Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-08-17

water held in that something to pour
down where needed in copious shower
of rain. The bill making the approprIa-
ton passed without opposition
Now, 1t does seem TO us that this thing
is fearful exhibit, so tar as relates 10
the intelligence of American congress-
men. Any school boy ought to know
more about the principles of rain and
moisture IN the atmosphere than they
have put themselves to record as know
ing. Thunder never produces rain or
moisture in the atmosphere. 1t is simply
the child OF moisture. Without the
moisture being first in the atmosphere
there could be no thunder. What we
call thunder is simply an information re-
sulting from a rapid rush OF electricity
along an imperfect conductor. The air
itself is no conductor at all, but water is
a fair conductor, and hence when the
air becomes surcharged with moisture we
have conductor over which can pass
the electric current. If the conductor
was perfect the current would pass noise
less, as it does along the wires on its
way to drive our electric cars, but since
it is not perfect. being more or less
broken everywhere, the current tears
along 1t, leaping the breaks and pro-
ducing the intonations known as
thunder
That moisture in the atmosphere which
gives us rain is mainly taken up from the
seR-in most cases thousands of miles
away. Certain conditions, only admit
of its being taken up, therefore the at
mosphere is not constantly surcharged
with moisture. How then is the explod-
ing dynamite to secure us the water sup
NaI -
posing it could be made effectual? Where
would the water come from? The idea
is simply too preposterous to admit of
discussion.
Some of our very young readers might
take an interest in a description of how it
happens to rain at any time; so we'H put
in few words for them. The atmos-
phere may be likened to great sponge
moving across the surface of the earth
in currents. AS one of these
currants, warm and expanded, rolls
over the ocean it takes up water just as
sponge would take it up, and carries
it along in its course-all the wa
ter 1t can hold. 1t leaves the sea
q saturated sponge, so to speak. FL
nally, at some point in its course it comes
into contact with current of air colder
than itself, and is thereby contracted in
its proportions. 1t is a we'll known law
that heat expands objects while cold con-
tracts them. The saturated current,
then, becoming contracted or reduced in
size, as il were, finds itself with more
water than it has space sufficient to ac-
commodate, hence the water is dis
charged to fall to the earth in showers.
You can readily illustrate this last thing
y 18th common sponge. Saturate the
sponge and it will hold the water without
permitting any to fall out, SO long as left
uudisturbsd, but squeeze it in your hand
and out pOurs the water. So it is with the
moisture charged atmOsphere-so long as
left at the temperature prevailing when
the water was taken up it continues to
hold the water, but as soon as squeezed
into smaller proportions by fall of tenn
perature, the water comes out and we
have rain.
If our intelligent congressman had
made an appropriation for establishing
an Ice factory in the clouds for the pur-
pose of cooling and contracting the mois-
ture- charged atmosphere they would
have shown themselves in possession of
more intelligence, certainly, so far as
relates to the aerial water supply.
Our monopoly fighting friends ought
to go for this thing as q movement in
favor of the rich and against the poor.
When it has been made a success will
not all the big farmers of our country
get up corner on showers, on account
of being able TO send up the biggest bal
looms and set off the heaviest charges of
dynamite? They'll treat their lands TO
regular deluges of rain, if they need
that much, while the poor farmer not
able TO build a balloon and buy dynamite
will be forced to take a back seat and
look on with his fingers in his mouth,
while the drought is at work in his own
field playing the saddest of havoc with
the hard earned results of his labors