The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-08-10
DAY OF LIGHTNING-ROD
Once Indispensable to Farm Buildings,
 Now Seldom Seen
From tho San Antonia Express.

i From the San AntOnia Express.
 The announcement of the death in Mis-
 souri recently of John Cole, inventor of
 the lightning rod, recalls the spectacular
 career of that formerly interesting figure
 in the world of commerce and of science
 as science was understood by the 1aymen
 of earlier days.
 | No doubt there are half grown boys and
 girls in plenty now who have never seen | a lightning rod, yet a quarter of q cen-
 tury ago no building was considered safo | from bolt of lightning unless it was
 surmounted by the trusted steel point which was expected to attract the fluid
 and convey it harmlessly into the earth. l Public faith in the efficacy If the light
 ming rod was so great that 1t was difficult | for the owner of a building to get a fire | insurance policy unless he first provided a lightning rod as a shield from danger from the elements, as does the average | negro depend upon the little bag provided by the hoodoo vender
 The farmer was the especial easy mark selected by the smooth lightning rod ped-
 fer, fer the reason that the farmer usually
 owed his home, and besides, being less importuned by travelling agents, he was
 more susceptible to their wiles. but in the towns and cities no residence was con sidered quite complete until 1t was em- OelllSAed by a lightning rod.
 The pedler who was on to his job would drive up to a prosperous appearing farm | residence and, equipped with a small | storage battery, would proceed to demon- starte to the family the awful fate which awaited if the home was not protected | by 8 lightning rod. Narrowing tales of the destruction of houses, consuming all the earthly possessions of the occupants
 and frequently resulting in the death of 10 fQ pnfl ta1J alo and pathetically that a contract was us- | ually signed without delay and the light | ming rod man proceeded to cover the l house and the barn with the slender me-
 tallic rods, implantng the lower end firm l ly in the earth and erecting as many
 shafts above the roof as his conscience would permit, with rooster or an arrow
 or some other ornament surmounting the l shaft
 When the building had been we'll cov- cred in this way the pedler left on his way 10 persuade others to allow him to
 rod their buildings, and @ few months later, often. the farmer was notified by ,L bank that he was expected to call and
 pay the amount called for in the contract. sum which usually surprised the debtor.
 but as the contract was generally in tho nature of lien on the buildings the owner
 had no option but to pay the bill.
 But the passing of the lightning rod has
 been going on Tor many years and now
 1t is practically unknown except when it is seen on some of the older buildings.
 where it has been for perhaps 25 or 90
 years, and the people have come to look
 upon 1t with about as much respect for
 it's virtue as they have for the lefs hind
 leg of a graveyard rabbit, The lightning rod served its purpose It made several
 milionaires. and 1t camed the feelings of thousands of nervous persons during
 thunder storms. but 1t has gone, and soox 1t will be recalled only by tradition.