New-York tribune., 1919-01-26

mentS as follows:
"rhe display Of atmospheric electricity
has since ages been one of the most mar
vellous spectacles afforded Ia the sight of
man. Its grandeur and power filled him
with fear and superstition. For centuries
he attributed lightning to agents god ike
and supernatural and its purpose in the
scheme of this universe remained unknown
to him. Now we have learned that the
waters of the ocean are raised by the sun
and maintained in the atmosphere deli
cately suspended and that they are waited
to distant regions of the globe where elec-
tris forces assert themselves in up setting the
sensitive balance and causing precipitation,
thus sustaining all organic life. There is
every reason to hope that man Will soon
be able to control this life-giving flow of
water and thereby solve many pressing
problems of his existence
atmospheric electricity became of spe-
cial scientific interest in Franklin's time
Faraday had not yet announced his epochal
discoveries in magnetic induction but static
frictional machines were already generally
used in physical laboratories. Franklin's
powerful mind at once leaped to the con-
clusion that frictional and atmospheric cleo
tricity were Identical To our present view
this Inference appears obvious, but in his
time the mere thought of it was little
short of blasphemy. He investigated the
phenomena and argued that if they were
Of the same nature then the clouds could
be drained of their charge exactly as the
ball OF a static machine, and in 1749 he
indicated in a published memoir how this
could be done by the use of pointed metal
rods.
The earliest trials were made by Dal-
brand in France, but Franklin himself was
the first to obtain a spark by using a kite,
in June, 1852 When these atmospheric dis
charges manifest themselves to-day in our
wireless station feel annoyed and wish
that they would sop, but to the man who
discovered them they brought tears of JOY
"Ihe lightning conductor in its classical
form was invented by Benjamin Franklin in
1855 and Immediately upon its adoption
proved q success to degree. AS usual,
however. its virtues were often exagger-
ated. So, for instance, it was seriously
claimed that in the city of Pietermaritz-
burg (capital Of Natal, South Africa) no
lightning strokes occurred after the point
ed rods were installed, although the storms
were as frequent as before Experience
has shown that just the opposite is true
modern city like New York, presenting in
Vulnerable sharp points and projections in
good contact with the earth is struck much
more often than an equivalent area of land
Statistical records, carefully compiled and
published from time to time demonstrate
that the danger from lightning to property
and life has been reduced to a. small per
centage by Franklin's invention, but the
damage by fire amounts, nevertheless, to
seV al million dollars annually. 1t is as
tonishing that this Device which has been
in universal for more than one CEN
tury and half, should be found to in
volve a gross fallacy in design and con-
struction which impairs its usefulness and
may even render its employment hazardous
under certain conditions
"All points or projections on the surface
of conductor of such vast dimensions as