The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1908-06-05
stroyed forests. Perhaps this is the
most advanced state enterprise of
any kind in the west.-Tribune.
lightning Rods.

Lightning Rods.
A rod should form a circuit
from the ground along the comb of
the building to the ground again.
II on a dwelling it must be so placed
that the chimney from the cook
stove can be protected. In a two
story house having a one-story kit
chen the danger is less from the
high chimney, for during the thun-
der storm season they rarely have
Issuing from their threats the col
umn of hot air that lightning loves,
but the cook stove, like death, has
all seasons for its own.
The old instruction that a rod
must not be bent in a circle having
a radius Of less than a foot need not
be observed, for Prof. Monroe Hop
kins, a lightning rod expert of the
navy finds that voltages up to $780,
600 follow a rod bent in a series of
VS. as cheerfully as a straight one.
"A rod should not be run over a
poiSA DSSouSG vi IN 1idDlllly VI
human body to draw a stroke from
it as does the COW from the wire
fence.
The holdfasts should be of mater
ial that cannot rust, and should keep
the rod at a distance Of an inch or
two from the roof or wall.
The practice of holding wire cable
on the roof or building by driving
iron nails through it is bad. Copper
being electro negative to iron a
galvanic battery is formed when rain
water gets between it and the nail
and and the nail head is soon eaten
off.
The lower five feet of a barn rod
should be boxed to protect it from
wagons and from animals which
might use it for a scratching post.
When a lightning flash jumps an
open joint in a rod it makes a heat
like that of an electric arc lamy,
which is four or five thousand de-
srees f. This is m%orelikely to re-
suit in damage to the rod than to the
building, but is a reason for hold
ing the rod away from the building.
4 cluster Of points should be plac-
ed above each gable and chimney,
and the space between the clusters on
the roof comb should not be great
/ than twenty feet.
The tip sshould be plated to keep
si,o:,. ,,;-+- l,;~l+ -o- -l,,,, ,,
tliat they will prevent strokes by
making easy the escape of induced
electricity. But they must be
'eayy enough to stand a bolt of or
binary power without melting.
The state fire marshal of Wis
%consin, MI. Purtell, after gathering
the statistics of the so farm mutual
insurance associations of the state
for last year., said in his annual re-
port:
Their reports showed a light
ming loss on unprotected buildings
of $S0,S77 and but sos on buildings
which were unprotected; a part of
this being from damage to lightning
rod points, one company stating
they now have Is points which had
been struck but in no instance has
the building been fired"
The two ends of the rod must go
near enough to the underground wa
ter beds to be in earth that is al
ways moist. In most situations
this can be done with a spud. If
the building is an expensive one, a
mass of iron, a load of charcoal or
copper should be secured to the end
of the rod. A rod should not be
grounded on the upper side of a
bank barn because of the difficulty
OF reaching permanently moist earth
Last summer a stroke went down a
rod SO grounded and following a
chain from the wall to a COW killed
her. Independent grounds are pre-
ferable to water or gas mains.
Professor Henry of the United
States Weather Bureau insists that
the system of protection be devised
and erected by a thoroughly compe-
tent PRISON.
The idea that a rod that is brok-
en- off above the ground is a source
OF danger is foolish. If the ground
ing is bad the lightning don't take
to the rod at all.
The State Fire Marshal of Ohio
Mr.. Dreamer says: THE time is near
when farm insurance companies viii.
make separate classification for rod.
ded buildings and will inspect rods
each spring.
FRANK CRAFT, State Fire Mar.
shall.
The HOusef1y.
Civilization and decency now de
mand that we make wal upon the
common housetiy. We've borne
with him long enough. In the day.
of our childhood we sat at the ia
BILE, with doors and windows un'
protected, and ate dinner while
Aunt Jane swept flies from the foot
with a tree branch or a proud pea
cocks tail.
Then civilization brought the wir'
screen and, while the h%ousefies con
linued to increase in number W.
kept them out as much as possible
FOR the undoing of the flies that di,
get in, inventive minds gave u
sticky fly paper and various kind
!, OF traps. In the afternoon the wo
, men darken the houses and try t
drive the flies away by making lif
miserable and cherries for them.