The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-30
SPLITTING up LIGHTNING
DIT. NJ. A. VEEDER'S NEW THEORY
OF PROTECTING BARNS.

DIT. N. A. VEEDER'S NEW THEORY
OF PROTECTING BARNS.
Nails md Lots Of 1hem WI, He Thinks.
Give PYoteetieu whore IAghtning
Rods Faii-His Idea o. Why Barns
nurn When Dweiiipg Hsoscs DO Net.
LYONS. N. Y, Nay 2s.--Dr. NJ. A. Veeder.
the scientist, was recently elected master
Of Eureka Grange No. %. Patrons Of Hus-
bandFy, and In return for the honor he
has made an address to the members In
which he explains how he thinks they can
protect their barns from lightning better
than with lightning rods.
His theory was suggested by tho state
ment that fewer dwelling houses than
barna burn when struck by lightning.
1t 10 also said that the old style frame
dwelling wherein the timbers were put
together with wooden pins were fro
quently burned from lightning, whereas
dwellings lathed and plasterod and put
| together with nails we're generally i'm
mune from fire when struck.
Another interesting fact was that the
| old fashioned barns with strips nailed up
and down or battened were rarely or
never burned. while the old style barns
with siding nailed to joists were burned
frequently by lightning. All this seems
to indicate that the fire hazard from
lightning decreased a. the use Of nails
in construction increased both in dwell
fngs and barns.
DR.. veeder spent q long time gathering
statistics a. to the construction OF barns
struck and destroyed by lightning and
the address to the members Of the grange
Ii the result. DR.. Veeder said:
BARNS are commonly burned by light
ming; dwelling houses are not. In order to
get at the true explanation Of the differ
ence between dwellings and barns in this
regard II is necessary to consider the man
ner in which electricity sets fire.
when flowing through a good con-
Quoting substance the electric current
passes quietly. having little perceptible
effect Of NJ sort. II. however. 1t meets
with resistance and the current Ii suf'-
ciently strong. II generates heat and great
descriptive force. tearing everything to
pieces and setting fire as in the case Of
lightning stroke. The problem 10 to lower
the strength OF the current and at b came
time decrease the resistance. In the case
OF atmospheric electricity this can be
done by use Of metal points.
THE air itself is not a conductor OF
electricity, but the moisture and dust,.it
| contains are capable OF carrying con-
siderable quantities Of electricity In the
vicinity Of points. By multiplying the
number Of points 1t ID possible to break
up a very powerful current into a multi.
.--. -~rA tnaarnhvA ~
doing serious harm.
sIn this very room In which this ad-
dress IL being delivered there are In the
side walls, ceilings, partitions and floors
&C less than upward OF 3o,oo0 mctal points.
The dwelling house which I myself occupy
as Q residence has In II. as nearly as can
be calculated, 77S.ooo metal points. BY
far the larger number Of these po. nts are
lath nails, which are not found at all in
barns a. ordinarily constructed.
even though embedded In a slight
coating Of plaster or wood, 276 900 metal
points in an ordinary house would split
up even . very powerful hghnlne nash
into ten Of Thousands OF minute currents
that would bs harmless. More. than this,
such . ooncatsnation Of metallic points
from roof to ceiling would be at work
lowering the tension, decreasing IL ma
teriaIv In advance OF the stroke. Thus
We have both lessening Of the strength
of tho current and Decreasing inc re-
sistance Of the current at work on q very
large scale in the case OF dwelling houses
as ordinarily constructed;
sOn the other hand. In the case OF barns
the ordinary constru tito increases the
danger OF fire from lightning. The metal
pojnts In their case are very much FEWER
In number and further apart, 80 that the
electric current is compelled to make
longer leaps and encounter greater re-
-Itzh 49, xhA nrAriaa rAnditlnna
that increase the danger OF fire from
ut is obvious that il this is a correct
abatement Of the case the remedy Ia within
the reach Of every one at very small ex-
pepse and effectually. With the evidence
now at hand it would be best to initiate
in barns the distribution o. metal points
This may be done very perfectly BY
putting rows Of lath nails, about fifty In
number. that il about an inch apart. for
each lath. The best way is TO start the
nails into the lath on the barn hoor. and
they may be readily driven home when
the lath has been adjusted to the placeit
is to occupy along the r~afters. floor and
upright tirnbers or on the siding Of the
barn between joists. 1t will he noted
that the nails thus applied inside the
building remain clean and bright. which
may he Q point Of some importance II
NAV aleo be Of service 10 employ tne
headless nails or brads.
Localities where the metal points
should be- specially numerous are the
oupola and the corners. where currents
tend to onverge In the original con-
struotion OF . barn many forms OF ar
raneement that are likely TO be advan-
taQeous viii suegest themselves.
SIN the case Of lightning rods II has been
found that there Ia q surging to IN fro
OF the current which tends to defeat the
object sought 10 DO obtained in their
conjunction. II would seem that such
to and fro movement could not occur
where the lightning flash Ii split up into
thousands Of minute fragments through
the agency Of metal points, thus increas-
ing tho security in another way.
the more widely and evenly the nails
srS distributed throughout the building
cellar to roof the better. They
should b 90 arranged In lines a. not to
any long leaps. each point having
q netehbor not more than an Inch away.
In other words they should be wrapped
thu building in long lines. thus
e~nclosinG { Nafter the manner OF what is
known a the electrical cage. objeots
which. even the moet delicate cleo
tricsi appliances, are protected absolutely
from Interference Of electrical currents
from without. II 10 very likely that the
llnee Of metal points which happen TO
extend In o vertical direction and which
rsaoh the SroAtnd viii aH0rd the neateGt