vol. xxxn.
V%1897
INDIANAPOLIS. IND.  NOV. 20, 1897.
NO. 47
EXPERIENCE DEPARTM
Are   Llgotnlng   Bods   a  Protection?
How Should They be put up? And
And how may one Avoid Being
Cheated.
1st Premium.—Fire insurance agents
will tell you that lightning rods are no
proteotion againat lightning, but I do not
believe them. Rode properly put up, and
kept in good order, are undoubtedly a
proteotion. The "irliter had observed the
oondition of many buildings that have
been struok by lightning ln the past 25
years, and has not known of a single instance where a building has been Injured
that had good rods on it The rods should
oonneot with and extend into the ground
six to ten feet, in at least two places, so
as to make a complete ciroult of the building. The oblsct of rods is to conduot the
electricity from the building, thns preventing an explosion. If your rods are
struck by lightning It Is evidence that
your buildings are only partially protected. Copper rods are best. Those
with steel center, oovered with a thin
plating of oopper are less expensive. A
good rod of this kind oan be bought for
10 or 12 cents per foot. Any one handy
with tools can put them up. The points
cost about $1 each, the braces 50 cents
eaoh. If you deal with an agent use common sense. Contract for rods at so much
per foot including points and braces. Do
not pay over 30 cents per foot.
Union Co. W. H. Lafuse.
21 Premium —Lightning rods have
been fully proven a proteotion from eleotriolty during heavy thunder storms. By
placing the hand on a lightning rod when
the air is fnll of eleotriolty one oan plainly feel a ourrent. A point on a rod will
draw lightning 12 feet. To produce the
best results the points on a roof should
not be farther than 24 feet apart, and
gables should always be proteoted. Let
the rod run the lull length of the comb)
with a ground rod on each side of the
building, whioh divides the current and
greatly reduces its force.
Oreat care should be taken to have the
ground rods deep enough in the ground
to be In moist earth in dry seasons. The
best plan and the cheapest also Is to bay
the material of the manufacturer or
home dealer, and put It up, thus saving
agents profit.
If you deal with an agent flatly refuse
to sign contracts, notes or any other paper, and you will not get oheated if you
are posted on the prloe of the necessary
materials. I. H.
Hamilton Co.
3d Premium.—Of conduotors copper ls
considered best, but owing to its cost a
oopper rod Is usually made of a very
small amount of material, and therefore
cannot conduot the current fast enough.
The very best rod for general use is an
iron rod one-half to three-quarter inoh
in diameter, fitted with a good steel point.
The oheapness of iron enables the farmer
to buy a rod of sufficient size to successfully carry away all the disturbing element A large Iron rod is a muoh better
conductor than a thin hollow copper rod,
though if the sameamountof oopper were
used as there is in an Iron rod, the oopper
would be a little better. The number of
points neoessary depends upon tho size
of the conduotor and the height of the
rods above the roof. The law of Physics
on this point is that one point will proteot a circle, the radius of which is twice
the height of the point. Thatls, a point
six feet above the roof will proteot a
olrole 24 feet in diameter. This law would
require points not further apart than every 24 feet, although to be on the safe side
I should have one every 12 or 15 feet.
Formerly glass was used exclusively for
Insulators, but more reoently Insulators
are considered unnecessary.  Glass insu
lates only when it is dry, and when it is
wet, as it usually is when most needed, lt
is a semi-conduotor, and henoe more or
less dangerous. A large staple, driven
loosely over the wire Is probably better
than glass insulators. Tbe most important thing is that your rod and point be
solidly and firmly united in one pieoe.
Another very important thing is that the
rod should penetrate the earthly perpetual moisture. Some authorities go so far
as to say "put your rod to the bottom of
the well " Certain it is that your rod will
not aot unless the lower point is in moisture. You will remember that Franklin's
kite string would not act as a conductor
until the rain began to fall and wet the
cord.
You ask, "Do lightning reds protect?"
Most assuredly, if they are ot the right
kind and properly pnt up. Take your
own measurements; have your smith
bend and weld your iron; then put it in
the ground from 12 to 20 feet, and you
need not be oheated.
