Danger From Lightning

There is a somewhat widespread impression that the use of so much wir for telephone and other electrical purin clties and towns largely inv.ses the dangcr of lightning strokes. , tion is based upon the concentra. 0 i WV'.lMn certain limits of a greaf 1 .HHT of conductlng matertal, whioh. i m fcSfumed. attracts the electricity ii:ereby Increasea the danger of it. 'vVi;,'-: it is true that the increase of ponducting material increases the attraction, it is n.it true that it increases the danger. As a matter of fact, it Jecreases the danger, for the more surrai ■ -lectricity has over which to spread, the more readily and quickly t la carried to the earth. A house with i metal roof is not often struck by üghtning. for. while the metal may atcract the electricity, it also gives it ■■■om to spread out. and its force is thus lisslpated. This faot was demonstratd by Franklin nith his kite long ago. ind lightning rods are put on buildings to give st rm cloud.s a means of dishaiKing their electricity into the earth. Thi3 dlschtirge takes place without the report tha.t we cali thunder, for electricity maKc-s no noise unlcss it meets some resisting medium. It is a wellkn-jwn fact that thcre is less danger from lightning in cities than in the country, and this is due to the genera! uoe of iron, steel and other metáis in city buildings. The buildings are tal! and would seem, therefore. to be specially attractlve to the lightning; Indeed, they are often struck, but the metal in them dissipates the force of the fluid and carries it harmlessly and uietly to the earth. The effect of telephone wircs upon atmospheric electricity has been under official investigaUon by the Germán department of telegraphs, and statistics from 900 cities show that the danger from lightning iitrokes is four times as great In towns that do not have the telephone as in those that have it. The conclusión of the whole matter, therefore. is that an abundance of wires gives protectlon from lightning, instead of increasing the danger.