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Thunderbolts & Lightning Rods

a paper Read before a Regular Meeting of the Franklin Institute by John Wise, aeronaut.

In a former paper on this subject read before this Institute I stated the facts of five dwelling houses being struck with Lightning during the passing over them of a Thunder storm, and that it all happened within the space of one hour and within the area of teritory [[territory]] one and a half miles in diameter. This happened in the City of Lancaster Pa. a Town remarkably well represented with Lightning Rods, as well in the improved patterns of construction as in the multiplicity of their numbers: And that two of these five houses that were struck had on them lightning rods, and three had none, and that the two having rods were set on fire, while the three having no rods were not set on fire, but received slight damage to the chimney tops.

I might say of this case, as of some others, "the more lightning rod the more thunderbolt" destruction.

In that same paper I stated a case of thunderbolt passing from the rod on a Church in Terra Haut on to the gas pipes in the building, and from thence to the street mains gas-pipes, and damaging said pipes more or less by bursting joints for a distance of one thousand feet. At the time of presentation of the aforesaid paper this gas-pipe affair was deemed