Insurance companies doing business in
this locality do not ask if your house is
rodded. This is no doubt because 90 per
cent, of the rods are ornamental, bat of
no earthly good as far as preventing from
lightning is ooncerned. If the insurance
oompanies had any means of absolutely
knowiog that your home was properly
rodded, they could afford to make a little
lower rate on suoh risks.
Greased Lightning.
Nearly all electricians claim that rods
protect, If properly erected and kept in
repair. Bat what is the matter with the
lightning rod agents. They have ceased
going about in these parts seeking whom
they may devour. I do not know of a
rod being put up in five years in this locality. I was 'surprised at Mr. Collins
putting this subjeot on his list; but if
rods are a protection he is oertainly doing a good thing iu reviving the sub] sot.
Oar buildings are supposed to be Insured
against damage " by lightning, and the
only obj90t ln rods would be to proteot
life. Da not have the barn rodded; insurance is cheaper. Make the very best
verbal oontraot with an agent, and if
work is done acoording to oontraot, simply fill out your oheok or give your note
Bat write it yourself, and you will not
get oheated. As to the style or kind, the
heavy oopper tubing was supposed to ba
the best. And as to the number or
amount, jast as many as you are able to
pay for, the more the better. Agents
make a big profit in rods, and if we could
get material at wholesale prices, and put
the rods up ourselves we wonld save half
the cost. Bat is our faith strong enough
to induce us to hunt up the material, or
to have the work done without being
solloited.   I fear not. C. E. H.
Warrenton, Ills.
Lightning-conductors, when constructed with oare are beyond a doubt, a sufficient protection against lightning. The
upper part of a rod should be of a conical
shape from 10 to 30 feet in hight and se-
ourely fixed to the hightest part of the
building. Acoording to the best authority on such matters this upper rod should
be of galvanized iron below, surmounted
by a sharp pointed brass cone, whioh in
turn should end in a fine platinum
needle. The part connecting the upper
part with the lower should be a cylindrical rod of iron or a oopper strap.
There should be no sharp turns of the
rod but each bend must be as round as
possible. The conduoting rod or strap
should be properly connected with the
conloal rod by riveting and soldering at
every union. The utmost oare must be
taken to make a perfeot joint and not
break the oonduotion. H. E. D.
Washington Co.
As to whether lightning rods, as they are
usually made and attached to buildings
are a proteotion or not seems to be an un
settled question. Judging from the number of buildings unprotected the Inference is that among farmers there ls muoh
doubt on the subject; otherwise thoy
would be more generally rodded. As
there seems to be no record of loss from
rodded buildings oompared with those
not protected, we have no data on whioh
to base conclusions. Having lived in 13
different States and only two ot them
rodded, aud having as yet sustained no
loss thereby, although past threescore
and ten, you will have to olass me with
the "goats." One writer on the subjeot
ooncludes that they are not muoh protection unless the roof is fairly covered with
metal points, bristling in every direotion
like the quills on a porcupine.
The ooncen.sus of opinion seems to be
that the best metal is a twisted copper
rod, passing through glass insulators projecting from the building, and the points
projecting above the building tipped
with platinum, the bottom of the rod entering the ground to such a depth as to
Insure its always being kept moist, is the
safest way to rod a building. If glass Is
the best known non-oonduclor the day
may not be far distant when glass roofs
will take the place of wooden ones, as
glass can be produced very cheaply and
of sufficient strength for the purpose.
The best way I know to avoid being
cheated in the matter of rods, and which
has always been my way and has thus
far been infallible, is to never have a rod
at all, ard to order all lightning rod peddlers off my premises out into the publio
highway and tell them to keep out. The
farmers of this State have been oheated
out of thousands of hard-earned dollars
by these contemptible swindlers, who if
they had their jast desert- would be in
the penitentiary doing penanoe for their
sins. L'ghtning plays curious pranks
I once knew lt to strike a tall chesnut
tree aud split two of as handsome rails
out of its trunk as 'Old Abe" ever
mauled. 'There is a destiny that shapes
our ends rough hew them as we will." If
man is born to have the lamp of life extinguished by a thunderbolt he'll never
stretoh hemp or die with appendicitis.
Bainbridge. H. S. B
BEVIEW.
Oar writers give us suoh faithful descriptions of roddings that I need say but
little. I waut to affirm the statement
that a good rodding is a great proteotion.
