The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1886-08-05
The Artificial Production of Rain

made some suggestions concerning the artificial
production of rain. hoping some genius might
take cue from that and carry the matter
farther for the subject is an important one.
The very lofty criticism of my suggestions by
one John f. Clarke of Prospect, which appear
ed in the journal of the 22nd. induces me to
take up the subject and carry it a little farther.
lie says: Everybody Except our correspon-
dent) knows that evaporation and condensation
of moisture produces rain, and not union of
oxygen and hydrogen in the air. l, too, have
read the books and could have expressed as
much before reading his learned criticism All
we know of rain, fire and explosives is purely
theoretical and no ono theory concerning either
of them is universally accepted. Evaporation
from the ocean rises toward condand and
there the particles condense until they form
clouds and condensing into still larger drops
fall as rain. This much my critic and other
schoolboys referred to may be familiar with,
but he says i'll substance that Oxygen and by
drogen the prime elements of water do not in
any manner separate from each other during
| evaporation, but that the water only divides it.
self into fine particles and these particles rise
to cloudland. lie fails to tell us what separates
those particles of water from the main body of
the sea or what power RAISES them to cloudland.
lie further says, ",fhc most rigid anal ySis of
atmospheric air shows not the least trace Of ny
drogcn'; and the conclusion is that the oxygen
can consequently find in the heavens no hydro
gen TO unite with to form water. This would
be good enough if ii was true, but when some
atmospheric air is analyZcl without finding
moisture i'll it. or some moisture is found with
out hydrogen in it then one can believe there is
no hydrogen floating in the air. But, lie will
answer: It is admitted that the whole atmoS-
phere is filled with vapor nj all times; generally
too fine to be seen, but sometimes coarse
enough for fog and the fog may be high enough
to be called clouds, and occasionally the yapor
of these clouds is coarse enough to fall rs rain.
| shall admit all this, but this does not prove
that hydrogen is never separated into distinct
gas during the process of evaporation.
In proving my position if do not make N.Y.
self understood by every reader many 4 sub
>criber will find the space lost to him that am
now occupying. | must therefore make my
| arguments and assertions clear TO unScicntlr
minds.
| have forgotten the proportions, but will
make a statement near enough for illustration.
Take seven hundred cubic feet of hydrogen and
| three hundred cubic feet Of oxygen (both are
invisible gases) and put them into a vessel
large enough to hold them ana wait for them to
unite or unite them by pressure, heat. electric
ity or by sudden EARRING. and This thousand
cubic feet of gases will form one cubic foot of
water. What must the power of attraction be
between these two gases that will bring them
down to so small and solid L bulk:
The oxygen in this cubic foot of water if
taken out and put with about three hundred
and fifty cubic feet Of nitrogen. the two togcth-
cr will make about six hundred cubic feet of
good breathing air. Oxygen and hydrogen
have strong attraction for each other and
when united form water. Oxygen and nitro
gen have a strong attraction for each other and
when united form atmospheric air or the air
we breath. But hydrogen and nitrogen hate
and repe each other and will neither unite or
stay together unless forced to do 50 BY some
power outside of themselves. but if put togeth-
er in right proportion they form liquid am
| monia. which of course readily cyap0ratc> be
cause the two parts rcpel each other. Because
this repelling force only makes ammonia cvap-
crate slowly. if may be thought that the force
is very weak. But his separating or cvapora-
| ting power is very decCiVng. 1t is like steam
in this respect; it is strong enough when pro-
perly confined. 1t is because hydrogen and
nitrogen repc each other that we have the cX-
ploSiNe power Of powder, dynamite, nitro-@ly-
cerne lightning. etc. We use an iron boiler
10 harness down the steam and test its power
| but we must use two elements known rs oXv-
| gen and carbon if we would harness this GREAT
cr power, namely. the repclling force of nitro
| gen and hydrogen.
| In gun powder. dynamite and nro-gvccrine
we ind these four elements, namely, nitrogen
| lille cases in their natural stnto Int in .' cy.
| ploSiye they must be somc,yhnt condensed fnr
| explosion represents both their snr;,rItinn md
| their expansion. It is NOT cnou@h tha+ tbnv
| separate from each other they mist also ry
| pand within themselves III uitro-tIvrn,ina
| these four elements are reduced ia n ri,ri1
and if this liouid is suddenly iarrrd il viii III
| plodc. In prn powder these forr eInmc,ts orn
united in a dry or solid form, and, as We
| know. is exploded by Duttinu fire. to if An
explosives have more or lcSS hnse mattnr In
! them which week.-mrs. them. t,,n nowlrr Inns
great deal ana but little bydrotrn. Mira
| uycerinc is purpst in fine foIi. elements rnd is
| strongest Dynamite is nitro-aIyaeriue tIfifna
| with base matter such AS sugar. .aw,lust or.
| dirt to make if safe TO handle TIprn v,uIA
| be no thunder if fine mir did NOT contain tho
| four elements we find in dvnoinitn u,mnll,
| oyy~cn lv,Ironen NITROGEN and rorhnu | naJ.n
| either of these ont and Won will losr thp thun-
| der, the ioIltninn and the ,Io,trurtiyencss
| Now i'm regard to carbon nv own belief il
| that il is thc natural nSsrnrn Of olboSi1nnos.
| or hardness: and this conclusion il reached III
| spite of the fact that so soft 4 mattrr as cbar
! coal is called carbon Diamond tbn hor,ln.t
| thing known. is >tpp0srl tn be- nuro ,.,rf,nn
| A green plaut may he very >oft lIit as il horl
ems it takes carbon. Steel is harder thnu IRON
| and iron is converted into steel I'm o,,li,te r.,,
| bon. Without the adhesive mower of carbon
| there could be no explosion if womb sinnI,,
! be a harmless eyaporatiou. Now in rnrar,l 70
| thunder and Ii~htninu. NV iln, IL tlt,t If il
! the explosion of rain dro,,s one ,aus;n,,
| the cXnlosion of another Ms thnv fiji !.
r,,u r. rows ,b, I.I ,,,,, : Il t..I