Lighting and continuity of service

In spite of the great development within the last few years of devices for the protection of electrical apparatus against lightning and the vast improvement in the insulation of transmission lines, this source of disturbance still remains one of the most serious threats against continuity of service in our large overhead systems. In perfecting remedies, or preventatives, it is highly desirable to know the cause and nature of the attack of lightning on the line, for it is on the transmission line rather than in the station, that interruptions to service usually occur.