The Dutch people with immense barns
full of tools, stcck and feed are so careful that they are not muoh afraid of fire
exoept lightning.
I have no rods. My buildings are all
near tall trees. A green tree is a better
conductor than a dry bnilding unless the
building contains much metal. A building Is seldom struck till it has rained
enough to wet It and make a ground connection,
I once heard a leoture on eleotriolty in
which the speaker turned the electrode
towards the audience and said, "now
every one of you are negatively electrified, and If this were placed near enough
your nose a spark would pass "
This illustrates the fact that there is a
positive and a negative side to electricity.
He said you can remember that by
thinking of the human race as being
male and female. The condensation of
moisture in the clouds is caused by a sudden cooling temperature and is always
accompained with the development of
eleotriolty. This flashes from oloud to
oloud to keep up its equllibrum and occasionally to the earth, although perhaps
over 90 per oent of all movements of electricity in the air do not come to the earth.
And statistics show that the fear of lightning killing people ls far greater than
warranted, beoaus more people are killed
in almost every other kind of accident.
My father put up a hollow oopper rod
and extended it downwards and outwards
eight or ten feet In a bed of charcoal.   A
little timid vine grew up the rod and was
killed ln almost every storm, while the
north rod never killed its vine. We
thought both equally good, but by this
knew that one was worthless. No one
has emphasized the importance of a large
damp grounding too much. Nothing
could be better than to wrap the rod
many times around a driven well.
Last summer I was riding along in a
storm and it struok an oak olose by and
killed 16 sheep near its base. I thought
all creation was on fire.
TOPICS.
From some cause oar topics are dated
one week behind. The following will be
oorreot:
No. 90, Nov. 27.—Describe a good cistern,
also a good filter.
No. 91, Deo. 4.—How does the truanoy
law work In your schools? Give suggestions.
No. 92, Deo. 11—Muoh ground was
plowed for wheat that was not sowed.
Who oan tell ns how far south spring
wheat will pay? When should it be
sowed?   Where should we get seed?
No. 93, Deo. 18.—How are grades, oul-
verts, and cuts for pikes made with
double tracks; a gravel and a dirt road
side by side?   How do you like them?
No. 91, Deo. 25—What message does
Christmas bring to your life, sooial, spiritual?
No. 95, Jan. 1, '98.—Read Isaiah's most
beautiful chapter, and comment on it.
(Is. 55 )
Premiums of $1, 75o and 50o will be
given to 1st, 2d and 3d best articles eaoh
week. Let copy be as praotloal as possible and forward it 10 days before publication to E. H. Collins.
Carmel.
C&xtmj una &nsx#6X.
Will you not give an artlole on "alfalfa;" how to prepare ground, wh<*n to
sow, eto? BE De Haven.
LhGrange, Ky.
Certainly; and let us have the experienoe of any readers who have tried it,and
their opinions as to its value in our soil
and climate.
Chicago ls in a fair way tor a great
horse show. No city Is better adapted to
a great undertaking of this nature, and
the benefits arising therefrom are almost
inconceivable. The interest of the
wealth and fashion of the city has been
unmistakably aroused and the country is
being scoured for horses that can win at
the Coliseum next month. The breeder
and dealer thus early feel the benefioial
influence of suoh an exhibition. The
Chicago Commercial Association has just
put Its shoulder to the wheel. It has
been figured out with a reasonable degree of approximation that the New
York Show puts in circulation something like a million and a half of money
eaoh year, and the commercial Interests
of the city of Chioago have awakened to
the possibilities of the show in this direotion. The following action was taken at
a meeting of the Commercial Assooiatlon
on Monday of last week: "The Chioago
Commercial Association, which was organized for the promotion of all enterprises tending to draw visitors to the
city and for the city's good, belleveB the
Horse Snow of 1897, to beheld the first
week of November, will be a great suo-
oess and asks of the merchants of Chicago their most earnest support" Horse
shows are a most wonderful prop to the
horse business of the country, and henoe
all horsemen owe allegiance to the enterprise.—Western Horseman.
The "wasteful" farmer, Instead of having an easy pair of stairs to climb to
reaoh the hay loft, has not even a deoent
ladder, but scrambles up by the corner
posts and braoes, at expense of time and
musole.