142 F. H. QUAIFE. 



point where a conductor leading to earth through the iron 

 service was available. 



According to the article on lightning in the latest and 

 recent edition of the Encyclopcedia Brltannica, which is 

 based on the findings of three Commissions on the subject 

 in Europe, no one conductor is of the slightest use ; all 

 metal parts of the roof or other outside parts of the build- 

 ing should be well metallically connected, and all elevated 

 structures, such as chimneys especially, owing to the hot 

 fumes often rising from them, should be provided with 

 pointed conductors. The more the building is covered 

 like a bird-cage the better, and the best material is strong 

 galvanized iron wire. Copper is more likely to favour 

 side flashes, which often do more damage than the main 

 flash. Of course all these metallic lines should lead to 

 earth in several places, and should be fastened to large 

 plates of copper sunk into damp soil or very deep laid 

 water pipes. 



The different layers of cloud form condensers and at the 

 tremendous potential existing, the disruptive discharge 

 becomes extremely erratic and takes by no means the paths 

 that might be expected. 



I was once called to see a woman in a small house, by 

 no means on a hill, in Paddington. She was lying in a bed 

 made up in a fourpost tubular bedstead. A flash had 

 struck the roof and travelled down a bedpost, knocked out 

 a loose gas board, run along a gas pipe which emerged in 

 the kitchen, jumped from there to a piece of iron rod pass- 

 ing through the wall and thence to earth. A large piece 

 of the wall was shattered and the bricks tumbled about 

 and many smashed to dust. Fortunately, the woman 

 escaped completely except for a scare. No doubt the cage 

 form of the four-poster had a good deal to do with her 

 escape. 



