6 



In the reports of the twenty-four companies we find records of two rodded 

 buildings which were burned, one owned by Mr. Harold Currie, of Strathroy, the 

 other by Mr. Murdoch Kerr, Embro. Neither of these buildings was rodded 

 according to standard specifications, the former being particularly defective. It is 

 dealt with in detail on page 31. This building would undoubtedly have been 

 saved if properly rodded. Mr. Kerr's rodding was defective in two regards: first, 

 the systems on the main barn and straw barn were not connected, and, secondly, the 

 ground-rods were down only about 31/^ to 4 feet, but they were moist when pulled 

 out for examination. Whether the defects were responsible for the fire we have 

 not been able to determine. The bolt was of the ball type, a ball of fire about as 

 large as a man's head coming straight down and hitting the straw barn. 



Taking the whole forty companies together, there were 631 lightning damages 

 totalling $113,459.89. 110 of these buildings were burned. We should have 

 expected 26.2 per cent, of the strokes and damage to be on rodded buildings. This 

 would have given 163 strokes and a loss of $29,726.49. As a matter of fact, only 

 16 rodded buildings were struck and the loss was $3,917.09, so the rods saved 

 $25,809.40, out of an expected loss of $29,726.49, showing an efiiciency of 86.8 per 

 cent. Since Mr. Currie's fire was directly due to the absence of ground-rods at a 

 vital point, it seems only fair to consider this barn as not rodded. If this is done 

 the efficiency of the rods in 1913 would be 92.0 per cent. 



Perhaps some may reply : " But maybe those rodded buildings expected to be 

 struck were actually struck, and the rods carried off the strokes harmlessly and 

 so the insurance companies, having no claim to pay, have no record of those strokes." 

 If any take this ground, well and good, because it is an admission that the rods 

 in one way or another brought about the desired result, viz., to save the buildings 

 from damage by lightning. 



It may be well, however, to remark that in all probability there is some 

 ground for the objection. Probably more than two of the 37 rodded buildings 

 expected to be struck in 1912 were actually struck, and of those expected to 

 be struck in 1913, probably more than 16 were actually struck, and the rods 

 carried off the. current without damage, indeed without any trace of the strokes re- 

 maining to show that they ever occurred. The exact comparative value of the 

 saving and preventive functions of rods we are not able to determine, but scientific 

 considerations now lead us to conclude that the preventive function is by far the 

 more important. As the teachings of science regarding the general value of rods 

 have been so strongly confirmed by practical experience, we may with confidence 

 accept the dictum of science when it says that the chief function of rods is to prevent 

 strokes from occurring. 



For those who want reports over a longer period of years we have them. 

 During these Ontario investigations our. attention had been drawn to Iowa and 

 Michigan, where it was reported some advanced work in rodding had been done. 

 Consequently in September, 1913, by the kindness of the Hon. Mr. Duff, the writer 

 was enabled to visit these States and examine conditions at first hand. 



In Iowa Lightning Eods Show an Efficiency of 98.7 Per Cent. 



In Iowa some valuable data were available. For the eight years 1905-1912 

 inclusive, a large number of insurance companies doing farm business only have 

 reported the percenta.sre of rodded buildings covered by their risks, and also the 

 claims paid on rodded and unrodded buildings. The highest number of rem- 



