The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-05-31

SHAT IS CAN
Be AVOIDED
RAILROAD TRAINS CONSIDERED
EXEMPT, AS WELL AS Sky
RS-FIRE-PROOF BUILD
ING GOOD PLACE IN STORM.

The fear of being struck by light
ming is both very real and very
sensible fear.
But lightning can be avoided like
all other evils. 1t will strike in GER
tain places and it will not strike
in other places. There are reasons
for its behavior in both cases, for
nature never operates by chance.
A steam engine or a railroad coach
are as safe as any place in the
world as far as lightning is concern
ed No one has ever been struck
by lightning while he was aboard a
train.
The business part of city like
wise is never struck by lightning.
Neither are tall skscrapers ever hit.
1t is a matter of record that insur
ance companies never have any loss
es from lightning striking any build
ing with metallic sides and frame
work of iron and steel.
A steel battleship is also safe
from the belt from the clouds, as is
a steel windmill tower. This is be-
cause every one of these objects is
its own lightning rod and needs no
further protection than they can
give themselves.
Country Houses Dangerous.
There is another list of things
which lightning will surely strike.
1t will strike a country house or
house in the outskirts of a town. 1t
likes to hit barn, church, school
house, tree, stack or animal, espec-
tally if it is near wire fence.
AS for a house, the safest place in
lightning storm is your iron or
brass bed. 1t is very dangerous to
stand near the bed because you are
taller than the bed. The reason you
are safe when lying on it is that
the head and foot extend above your
head The current will not leave
the bed to pass through your body.
The walls and the floor of the room
may be ripped to pieces, but you
will be safe as long as you lie still
in your bed.
Feather beds offer no protection
whatever unless they lie on a metal
bed. If the bed is of wood and the
springs are steel the wood of the
bed may be split to pieces but you
will nevertheless remain unharmed.
During the day the safest place
in a house is in the center of a
room provided there is no stove near.
Contrary to popular opinion it makes
no difference whether doors or win.
dows are open or closed. Lightning
can get in under any circumstances
if it wants to.
Lightning Starts Fires.
From data in several fire tables
covering period of nineteen years
prior to the year 1903 given in a
publication issued by the United
States government on Lightning and
Protection from Same" there is
shown that out of 146,61S fires
from all causes in barns, stables and
granaries there were 1893 caused
from lightning. These figures in
clude the total of all fires, both
known and unknown. The percent
age of fires from known causes and
which were due to lightning comes
up to 21.5 per cent. At any rate,
and especially from statistics obtain
ed by various insurance companies
in the central and western states,
where there are a great many iso-
lated barns, dwellings and other
owing to the large farm
ing sections, there is a great risk
incurred during the summer months
by lightning destroying or partially
destroying such structures and also
killing livestock.
Animals are often killed by COM
ing in contact with charged fence