The Hawaiian gazette., 1891-09-22
RAIN AT COMMAND.
Heavy Showers Brought Down
By the Government Rain
Makers.


Makers.
AS much interest is excited IN
the efforts to produce rain by aerial
explosions, we insert the following
report of the experiment made by
the United States Government in
Texas. to which allusion has been
made in the papers.
MIDLAND. Tex, Aug. l9.-Gen-
eral Dyrenforth's party of rain
makers are feeling jubilant to-day.
The first important experiments
have met with great success. Rain
fell for over six hours to-day, and
il was undoubtedly caused by the
explosions of octo hydrogen bal
looms, rackarock powder and dyna-
mite. which were made by the rain
persuaders. Shortly after B o'clock
this afternoon large octo-hydro-
Gen balloon was sent up at the
"C'' ranch, where the scientists
have made their headquarters. The
ranch is about twenty-three miles
from this town.
The balloon was sent up about
one and a quarter miles and was
exploded. 1t made report like a
severe clap of thunder. There were
only a few white clouds floating in
the blue sky at the time; the sun
was shining, and any old farmer or
mariner would have said that 1t
could not rain IN q week. The in
struments in the possession OF the
scientists showed that the air was
remarkably dry and the barometer
pointed at set fair.
Ten minutes after the balloon
had disappeared in a peal OF thun-
der. string of kites were set ny
inc and to their tails were fastened
a quantity of dynamite. This was
exploded when the kites were
high in the air and then great
quantity of rendrock powder,
which was scattered over the
ground for about two miles, was
sent off by electricity. This made
d noise like succession OF bat
teries of artillery being fired.
The smoke rose in the air about
200 feet and drifted toward the ex-
perts' headquarters. Before 1t
reached there, however, it was
driven to the earth by torrent of
rain which fell. The few feecy
clouds had gathered together,
others had formed, the sky had
quickly become overcast and a
storm had been created by mans
efforts. The barometer began fall
ing almost the moment that the
balloon exploded. The rain was
very heavy and the center OF the
storm was over the "C' ranch.
The noise of the explosion was
heard plainly at Midland and even
ut ranches 40 miles from the scene
of the experiments, The people
thought it was thunder. At about
Z o'clock this evening several more
explosions we've heard here, and
the scientists were undoubtedly at
work again; the sky became over
cast in half an hour andit began to
rain at 7:4O o'clock. Il now looks
as if it would rain all night. This
region. as q rule, is very dry and
it is exceedingly unusual to have
much rain at this season Of the
year.
The rain-makers are sure that
they have stolen the secret Of how
Jupiter Pluvius gained his reputa-
ton and they are prepared to flood
this country at an hours notice.
Their greatest experiment, where
they will explode a tremendous lot
of balloons, kites dynamite, will
probably not take place until Fri
day. The ranchmen and town
weather prophets do not believe
the storm was made by the scien-
fists, but General Dryenforth says
he will convince the most skeptical
in day or two.
Il