Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1908-05-21
Electric Lightning Rods.

a rod should form circuit from the
ground along the comb Of the building
& to the ground again, Ii on q dwelling,
it must be SO placed that the chimney
from the cook stove can be protected
Ina two-story house having e-story
kitchen the danger is less from the
high chimney, for during the thunder
storm season they rarely have issuing
from their threats the column of hot
air that lightning loves, but the cook
stove, like death, has all seasons for its
own.
The old instruction that rod must
not be bent in q circle having a radius
of less than foot need not be observed
for Prof, Monroe Hopkins, q lightning
! rod expert OF the navy, finds that vol
tages up to 100000 travel a rod bent
into q series of WIS as cheerfully as a
q straight zone.
A rod should not be run over a porch
because Of the liability of the human
body to draw stroke from it as does
the COW from the wire fence.
8 The holdfasts should be of a ma
terial that cannot rust, and should keep
s the rod at distance of an inch or two
from the roof or wall.
"A BAD PRACTICE.
The practice of holding wire cable on
building by driving iron nails through
1t Is bad. Copper being electro,nega-
tive to iron q galyanic battery is formed
when rain water gets between it and
the nail and the nail head is soon eaten
of,
The lower five feet of barn rod
should be boxed to protect it from
wagons and from animals which might
use it for q scratching post.
When Z lightning flash jumps an
open jointiin a rod it makes heat like
that of an electric arc lamp, which is
four to five thousand degrees r. This.
Is more likely to result in damage to
the rod than to Che building, but is rea-.
son for holding the rod away from the
building.
TIE POINTS.
4 a cluster Of points should be placed
shove each gable and chimney and the
space between clusters on the roof comb
should not be- greater than 20 feet.
The tips should be plated to keep
their points bright and sharp SO that
they will prevent strokes by making
= easy the sscape of ii, dnead 81 etrie,tyy.
] But they must be heavy enough to
stand bolt Urinary power without
melting ,;;3
The state fffx marshal of Wisconsin,
Mr.. Purteli, liter gathering thestatfHsi.
tics of the 81 fssm Mutuai ,insurk hce
associations Of thg state for list year,
said ID HIS annual report:| s.SE
Their fsports showed q lightning
loss On unprotected buildings Of. $780,.
s77 and but 1856 on buildings which were
protected; II 81 part Of this being from
damage g lightning rod points, one
company stating they now have I;
points which had been struck but in NJ
Instance has the building been fred
THE GROUNDS
The two ends Of the rod must 6,
81 near, enough 70 the und foreground waite
6eds f. 5bs ia earth that is always moist
In most situations this can % don
18th = spud. II the building is an 81
penslye ono = mass Of iron, u load q
81 charceAl or q copper can should be s,
cured u the end If the rod. NV 70
Nh honld not Be- grounded On the upps
q 4 bank barn because Of tie diff
ia reaching permanently moi
List simmer stroke Nj
ss slDs n Z I'd q FOUNDED sna folIowir
chain frsun tho " ll toS ! COW, kiile
# Iniepe snt ground are prefe
6ls tp Ssaters 81 gas is ains. s
rof Fem, 81 tho q United stat
: IN W inaist that SHE III Il,
IN ~ All ~ IS dsyissd 8