The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1839-04-24
ARTIFICIAL KAJN.

ARTIFICIAL MAIN.
lhe following communication is copied
from the National Gazette, the editor Of
which solicils for it particular attention, and
says" Mr. Espy is gentleman who has
devoted somc fifteen or twenty years to the
practical study of Me,corolosy, and we hsz.
ard nothing in saying tha, in its ready aud
deep knowledge he is not cxceled. Under
these circumstances, aud having large and
warm sympalhies for science when its an.
pI'ances are of beneficial kind, we feel
particular pleasure in assisting to give cur.
rency to the views Of the writer on n sub-
Jecl which, if his hopes are renlized, mus,
contribute in splendid degree to the ma
'er'"l interests Of the country at large, rs
welPas shed lusirc on her intellectual
fame. We must not be understood MS en-
dorsing by any means the views of Mr.. Es.
ny in his expectation that he can cause ar
ilhcial rains. All we contend for is, that
us gentleman of solid requirement and
acknowledged worth aud disinterestedness,
IN his special pursuits, he has "a claim on
those who pretend to work for the public
good through The public press, and strive to
enlighten the general mind by sober enqui-
ry and fair judgement in all matters Of real
or ostensible importance and desert"
Messrs. Editors :---Knowing The difficult
ty, II not the impossibiliy, Of making the
subject in,elligblc in short newspaper arr
ticle, it is wnh reluctance Tint / nm now
induced, after much earnest solicitation
:, Co. 49, sr:--I- L-..i -----.-.--
aud FACTS, which have led me tT desire
that mn experiment should he made to see
whether rain may be produced Utifcialiy
in time Of drought.
The documents whicl, have collected on
this subject, If they do not prove TINT the
experiment will succeed, do Mt lcnst prove
TINT it ought to be tried this trust will
mos, satisfactorily appear when they shall
be published entire. ln the meantime IL
has become necessary to present To- the pub
lie something OH The subject, lest longer si-
lence might be construed into an abandon
ment of The project.
First 1t is known by experiment that it
mir should he expanded into double the VOL
ume by diminished pressure, It would he
cooled nbout 30 degrees Of FnhreDheit.
Srcond--I have shown by experiment
that if mir at The common dew point in the
summer season in tTe of drought, n de-
grees, should go up in n column to n height
sufficient to expand it by diminished pres
sure into double the volume, it would con-
dense into water or visible cloud, by the
] II l.lf g
/ its vapor-a qunnty sufficient To produce
nearly three inches of rain.
Tbird-It is known by chemical princi-
pies, that the cnloric of elasticity given our
during the condensation of this vapor, would
be equal to about &c, 900 tons Of anthracite
coal burnt on each square mile over which
the cloud extended.
Fourth-I have shown by experiment
see Saturday Courier, March 1e, 1897
that this culoric Of elasticity would prevent
the mir from cooling only about half rs
much rs it would, if il had No vapor in IL,
or about 45 degrees at the height assumed
which would cuuse the ar in the cloud 10
be, n. that height, about 45 degrees warm
or than the mir on the outside Of tho cloud
at ,h. same height. have shown from
these principles see Journal Of the Frank
lin Institute for 1886 that the barometer
would fall under The cloud thus formed, IN
favorable circumstances, a qunniiiy as great
rs it Is known to fall sometimes under tho
middle Of deEse aud lofty cloud, aud that
consequently the mir would rush in on oil
sides towards the centre Of the cloud and
upwards in the middle, and thus continue
the condemnation Of the vnpor and the for
nation of cloud and the generation of rnin.
Use also journal Of the Franklin Institute
for Sep,enber and Octsber, 1888, and fer
Janunry, February mud March, and subse-
queut, 1889.
Fifth have shown, also, IN tho volumes
quoted above, that the mir does move IT.
wards ON nli sides towards the centre OF the
space or region where u great rain is falling,
and of course upwards, after II comes IN
under the cloud, which is so much lighter
,hau the surrounding air at least, that II
does 50 in all storms which have been in
yes,ignted,. which now amount to SIXTEEN
besides several tornadocs, in NIL Of which
the trees were thrown with their tops in-'
wards.
From the principles here established oy
lcxperiment, and afterwards confirmed oy
observ alton, it follows, that If large oody
of mir is made to ascend in column. .
large cloud will be generated, and that 'n"s
cloud will contain in itself self-ssstaining
mower. which may move from the Plnes