Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 September 1891 — HOW THEY MAKE RAIN. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOW THEY MAKE RAIN.

RECEN * EXPERIMENTS WERE SUCCESSFUL. The Practicability of the Theory Said to Have Been Demonstrated—Three Closely Related Scientific Conditions Which Are Recognised and Acted Upon by the Experimenters. Produced by Man. Scientists, farmers, and ranchmen, and in fact the entire reading public, have recently had their attention centered on Texas and the successful operations of tho Government rainmakers. The cowboys of the “Staked Plains" of that State have been treated to a free exhibition of fireworks such as has seldom if ever bb'ehbqualed in the Lone Star State. The coyotes and antelopes have been scattered in terror by this; terrific cannonading of the experimenters, anil to the joy of the ranchman dobfous rains have fallen oh the parched prairies of the Llano Estacado, breaking drought

of long duration and averting the distress and suffering which would have followed a few more weeks of dry weather. Before the close of the late war, it became so conspicuous a fact that heavy rain would almost inevitably follow a ; hot engagement , that the storm ♦ was fully anticipated, and was regarded as one of the factors in the case to be considered by a leader when forming his plans upon the eve of a battle. In most of these cases the storms began about twelve hours after the heavy firing, generally arising in the night following the battle, and in eases of continual flght-

Ing for several days, as in the battles of the Wilderness, they occurred nightly during the continuance of the engagements. History also shows that during the Mexican war many battles on the arid platnsof Mexico were followed by copious rainfalls, a condition previously almost unknown in some of those localities. Gen. Daniel Ruggles, of Fredericksburg, Va., was among the number of those who observed the regularity of this phenomenon or rainfall after battles, and soon after the close of the war he applied for a patent on the idea of “producing rainfall artificially by means of explosions in the upper air.” Gen. Ruggles’ ideas were crude, but be obtained his patent and thereby the exclusive right to the wholesale and retail trade in the artificial rain-storms in this country. However, when Congress took np the matter and began to talk of investigating the subject Gen. Ruggles freely surrendered all his rights in favor pf the government

After Gen. Ruggles had taken out his papers the subjoi tpt artificial rainfall received little attention for twenty years or moie, but as the grain and cattle interest# extended into tho semi-arid regions of the West aid Southwest, the possibilities of the subject began to be discussed, and many of the prominent farm and ranch owners of the West were soon convinced tha? the scheme was well worth a trial C. B. Farwell and Nelson Morris, of Chicago, both of whom are largely interested in stock lands, took the matter before Congress and by dint of earnest agitation obtained last year an appropriation of 82,000 for use by the Department of Agriculture In prosecuting investigations in this line, and the last Congress added 87,000 to this sum for a series of practical experiments. At the urgent request of the friends of the scheme Gen. Robert G. Dyenforth consented to superintend the investigations and experiments * A series of tentative experiments were first prosecuted near Washington at which a number of prominent officials and scientists were present At the time of the operations in the District of Columbia the explosions produced great alarm throughout the suburbs, and a petition was immediately presented to Uncle Jerry Rusk praying that he remove “his dynamiters” to a region more remote and secluded, and an arid spot in Texas was selected. The mode of operation which General Dyrenforth adopts is to form a “line of battle” covering a position about three miles long and two deep. Along the front of the line giant powder is fired from mortars, and bombs of “rackarock” mixture are exploded. Behind this a second line is formed, consisting of fifty cloth kites held by electric wire and bearing loads of dynamite The. dynamite is exploded when the kites are high in the air by means of a cap and an electric current which is passed through the wires. The dynamite is suspended from the kites by wires of a length sufficient to prevent the kites from being injured by the explosions. A third line is formed behind the kites

consisting of exp’oslve balloons of 10, 12, >ond 20 foot diameter charged with oxhydrogen gas, which is one of the most violent texplosives knoFn to science Ten to twenty of those balloons are In the air at once, < a h containing from 60Oio 5,000 cubic feet of the explosive gases The concussions from the explosion of one of these balloons Is so great that it must bo allowed to rise to a great height in order to prevent injury to the operatives and surrounding objects. The explosion is produced by means of electric wires or by a time fuse so regulated that the explosion will take place when the balloon has had time to reach the proper altitude, which varies according to conditions, from 1,000 to 7,000. feet In charging the balloons with the gases the empty envelope is first spread on the ground and filled one-third full with oxygen. This is done by attaching the balloon by a ho e to retorts filled vlth chlorate of potassium and manganese. The retort-i are then subjected to intense heat in oxygen furnaces constructed for the purpose, when oxygen gas is generated and passes through a lime-water wash into the balloon. When the balloon is one-third full it Is detached from the oxygon apparatus and connected by a pipe with one of the large hydrogen generators, wjjtch completes the inflation. The hydrogen generator consists of a large tank half-full of water and iron borings turned from cast-iron projectiles in the navy yard at Washington. Into this sulphuric add, or vitriol, is slowly decanted. The acid separates the water Into its gases, hydrogen and oxygen, and the iron takes up the oxygen, allowing the free hydrogen to escape through a pipe and washbarrel into the ba'loon, which is held captive by a netting attached to sand baga The observation ascents are made in balloons of twenty feet diameter. The balloon is held captive at a height of 1,000 feet by a strong cable while the meteorologist In the basket communicates the readings of his instrument through a telephone to those on the ground below. The cable Is then let go, and the balloon rises to the height of over two “mties, and then descending lands the occupant at a distance of several miles from the starting point A carriage has already started from the headquarters, however, and the aeronautical observer is seen riding quietly back on terra firms, with his balloon, folding basket, and Instruments safely packed away.

Three clMely related principle* of theories ate recognized and acted upon by General Dyrenforth and blf.party In their experiments, which; stated briefly and bereft of technical terms, are as follows: First, most rain* storms have their origin In the mingling of different currents of the upper air strata, some of which are warm and moisture-laden (in any locality) while others are much cooler. As soon as these currents begin to mingle, the warm, rr.olst current Is cooled and its moisture is thus squeezed out of it as from a sponge. This moisture first becomes visible as vapor or “cloud,” and finally condenses into rain. The process is a progressive one and will generally multiply upon itself from a very small beginning. The Immense air waves produced by the explosion of the balloons at high altitudes start this mingling of currents which, progressing by

the force of the latent heat released in the condensation of moisture, grows into a storm center. The second theory is that a continuous series of explosions ars together or agglomerates the particles of moisture in the air into rain drops, which are precipitated to the ground. The effect is evident after a heavy clap of thunder and has been repeatedly produced by General Dyenforth’s party, heavy showers having been shaken from light clouds from which no ra n had been falling. To produce this effect the kites are used with dynamite cartridges attached. Gon. Dyrenforth does not claim that he has fully demonstrated the practicability of producing rainfall artificially at all times and under all conditions, but it seems certain, from observations made, that his operations have exerted marked influen e upon the condition of the weather and produced definite practical results in the midst of the arid “Staked Plains’ of Texas. In the third place it is believed that the frictional electricity which is generated in the jarring of the earth and air at the point of the operations and socreates a magnetic, field into which the particles of molsture-.are drawn - and gathered. The explosions on and near the ground are especially calculated to sequre this result, • “I think I mistook my calling,” salt! the young man, when his opponent laid down four aces.— Washington Star.

GEN. DYRENFORTH.

FILLING THE SALOONS.

MORTAR FOR FIRING POWDER.