During a violent electric storm in the Shetland Islands, a fishing boat was attacked by the electric fluid, which tore the mast to shivers. A fisherman was sitting by the side of the mast at the time, but he felt no shock. Upon taking out his watch, however, he found that the electric current had actually fused his watch into a mass. In this case, it is more than probable that the man was saved through the saturation of his clothes with rain.
608. Do lightning conductors "attract" electricity?
Not unless the electric current lies in their vicinity.
609. Why have lightning conductors sometimes been found ineffective?
Because they have been unskilfully constructed; have been too small in their dimensions, and have not been properly laid to convey the electricity harmlessly away.
610. What is the best metal for a lightning conductor?
Copper, the conducting power of which is five times greater than that of iron.
611. Why should a large building have several conductors?
Because the influence of a conductor over the electricity of the surrounding air does not extend to more than a radius of double the height of the conductor above the building: for instance, a conductor rising ten feet high above the building would influence the electricity twenty feet all round the conductor.