Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, D.T. [N.D.]) 1878-1884, 1879-12-26
COL. THoMpsoN's THEORY.
CAUSE OF THE INCREASE IN
THE FALL OF ZcAIN AVID SNOW.
T he Causes of Rain and the Electrical
Currents..--Railro and Tele-
graph Wires Conducive to
tho Increased R..inHal1.

graph Wires Conducive to
tho Increased Rs.inEals.
+ A PHILOSOPHICAL IDEA.
Rhapsodists who are we'll housed, SUI
rounded with all the comforts of life, en-
ioying good health and blessed with u
cheerful poetic disposition had, last weel.,
an abundance of reason to exclaim, Oh
the beautiful snow! Not so with thepoor-
" housed, the destitute Of fuel, the out
door laborer, the teamsler, the hungry and
the sick. To the unfortunate and needy
such a snow storm i, a terrible calamity =;
while to the fortunate and we'll supplied
it brings no terror and may be regarded
as source of immediate pleasure and OF
ultimate advantage to the whole country.
To the latter the wind howls horribly;
the cold penetrates plnchingly and hun
ger binders all hopes of happiness while
the former mingles the jingling Of sleigh
bells with the whistling wind or browns
Its roar by the eloquence of the lecture
room, the music Of an orchestra or the po-
tency OF the flowing bowl; his robes of fur
and we'll filled stoves protect him from the
cold and oyster stews and relished dishes
leave no room for hungry cravings.
This unprecedented snow storm is an
additional evidence of the fact that settle
ment and cultivation increases the rain
fall and improves the climate of all prairie
countries. have heretofore advcrted to
some of the reasons for this increase
which is becoming more and more palpa
bic here every year. [ have mentioned
the prevention OF prairie fires, as standing
grass radiates heat, produces cold and
| precipitates tie atmospheric moisture IN
| the shape Of dew, hoar frost, rainfall or
snow storms, while the old grass holds
| the snow from dritting; prevents the dry
| winds from sucking up the superficial
moisture and contributes greatly tol*tt,a=
retention of the water precipitated. 5i j
have mentioned prairie breaking as a
means oflettiny the water SOAK in'o the
ground and become localized, instead ot
| running down the Missouri or being
evaporated and carried by the winds to
wafer OlilcI SldGcS. lICt CllGuI HIS DCCli
advocated as Il source ofincreased rainfall
and means Of localizing water.
EFFECT OF RAILROADS.
Railroads and dtheiroperation are among
the greatest sources OF increased rainfall
in countries reputed arid. In the first
place they contribute powerfully to the
| production OF all the above mentioned
| causes. Secondly, The continuous iron
rail created by its present 'fish-bar" East
ening is a powerful electric conductor
connected with the entire railroad SYSTEM
of North America and ON that accountbe
comes new and wonderful means Of
changing the electrical condition otthe
country into which it pcnctrates. That
electricity and rainfall are intimately as
sociated every body knows, but how does
| the former produce or increase the latter?
| will tell you how it may do so. It lis q
| fact which most people have observed,
| that in the great sea of atmosphere float
| ing above US, there are different currents
! moving in different directions al different
| heights; that these currents are sepafate,
| we'll defined and distinct from each other
and remain so for several days or weeks
| without any change or coE.mingling
whatevcr. Some OF these currents are
warm and full of watcry vapor, Others are
| cold and dry, each characterized by the
thermal condition of its source. Nowto
produce rain all that is necessary Is to
| bring no, and cold current into contact
! and make them commingle. This re-
duces the temperature of the varor bear
ing current, condenses the vapor, fqrms
shape of rain. Electricity is either posi-
t;xo or nor.tiva op1 oil oh, wfrpd
either one way or the other and in every
conceivable degree If any two bodies
are eitherposil,ve]y or negatively claSyed
they will resist each other in proportion
to their electric condition. If the one is
positively charged and the other npg.l-
lively they will attract each other Wifi q
similar force. Now it is plain that ifthe
two currents necessary for the
PRODUCTION OF RAIN,
both happen to he posit,v 1y
charged which in this couatry is geaer-
alIy the case. they must resist each other
and prevent any contact or commingl un-
til an electrical change is produced or
some other prevailing power introduced
to overcome the electrical antagonisnl. a
when it has given off or dispensed With
its positive electricity. To effect this
proper conductors must he introduced
where they do not naturally exist Dry
| air and dry ground are non-conducfors
and have tendency tn perpetuale anYex-
listing electrical condition OF the curfent
Immediately above Us; while lightning
rods. forest trees, growing vegetables,
church-steeplcs, a wet atmosphere Or a
wet ground are good conductors. All con-
ductors are valueless unless they ter,nin-
ate in m0is: or wet portion of the earth
which is the great reservoir into which