Newspaper Page Text
What Not 10 Do v A THunber Srorm
Diagrams Show
inz Various
Objects Which
Especially
Attract
Discharges of
Electricity
from the Clouds.
The U. S. Government Lightning Book Tells
Where You Are Pretty Sure to Be Struck,
Where You Are Sure to Be Safe, Explains
Why “Skyscrapers’ Never Are Struck,
and Some Things About Lightning Rods
That Are Not Commonly Known
you find yonm\f indoors dur
rh( & thunderstorm, don't go
near a stove. it is dangerous.
Keep away from the chimney;
avold the close vicinity of the tele
phone, and don't touch a screen
door.
This advice is given by the United
Btates Government Bureau of
Standards, which has Just published
& Lightning Book, summing up the
results of an elaborate investiga-
Uon it has made of the subject.
If & house be struck by lightning,
this authority says, there Is no
place anywhere inside of it that is
safe. The deathdealing agent may
penetrate anywhere, rendering
escape impossible. But some places,
such as those above are
o ge s
Out of doors, in a thunderstorm,
the safest place is in the woods
Lightning may strike a tree, but it
15 not likely to be the one under
which you have taken shelter. On
the other hand, under such cir
cumstances, the most foollsh thing
you can do Is to stand bepeath an
fsolated ‘tree. But an open shed,
eapecially if at some distance from
large bulldings, s pearly if not
Quite as dangerous. Never go near
& wire feace during a thunder.
storm. Even in & house that has
:Mlmao.“mnnu-fl
ter chance or
death than ummm
Even if struck indoors, you have
Bng b e. i B
m‘-mw&.tn&
mmmmum
more than one in thirtyfive
m-lu.‘uuelm
o know what happened
A “Sky-Scraper”
Needs No Lightning Rods.
+ You can be absolutely safe in &
thunderstorm osly if you bury your.
self underground (as in & cyclone
eellar), or get inside of & cage of
metal network. But right here
& very curious point of fact. A
modern steelframe building or city
“skyscraper” is in eflect Just such
o cage. and needs no lightningeods
because it s lightning proof.
MMl”‘*.
the properly rodded house. Buch
Bouses are struck by lightning pow
and then, bul. s 1t s rechoned.
they would be Mt Just abowmt Sfty
times as often If they had 8o rode
Cattle are apt 1o seek shelter un
Ser lnolated trees during o thunder
Slorm, asd are often killed i con
sequence. It is sometimes & good
Men 1o rod sueh trees on & farm,
TERRIng & copper cable from the
fopmost branches deep fnto the
ground
Bat the way i which eattle are
uuflz»mm
e shies the accident
of drifting wp agsinet wire femces
M.w;nm
Lightning coliected the fonce
munumam
“sarthing” the fence ot Intervals
Glong s lengit with wites
mmnmumw
o'~=-Mnuu
®ade of Pipe
On &8s aversge. lghtaing Kills
Mflmhmm
SVREY rear. and injures mere o
e sertonsly 1L Thas Rap
Poars that tve and & halt
m»mmmsm
mhon'u‘.nuhuunm
e uen e tu et Billed and
BlNred 18 e v ronid be greatly
thu‘mh‘v
¥ol dwsiiings were
- Ninetesths of (.0 sassal mer
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tality from lightning occurs in the
rural districts (including under thig
head all towns and villages of 2,500
inhabitants or less). Lightning is
one of the principal causes of fires
in the rural districts, the loss from
which might be largely lessened by
puttiing rods on all barns and
tsolated bulldings.
In respect of the pumber of
deaths caused by ligntaing, Nevada
comes first, followed (in order as
given) by North Dakota, South
Dakota, Colorado, Montana and
Utah. These Statds may be said to
comprise our principal thunder
storm belt. The fewest deaths and
injuries trom lightuing occur in the
State of Washington, where storms
of the kind are very infrequent.
Is there any protection against
lightaing? Yes—lightaing rods
properly instalied are as simost
certaln protection. but pot for the
season commouly supposed
The old-fashioned idea used 1w
be that lightaing rods were stuck
Up Ob & house ar a sort of shield
to catch the descending charge of
electricity from the clouds and
lead it safely into the ground, thus
sparing the bulldiag itself from
dolag this duty
The present scientific view i
based upon the idea that there is
in the cloud & charge of electricity
(positive, we will say); in the
ground there is a mass of elee
tricity (negative, we will say).
