud aud
house.
When the charge is big enough IL dis
charges between the hou.e and the
cloud. and the path through the air
gets white hot, be cause the air resists
it, 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 It,
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 ii there was no heavy charge,
there could be no heavy discharge.
Q. Why ale lightning rcd points
sometimes melted?
A. The electricity is all trying to
escape!from the sharp point.
If the rod has poor earth connections,
or has joints, the electricity does not so
easily reach the points, but is inter.
rupted through poor conductivity; or
if the points are not sharp, the dis
charge is 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 and usually
in such cases, the ground around the
place where the lightning rod enters is
blown up, and at the point, the resist.
ance of the air causes such intense heat,
the point is melted, and severe shock
is 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
h. secured, properly put up and
perfectly grounded, by calling on Jas.
Peterson g. Co., who will be pleased to
figure on your job and furnish infor-
nation as to the cause and effect of
| lightning and the best methods of pro-
| lection from it,
| Webster Beaten BY = Woman.
| In the somewhat famous case of
| Mrs. Bodgen's will. which was tried In