Lightning Biggest Single Cquse of Lumberyord Fires

as 48 times in a year. A lumber yard in an averag'e area, because of the large expanse of ground it covers, can expect greater vulnerability than a single small building, but of corlrse less vulnerability than a skyscraper.

Fortunately, lightning can be completely ,controlled. No building, says the Lightning Protection Institute, has ever been damaged by lightning when a properly designed rodding and grouncling system has been correctly installed. Moreover, insurance savings r,vhich result from such protection can often amortise the cost of the protection svslern over tlre years.

These are the recomrnendations for rodding standard type structures, :rs given by the Lightning Protection Institute:

Perhaps the least-appreciated distinction possessed bv a lumber dealer is the fact that his business is iikelv the m-ost "incendiary" in tolvn. Lumber yarcls, because of il-re inflammable nature of rvood and othei prodrrcts carried. are nrime fire targets

Thus, these dealers are unusrlally conscious of fire-safetv rules and practices, knorving that even full insuran." .unnot compensate for "extra" losses-time and effort required to settle the loss and start anetr.. "No Sntoking" signs are prominent and nnmerous; fire extinguisheii a."e kept handy; cleanup campaigns are helcl.

But the most important fire-safety practice of all has becn pointed out clearly bv recent figurei on causes of fires in lumber yards. It is th-e maintenJnce of aclecluate protection againsr lightning.

. This natural phenomenon, respor-rsible for more than $100,000,000- property darrrage in the IJ.S. annually, is the b.igg9s1 single cause bf retaiflumber yard {rres, acccircling to the I-ightning Protection Institute, Minneapolis, NIiinesota. Causin g 18.2/o of such fires, lightning iJ ahead of the second u/orst cause-defectir.e u'iring-by a bigger margin than exists ltetrveen any other trvo causes.

. The figure for clefecfive u'iring is 13.1/c. Defective heating eqtriprnent is third *-ith 12.9ri,,. Carelessness r,vith cigar- ettes and_ ma.tches, a major transgression irr an1' dcaler's book, ranks sixth at ll.2%.

Some 360,0@ strokes of lightning hit the earth er-ery hour. Each bolt contains tens cif hundreds of millions of volts and from 1,00O to 20O,000 amperes of current. The searing power of one bolt can stl.,ash a major building to bits, start a major fire or, becarrse of lightning's freak'nature, the bol t may nrerely tear off lr shingle ()r t\\.().

.T,ightning is the result of tn'o ,,1'rposite charges of elec- tricity leaping across space to join each otl-rer. \\-rl.ren storm clouds gather, they amass trenrendous charges of electricity, thought to be negatir.e. At the same tirne, an equal numlter of positive charges build up at a high point on the grouncl.

When the presstlre of attraction ltetlveen oltposite charges _becomes great enough, they jump the barrier of non-conducting air and collicle u.ith :r. terrihc exulosion. The core of the lightnir-rg bolt is about { inches thick and is s_urroundecl by a ,1-inci-r channel of terrifically-l.reate<1 air. The accompanying thunderclap is caused by heating, ionizrng. arrd explodirrg of air molecules.

A11 states in the U.S. har.e electrical storms, some more often, some more severe than others. Areas like Neu, England, whicl-r has less tl.ran the average number of storms, aie subject to exceptionally long and severe storms. There are from 4O to 60 lightning strikes per year n.ithin the average square mile in this country.

_ A high object is more likely to be hit than a lorv one. The Empire State Building, rvorlci's tallest, has been hit as many

1. Air terminals-or rods or points-should be placed on roof ridges or perimeters of flat roofs at spacings not llore than 20 feet apart. They should be placed within 2 feet of ends of ritlges, gables, ancl prominent dormers. Wood ventilators, cupolas or .other projections need terminals. Metal elevations, when bonded to the lightning concluctor, are in effect air terminals. Chimneys shou'ld have tertninals placed so that no outside corner of tl.re chirlney is morc than 2 feet. from a terminal; and the rods should extend at least l0 inches above the chinrney.

2. Roof con<luctors should interconnect all air ternrinals and offer a two-\\,'a). path for lightning to follow. They shor"rld nevcr take a benrl of less tliau 90 degrees, should not be bent sharpll' or go down ar.rd up again. Other recommendations are according to roof and building rlesigns.

3. Down conductols join roof conductors and grouncls. Two are nercletl^for all building.s less than 80 feet long; three for buildings from 80 u1r to l-10 feet long.

,1. Grouncling rods should be driven at least 10 feet into permanently moist ground. Grouncls should be copper cable or copper-clad steel rods. 'Ihe1' should be at least 2 leet away from foundation walls. Special rules apply with dry sand or gravel ground.

5. The wiring system, TV antennas, water pipes and rvell casings and other tnetal installations neecl special grounding ancl lightning arrestor treatnent.

6. Smaller buildings near larger ones are regarded as lightning hazards and need individual protection. A "cone of protection" principle, often relied upon b1' some lavrnen, should never be adopted '1\.lttrout sanctlolt.

7. A "\Iaster Label" service by Llnclerwriters Laboratories is available for new and existing lightning protection s)-stcl11s. This is a protection for the owncr, conrplied vvith b,v all responsible lightning rod manufacturers and installers.