The charge above and the charge
below are trying to meet. The
charge in the ground percolates
P Into the bullding. and saturates
the bullding In its eflort to get to
zm.u:n.:hmew.“t‘r
s 2 o gk ke g
are h
above and the charge below will
some together in the dlectrically
saturated building
Now the modern conception of
the function of the lightning rod
hlfllmon.‘m*b
draln out Into the atmosphere the
electricity which has saturated the
building. If you stand beside »
properly rodded house in the night
time during & thunder storm you
H'. "aum':»m-u
ends of lightning rods.
Losses That Are
Due to Lightning.
It your house 18 well drained tn
fhis way it is not likely to be
struck by & charge of lightning
from & closd above. But of i &
strack, the lightning will seck the
rods and will travel dows Into the
oarth without injuring the bouse.
Lightning canses about 113 per
cont of all fire losses In the United
Sates. Expressed in terms of so
tual dollars, this means abowt
SLEOOOOO per annum. There are
s the United States about 10,000,
000 rural dwellings. AGd the barne
and other structures, and the total
of raral buildings may be rechoned
S 20000000 To rod all of thess,
S A avernge cont of 390 aplecs,
would Bt pay
Nevertheloss. 1t would be ot
only worth while, but highly profit.
able 1o tod all bulldings of cortain
classes which, as -1:- Bas
shown, are specially n W
strack by Hebising Among (hese
Marne come Srst. Twentyons per
tont of all barn fres are caused by
Hahining. Churches come nest,
koomumhq
aumhumi‘—-u‘
Whes & chureh Bt v
Nahining i the mase in one i
Sanee out of every sls. Whea o
v e —————————— R —
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flol’mlmm'l‘mhhrh\vm&wuo
C‘flhu-m-dflowicity Passing Through
It Without Damage, During & Thunder Storm.
Schoolhouse s burned, it s light
Ging that does the mischief in one
of every twenty cases.
There Is one kind of structure.
however, that far surpasses the
barn in point of lability to destruc.
ton by lghtalng. This ls the ofl
tank. Pour out of every ten fres
that destroy ofl tanks are caused
by lightaing.
A remarkable fact in this con-
Bection is that no satisfactory way
o protect ofl tanks against light
Bing bas a 8 yol been discovered.
No lightaingrod, of any kind de
vised wp 10 date, seoms 10 accOm-
Pllsh the purposs. In fact, the
Standard Ol Corporation has been
inclined to think that such rods
sctually attract (he skyfire 1o thelr
stored product. The problem at the
present time remalns snsolved
With structures of other kisds,
Rowever, it is differest. The jude
ment of the Pureas of Btandards
s that & bamn, properly rodded. i
practically safe from attack Y
Hghtning. 1t rechons he degree
of safety ol ™ por oot Por
mumd'n.
WIM‘- »
cont. bacanse chimnoys and
m’:'ud.-um.o
u‘undc:.;-mw.
® protect
ments of slee Aor waler
mlmubhnl.mln
ey @ivert (he course of the
Wl-u hol.-‘unn
wih e roel of WILD interior metal
Copyright. 1918
work. even though the latter b
oaly a telepbone wire
Massos of mets] on the outside
of & buliding should be made part
of the protective system. Roof
gutiers should be counected with
downapbuts, and the latter well
“earthed” Metal porebroots should
be connected with the nearest rod.
With this sort of precaution takea
the sheet-motal roof of & housy may
b one of the most efficient pop-
Mm«:mmm
The cost of rodding & bouse o
Yory small relatively 10 the value
of the protection gained. It 4s
well spent, if only for the
of the comfort of mind R
10 the inmates, especially to
Poople—niot & saw - who are affller
4 with & chrosic and ineradicadle
terror of thunderstorms. Many are
the farmers today who slesy com-
Posedly through such disquiets of
fature, bochase hey know thelr
Bouses and Larns are rodded. where
formerly, when they enjoyed ne
such protection, they lay bread
Swake for hours, wondering o
-z‘va-~u
Mmu...nhfi
made clear by the Durean of Stan
dards that the aversge man whe
mum-mwm
Rt T
longer and swindling
mhms%nngxm
wm.m avo
- %m’“
uwm.mu“
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l == - " —in ; t - i o "'—“'»’:, u& 2 . 4 el L\_ « 3
Why a Battleship WahluMmoz Metal and High Masts and Spars Is
Never Struck By Lightning.
