Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-08-28
They Passed Through the City
Yesterday Afternoon.
GENERAL DYRENFORTH TALKS.
He Tells How the Rain Was Produced and
lis Highly Gratified at the Result.
The Success of the Last Test
Made by Them.


ager OF the Nelson Morris or &c" ranch,
where the experiments have been car
ried on.
A GAZETTE reporter met the party at the
train and conversed with Gen. Dyrenforth
Tor twenty minutes relative to the expert
ments, their success and the probability of
this rain-producing method ever becoming
universally used. The general, who is u
large robust gentleman, wore d large white
helmet hat, which he said was nearly d nee
esslty on the Llano Estacado and more use
Jul than ornamental. He is enthusiastic
over the success of the experiments. per-
formed as they were in one of the most
arid sections of the country, ana under cir
cumStances which We're rs unfavorable as
they could possibly be. He said: Il am
what you might call iubilant over the good
results which have attended our three
weeks stay on the C. ranch near Mid
land. Not only did we produce rain IN
abundance, but did so under difficulties
which were sometimes very discOuraCing
and eXasperating. Being removed as we
were, SO far firm what might be called civ
lllzaUiou the experiments We're necessarily
carried on in a comparatively crude man
ner, there being no suitable place in which
TO carry on the work. The ranch is
far removed, you know, lfrom any
place where suitable supplies could be had.
Our work has been seriously hampered by
the strong winds which have an unimpeded
sweep on the plains IN that part of Texas.
and which are constantly present. Several
times our balloons have broken from their
fastenings and in some instances the cords
of the netting have parted as a result of
these winds | speak of. We at last were
compelled TO erect coverings Tor our bal
looms, and for our mammoth oxygen fur
mace. After this no serious obstacles We're
encountered. During the three weeks,
while the experiments We're being made,
over half-dozen rains We're had, three of
these being what are called grass" rains
in that section. The fist rain was of this
kind and the fourth. The Others We're good
rains, but | speak of these especially as
they were soaking rains. The last expert
ment | consider the most successful and
satisfactory, not Only because 1t was the
heaviest of the six, but because it was pro-
duced while the barometer was rising. The
circumstances were very unfavorable. Sew
eral balloons of the largest size containing
hydrogen were sent up, also Il number of
kites. TIE explosions commenced at about
10 o'clock IN the evening ana were continued
for two hours. The sky was clear as
whistle and not cloud was in view. The
cowboys and the natives of the plains pre-
dicted an utter failure, and up to II O'Clock,
the time of retiring, it looked as if their
predictions would be verified, but we were
hopeful, and at 3 o'clock in the morning
began to fash around the horizon.
1t was not long before the heaviest rain
seen in that section for three years was
falling, and it continued to fall till after 5
O'Clock of the same morning. Dynamite
was then exploded and the clouds were de-
prived of what rain remained IN them. l
was particularly gratifed, as l say, over
this last experiment, as it was performed
under rising barometer.
'Mr PANELS, the manager of the Mel
son Morris ranch. is an enthusiast over our
success. He says before the experiments
were tried that the section had not had a
grass rain for over three years, and within
three weeks it has experienced three. and
that the future of Western Texas will no
more be clouded by the panacity of rain
what is the meteorological effect OF the
general Does a storm gen
orally accompany the rain?'
THAT seems TO be the impression, but it
is not so. The rain is accompanied by no
of the elements, but on the
contrary, has been on all occasions steady,
gentle rain, allowing every drop to sink
into the ground and none to run Off An
other impression seems to be that the rain
begins to fall Immediately in the vicinity
where the experiment is made. This seems
reasonable, but the contrary is the case,
and the immediate locality is the last place
to be visited by the rain. The rainfall is
rdIner cyclOTlc III us nature, anu COHnHenc-
ing on the outer edges works toward the
locality where the work is going on, max
ing this i sort of storm center. | have
never seen this popularity mentioned be-
fore IN any newspaper and l think your
papel. will be the first to set it forth. L
never noticed it myself until recently"
cover how great an area was the rain,
general, and what Is the cost of a rainfall?'
''Oh, of course l could not be positive of
M h1t T Shou,6 think pcfirOata Of
square miles would be fair one,
and as to the cost, that is only nominal
The chemicals are cheap when used in the !;
quantities III which we use them. A rough /
would be about S25 apiece for the
balloons. OF course the price of the bal
Don depends on the size. The price of
some might be $50, but what is this ex-
good to the country. The last rainfall was
produced by seven balloons and some other
explosives. Figure the cost, and it's a
mere bagatelle and not to be spoken off,
''Where do you intend going now?'
81 am en- route to my home in Washing
or. / shall visit there for two weeks or
more and then return to Ell Paso where ex-
oeriments of the same nature will be pur-
sued. A number of officials of the Mexican
government who are very much interested in
our work will come up from the City of Mex
co and watch the result of the experiments
With view to instituting like expert
mental move on the part of the Mexican
government"
And now, general, would you give it as
Jour opinion that the rainfalls in Midland
county have been wholly due to what has
1een done there within the past three
veeks!''
i would unhesitatlngly say that think
he theory on which these experiments
lave been based is a good one, and that the
ain produced has been the direct result of
IS application"
''rhere were some reports which appeared
n several newspapers conveying the i'm
,ression that the experiment had proved q
allure and was impracticable. How did |
hose reports get circulated?''
They were sent out by disgruntled |
newspaper correspondent who imagined |
hat he had been misused and treated dis |
by MIR. Rannells, the superin- |
endent of the ranch where we were located |
lie remarked to Mr.. Rannells one day that |
lie would be out 10 the ranch to see after |
he experiments. Mr. Rannells replied that |
e had best wait till he was invited 1t was !
aid half in earnest, half in jest, but the |
who runs a weekly paper, |
vas offended and sent out the reports you |
peak of, simply as matter of spite. He |
vas not on the ground when any of the ex- |
eriments were made and furthermore |
nows that such as were made were emf |
emily successful. 1t was simply means
f getting back at Mr.. Rannells''
The conductor said AL aboard, and |
len. Dyrenforth babe the reporter good
We and boarded the Texas and Pacific on |
is way to Washington.
To Show on at Midland.
pecial to the Gazette.