From: Dehede011@aol.com
Date: Thu May 15 2003 - 17:10:53 MDT
In a message dated 5/15/2003 5:42:54 PM Central Standard Time,
mail@HarveyNewstrom.com writes: Don't laugh. Here in Florida, we do need to
throw away a lightning rod after it has been hit. Our "ground" is composed
mostly of sand. The lightning melts the sand around the end of the lightning
rod and creates a glass insulator around it. Such a lightning rod won't work
again and has to be replaced.
Harvey
This not in direct response to your story but is something you
reminded me of. I was raised on a cotton farm near New Madrid, Mo. where the
huge earthquake occurred in 1812 AD.
Maybe most outsiders wouldn't think about it but when an earthquake
shakes a place like ours was it forces ground water to gush to the surface
bringing sand with it. Consequently in that area we have a lot of black
topsoil dotted with patches of sand. The "sand blows" can vary from a few
feet across to a patch covering couple of hundred acres -- I believe that is
the largest one known.
One summer day it was probably 95 degrees and for once was extremely
dry despite the entire area being a multi state swamp. My father had
finished cultivating his crops and was broke. For 8 months he had been
pouring his money into gasoline for his equipment, seed, hired help, and all
the stuff a farmer needs to make a crop. The garden was producing so we had
food. But it would be a month before the harvest began and the money begin
to flow in.
Pop had one recreation open to him. He loved to listen to the St.
Louis Cardinals on the family radio -- this was pre TV and even pre
electricity.
He came into the house and sat by the radio. He turned on the set but
the battery was too low for him to listen comfortably. That battery was
about gone and I knew he had no money for a new one.
I thought fast and said, "Dad, stay there. I'll think I can fix it."
He looked kind of doubtful but settled back to wait.
I went outside and in no more than five minutes I was back inside to
collect my father's approval -- I could hear that radio blaring easily from
anywhere in our yard. Teenage boys just love being their Dad's Golden Haired
Boy.
He asked what I had done.
Most of you have already figured it out but for the technically
challenged -- I had remembered that our house sat on the edge of a sand blow.
The ground wire for the radio was driven into the driest sand you can
imagine. I had grabbed a bucket of water and poured it on the ground wire.
Ron h.
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