810 Transactioxs of tee American Institute. 



be made in it, and the rod can be put up by the most coniuion laborer. 

 These features should certainly render it worthy of adoption. 



Dr. Yanderweyde remarked that the first lightning rod put up in 

 Holland was in 1780, on a church spire there and tliis church has 

 never been struck since. In Holland they drive iron bars, some twenty 

 feet long, in the ground and attach the end of the lightning rod to 

 them. 



Dr. Wm. A. Weatherbee stated he had seen a village church struck 

 by lightning which had a scientific lightning rod on it, but the rod 

 instead of going into the ground, ran some three or four feet along 

 the ground. 



Prof. Phin stated that the liglitning rod of Mr. Farmer, whicli 

 was claimed to be made of steel, copper and tin, was not new, as he 

 had seen rods made of iron and copper many years ago. The making 

 of the rod of steel is not required as it is sufliciently strong when 

 made of iron, for a lightning rod. The old plan of iron and copper 

 rods was much better than the present one. 



Dr. P. H. Yanderweyde said that Prof. Faraday in experimenting 

 with electricity found that many points in a lightning rod interfered 

 with the attraction of the lightning. A number of points on a rod 

 is equal to a ball, which is not a good mode of attraction. It has been 

 found that one point will be charged better than a number of points. 

 One single rod tapered to a point, is much the best, as it absorbesthe 

 electricity from the air. 



Among other items brought forward iii the animated discussion 

 which followed Dr. Boynton's remarks, was the opinion expressed by 

 several that the insulation of lightning rods is absolutely useless, and 

 that it is much better to attach them directly to the roof, especially if 

 the latter be a metallic one. At the usual hour the meeting adjourned 

 for one week. 



May 13, 1869. 



Prof. 8. D. Tillman in the chair; C. E. Emeky, Esq., Secretary. 

 Stkekt Cleaning. 

 Mr. J. K. Fisher, in response to queries made at a previous meet- 

 ing, read, as follows, a brief paper upon the subject of " Street 

 "Washing and Sweeping: " ' 



The superiority of washing streets may be seen by those who 

 observe the following facts : 1. Fully a third of the dirt is left on the 



