Show Rod Hail-Rod Just Special Form of Lightning Rod The rod hail-rod known in ire French asa as asa asa a is merely a special form of lightning rod and was introduced in- in in introduced introduced in- in at a period when the production production pro pro- of hail was believed to be due to the t electrical rather than the mechanical action of the storm Even sa so great an authority as Arago thought that rods attached to balloons balloons balloons bal bal- loons might draw off enough electricity electricity electricity elec elec- from the clouds to prevent hail from forming The original rod hail-rod according to a writer in the Indianapolis News was a wooden pole with a metal tip which was connected with the ground by a cord or wire It is said that a million or more of these rods were erected in various parts of Europe during the first quarter bf of the Nineteenth century For a awhile awhile awhile while they were completely abandoned abandoned abandoned aban aban- but in 1899 a much more pretentious pretentious pretentious pre pre- device of the same character character character char char- acter was introduced in France and soon gained great popularity in that country This was a large copper rod grounded by means of a copper conductor and installed at as high a level as possible in some cases on church steeples or other tall edifices edifices edifices edi edi- and in other cases on great steel towers erected for the purpose Vehement discussions in regard to its merits prevailed in France down downto to the outbreak of the World war but little is heard about it I I. I |