Rods, conductors and grounds are :rl1 installed rvith one aim-to lead lightnit.rg safely into the grorrncl or into the air,_deper-rding on which direction it is headed. Today, this is <lone t'ith modern systems that are inconspicuous and hardly noticed from the street.

The Lightning Protection Institute offers literature on such "concealed" systems and their installation, as rvell as literature on installations rvith many different types of structures. These are available free from the Lightning Protection Institute, 616 North 41st Avenue, Nlinneapolil 12, Minnesota.

Babe, that there's phat I call a SOUND FOANDATION I " observed Paul Bunyan as he delicately lifted up the old house with his pinkie. The Blue Ox grunted. "See them mudsills, girders an' posts? Been settin' there 25 years in the damp an' dark, supportin' 50,000 pounds o' house-an' not a trace o' rot or termites anywhere. Sound as the day they was cut...Babe, sure as you're true blue, that's BAXCO Pressure Treated Foundation Lumberg."

BAXCO pressure treated FOUNDATION LUMBER

$What else, Paul? For the past 25 years

BAXCO pressure treated Foundation Lumber has been safeguarding thousands of \Vestern homes against termites and wood-rot. Pressure treatment locks in the chemical protection for keeps. And when you figure, Paul, that just one repair bill, caused by rot or termites, can run into hundreds of dollars-well, why take a chance? Especially since BAXCO Pressure Treated Foundation Lurnber adds so little to the total building cost-just a few dollars. ' \7rite today for free booklet.

IN THIS COLUMN of this journal under the date of July, 1946, is found the following paragraph, which is herewith reprinted without comment:

"Time was when every citizen looked upon that (the Supreme) Court as his anchor to windward if all else had failed. Up to that time (1936), the Court had always and inevitably been composed of the finest minds and intellectual giants that this country produced. Since that time, no addition to the court has been a man of great and outstanding judicial experience and ability."

;f*t<

BILL SHAKESPEARE evidently didn't th,ink much of borrowing. In "Hamlet" he makes Polonious say: ,.Neither a borrower nor a lender be, for loan oft loses both itself and friend, and borrowing kills the edge of husbandry." And in "Henry IV," Shakespeare says: ',I caught no remedy against this consumption of the purse; borrowing only lingers and lingers it out, but the disease is inevitable."

*t<*

Who said it we know not, but it was a man of great wisdom who left to posterity this definition of Socialism: "Socialism is the substitution of the rights of the state for the righ,ts of man; it is a rejection of liberty, of freedom, of hope."

{< r< ,<

One of the most vivid descriptions ever uttered concerning a famous American is the following, alleged to have been spoken by a friend of Henry Clay: ',To come within reach of his speech is to love him. He is dramatic, emotional, impulsive, humorous, loving, courageous, reckless, and profane."

"You do not have ar ,. .;."ted to be honest. you do not have to be literate to be inspired. You do not have to be academic to be guided by God. In utter simplicity it is possible to be loving and ussful."-Qeorge West.

"Each of us is " oo-"1 olri *" send out a current. Its quality is our quality. It is power derived from our character. It hurts or it heals. It warms genially, or it inficts painful burns. It gives pleasure or pain. We ourselves decide the effect it must producs."-Thomas Dreier.

*t<t<

His disciple Tzu-lu once said to Confucius: "What makes a gentleman?" And the great Chinese teacher replied: .,A gentleman has nine aims: to see clearly; to understand what he hears; to be warm in manner, dignified in bearing, faithful in speech, keen at work; to ask when in doubt ; in anger to think of difficulties and, in sigh,t of gain, to think of right."

Which may remind you that many years ago when a leading American magazine asked that distinguished scholar, Dr. Will Durant, to name the greatest thinkers in history, he listed ten, with Confucius at the top of the list.

William Allen Whit., ,; ,r"J sage of Emporia, Kansas, said that "Liberty is one thing you can,t have unless you give it to others."

Some unknown philoso;":; th.is fine thought to posterity: "Your greatness is measured by your kindness, your education and intellect by your modesty; your ignorance is betrayed by your suspicions and prejudices; and your real caliber is measured by the consideration and tolerance you have for others.', * rr ,<

And here is an epitaph about one who must have been a swell guy: "He helped people above him and below him. He reached out for better ideas and made use of them. He read and studied. He achieved popularity by being thought- ful and considerate. His associates liked to have h,im around. He made them feel better. He was a man of good will." *t<r<

Some cynic says that the question of which comes first, the chicken or the egg, has given way to the more immediate and practical question: Will people abolish wars or will wars abolish people ? >F*d<

WE HEAR AND READ MUCH about our,,neighbors to the South," between this country and South America, but probably know little about their size. Maybe these facts will be of interest:

Mexico is about one-fourth as big as the United States. Guatemala is about the size of the state of New york. Honduras is about as big as Pennsylvania. El Salvador is twice as big as Vermont. Nicaragua is twice as big as Michigan. Costa Rica is about the size of West Virginia. Panama is about the size of Indiana. Cuba is about as big as Louisiana. The Dominican Republic is a little smaller than West Virginia. And Haiti, the smallest American republic, is smaller than Maryland and, with three million inhabitants, is probably the most densely populated nation in the world.

And, lest this grow ,." ,."Ort, let us remember the order alleged to have been given by General Marshall to General Eisenhower: "Proceed to London. Invade continent. Destroy German army."