113 
the top of the upright stick of the cross is to be fixed a very sharp- 
pointed wire, rising a foot or more above the wood. To the end 
of the twine, next the hand, is to be tied a silk ribbon, and where 
the silk and twine join a key may be fastened. This kite is to be 
raised when a thunder gust appears to be coming on, and the per- 
son who holds the string must stand within a door or window, or 
under some cover, so that the silk ribbon may not be wet; and 
care must be taken that the twine does not touch the frame of the 
door or window. As soon as any of the thunder clouds come over 
the kite, the pointed wire will draw the electric fire from them, and 
the kite, with all the twine, will be electrified, and the loose fila- 
ments of the twine will stand out every way and be attracted by an 
approaching finger. And when the rain has wet the kite and twine 
so that it can conduct the electric fire freely, you will find it stream 
out plentifully from the key on the approach of your knuckle. At 
this key the phial may be charged; and, from electric fire thus 
obtained, spirits may be kindled and all the other electric experi- 
ments be performed which are usually done by the help of a rubbed 
glass globe or tube, and thereby the sameness of the electric matter 
with that of lightening completely demonstrated.’’ * 
“‘In September, 1752, I erected an iron rod to draw the light- 
ening down into my house,’’ Franklin writes to Collinson, a year 
later, ‘‘in order to make some experiments on it with two bells, to 
give notice when the rod should be electrify’d, a contrivance ob- 
vious to every electrician. I found the bells rang sometimes when 
,there was no lightning or thunder, but only a dark cloud over the 
rod ; that sometimes, after a flash of lightning, they would sud- 
denly stop, and at other times, when they had not rang before, 
they would, after a flash, suddenly begin to ring; that the elec- 
tricity was sometimes very faint, so that when a small spark was 
obtain’d another could not be got for some time after; at other 
times the sparks would follow extremely quick ; and once I had a 
continual stream from bell to bell the size of a crow quill. Even 
during the same gust there were considerable variations.’’ The fol- 
lowing winter he charged two phials, one with lightning from the 
iron rod, the other, equally, by the electric glass globe, and sus- 
pended acork ball between the wires issuing from the top. He 
observed the cork ball play briskly between them, proving the 
*New Experiments and Observations on Electricity, p.111. Letter of date October 19, 1752 
PROC. AMER, PHILOS. SOC. XXXII. 1430. PRINTED DEC. 18, 1893. 