This Photograph Illustrates Very Well the Madern Theory of Lightning Red Protection. The Old-Fashioned
Idea Useo to Be That Lightning Rods v/ e L.uck Upona Houze aga Sort of Shield to Cateh the Descending
Charge of Electricity from the Clouds anc Lead it Saiely Inte tne Cround, Thul Sparing the Bullding Itsel?
‘rom Doing This Duty. The Present Scienuific View i Based Upon ihe idea That There Is In the Cloud a
Charge of Electricity (Pogitive, We Wiil S2y); in the Ground There Is 2 Mass of Electricity (Negative, Wa
Wiil Say). The Charge Above anc the Charge Balow Are Trying to Meet. The Charge in the Ground Per
colates Up Into the Bullding, and £2 urates the Builcing In lis Eflort to Get to the Charge Above In the
Clowd. If the Bullding 15 Migh Encugh and the Cloud Low Encugh, and Conditions are Just Right, the
Charge Above and the Charge Below Wil Come Together in the Clectrically Saturated Building. Now, the
Modern Conception of the function of the Lightning Rod Is That it Acts as & Drain Pipe to Drain Out Inte
the Atmosphere the Clectricity Which Mas Saturated the Building. If You Stand Beside 8 Properly Rodded
House in the Nighttime During a Thunder Storm You Will See Streams of Electricity Passing OF into the
Air from the Ends of Lightning Rods. If Yeur House is Wall Drained in This Way it 1s Not Likely to Be
Struck by a Charge of Lighining from a Cloud Above. But If It Is Struck, the Lightning Will Seek the
Rods and Will Travel Down ints the Earth Without Injuring the MHouse
H %\V
Various Metal Points of Pure , Which Are Bost Suited +
hmuumm -
Bs Mitle trichs. The price bhe
MDMnbum,.u
thuudmu‘hhfl,m
(says the Lightning Book) the skill
"Hh which he sells worthiess glass
and toaware, to be husg on the
serial terminale and other parts
of the rods, largely increnses in
ARy instances the cost of the
esuipment 1o the purchaser
The total quantity of slectrieity
-m&hlcmu.‘g
te But the “voltage™ of
“lllfl-dM)hm
A small amount of electricity. g
w-mm-m
' ” o O'hn-—a:
momentary current
*—M-tml.myu
Cunponder exploded closed
Pace makes o greal preesare
..Mmflnn-m
Nfiu‘nmm
mm.lflm
surmised Ihat elecirielly and
-—-----"""’-:'.."‘......"'"
o 8 theit summite of sharp pointed
havie Maserveg
iron rods, with the lower ends of
the latter buried In the ground
llm-u.mcmmhnr.
Bowever, (hat the correctness of
the abovementioned guess was
proved by his celobrated kite ox
perimante He then put lron rods
on his own house in Phlladeliphia
Acceptance of the iea was slow
In Burope it was Miterly opposed
by the religlons orders, which re
earded the Quaker Olty philoss
Inside! proposing o i
'E-b::i-m:nm
flo'zn hat mtm see med
z&nmu rhgrehes
n:nuh“-.n&
%mm
thowe sarly dare. were in fregues
Motk whieh cspersed e 0
mn&na
cArihguakes and ofher
Uone of divine dleplenssre. The
e e
of ohirk, 8 ITT o
“&‘l"&hp
If These Ob
jects Are
Properly Pro
tected by
Lightning
Rods No
Damage
Occurs
section of all publle
dalldings throughout
the republic.
Even at (he pres
cat time, in many
parts of our own
country. lightning
rods are regarded
not only as of doult
ful utifity, but as a
menace 1o property,
the theory belng en
tertained that they
atiract lizghtning
And, where this idea
s Dot held, it s
quite commonly Im-
Sxtned that & rod in
imperfect order W»
ikely to be a dan
por.
Dut the Lighining
Pook sars that sven
the most tmperfect rod is likely
b better thas Bo rod at
all. PBrokesa leagthe of one have
saved masy & bMouse. And of
course, if one chooses o taks res
sonable precautlons —ench a 8 see
ing to it that the rod extends desp
enough In the earth o reach per
manent molsture ot all sessons,
thete I 8 B 0 reason why the protes
tion afforded should mot be abes
'wiely eficient
Some of the farmers’ mutus! are
insnmnce companies still show
eharges for insurance I 8 All casee
where houses and farme are rod
ded. Others even go #o Tar as t»
refsse o ineure wnrodded Hulld
sAI any price I-u-m::
prostioaily combined into & trae
-mra-mamg,
thetr Malidings. Legislation & e
umun:um.:m‘
-”i‘-mn&