The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-31
HOW THEY MADE RAIN.
EXPERIMENTS AT MIDLAND, TEX,
BROUGHT 10 CLOSE.

0OAhS w Ia doO ~NC4O tHQ EC6SlDlX
TO Kansas.
MIDLAND, TEX, Aug. 80 The party of
scientists who, under the direction of Gen.
X. 6. Dyrenforth, came to this place about
three weeks ago to try TO produce rain by
series of powerful explosions, have virtually
completed their experiments 10 this part of
the country, having had every facility af-
forded them through the liberal spirit of
Nelson Morris. On the whole the expert
ments have been successful, but owing to
the many unfavorable conditions the work
has been greatly delayed and hampered.
Gen. Dyrenforth chose this particular
place because no was assured that it seldom
rained here at all, and that there had been
no real good rain for over three years. AT
rare intervals there had been showers, but
they were too few and far between and too
small. When they came they did not do
the country mucA good. Owing to the dry
ness of the weather there are few or no
farms in this section, the prairie being
given up entirely to cattle. The grass needs
rain badly for these, and the cattlemen
were extremely anxious that the raiumakers
should try their skill on the lower edge OF
the sJaked plains.
1t was upon the invitation of Nelson Nor
ris of Chicago and upon the reports Of the
dryness OF this section that Gen. Dyrenforth
came here. Nelson Morris is the owner of
the G ranch, which is about twenty-three
miles northwest OF Midland, and covers
100000 acres. The grass on the ranch was
dry and yellow, and afforded very poor
pasturage for the cattle.
UNAVOIDABLE CONDITIONS.
Gen. Dyrenforth found upon his arrival
that the ranch house was situated in the
middle of one immense prairie, and the
winds almost constantly swept over it with
great force. As the scheme was to send I'D
many balloons flied with explosive gases
and to take observations from other
balloons connected BY telephone with the
earth, these winds were q serious obstacle
to contend with. A shanty had to be built
in which to fill the explosive balloons with
the proper proportions Of oxygen and by
drogen. To build this boards had to be
brought from Midland Then the scientists
were compelled to wait until the wind was
comparatively light before beginning their
experiments.
Great difficulty was experienced in manu-
featuring oxygen upon q scale large enough
TO serve the purposes desired. Fromares
had been constructed in Washington, but
they did not work smoothly or rapidly in
the field, and it required the constant atten-
ton of Prof. Carl Myers, the balloonst and
several assistants to at end to them and
keep them from blowing up and smashing
things generally. The oxygen was made
by heating a mixture Of chlorate of potash
and black oxide Of manganese and passing
the gas through lime water to extract the
dangerous chloride gas. This is properly a
laboratory process and has heretofore been
conducted only upon a small scale. To I'LL
balloon twelve feet in diameter one third
E..n II 4 Al.
was finally accomplished. The balloons
were filed two-thirds full of hydrogen and
sent into the air, either with q time or with
an electric expioder attached by a duplex
wire TO a dynamo on the ground. Those
with the time fuses exploded at an altitude
of from one aud half miles
to five miles. The others were
exploded when they reached aWheight
of 200 feet. 1t was Intended TO send the
balloons into the air at intervals OF from
twenty minutes TO half an hour. but owing
to the difficulty of making the oxygen aud
to sending up the balloons in a gale, it was
found impossible to carry out this pro-
grammo. 1t would take much more com
plete aud finer apparatus, besides large
force of men, to do it outside of tho mem-
bers of the commission.
The only help that was furnished was by
the cowboys on the ranch. They were
WLlAi4S OuOuRuy OuV uhbul bh5J N0AO
more expert at roping and branding cattle
than at conducting scientific experiments.
THE EXPLOSIONS.
The explosion of rack-a-rock powder and
dynamite on the ground was mnch more
successfully carried out. The recka-rock
powder produced greater conclusion than
the dynamite. 1t was as the difference be,
tween the report of shotgun and that OF q
rife. From eight to twenty-four pounds of
rack-a-rock was exploded at a charge, and
from six TO ton pounds OF dynamite were ex-
ploded at one time. The explosions followed
each other on some days at Intervals OF less
than a minute. Sftack-a-rock and dynamite
were also exploded from the tails OF kites.
The effect of these explosions was in every
case highly satisfactory. Ia every instances
was q series of explosions followed within
ten hours by rain. This was conclusive evil
dence that the explosions certainly produced
rain.
Last night the last OF the experiments
here was conducted. The night was clear
aud not a cloud could be seen. The heavens
were bespangled with stars, and from all
indications iG was safe to predict that no
rain would fall within forty-eight hours at
the least A strong COLE was blowing
toward the west. Five balloons we're sent
up and exploded and 200 pounds Of rack-a-
rock powder and $50 pounds of dYna-
mite were set offs on the grounds. There
was, of course, no immediate resul;s The
barometer was rising and the needle was
pointed at ''set fair" By 4 O'Clock In the
morning bank of clouds appeared on the
western horizon at the point toward which
the smoke and noise had blown. The sky
rapidly became overcast, and by O'Clock
there was rain, accompanied by thunder
and lightning. When the sun arose it was
seen the storm had come directly out of the
west, and on the horizon the clouds rose in
a funnel shape like the smoke from vol
cano. There war a beautiful visible rain
bow at sunrise. 1t ceased raining at about
s o'clock.
Many heavy charges of dynamite and
"a k-a-rock we're then fired and after each
rain fell in showers. This continued until
the clouds wero literally pumped dry aud
the sun resolved what was left Of them into
air.
A CHANGE OF BASE.
,f Gen. Dyrenforth, Prof. Carl Myers and
Others Of the party will leave for Washing
ton tomorrow morning. Prof. Powers,
author of "War and the Weather will go
to his bone in Wisconsin. Mr.. John Z.
Ellis was left in charge OK the operations
and will be assisted by George l.. easier,
the balloonist They will shortly proceed
to FL Paso and there continue the expert
-meuts upon a grand scale. Gen. Dyrenforth
will be in FL Paso in time to superintend
the experiments there later. He will prob
ably 20 to Southwestern Kansas to make
rain there.
Chemical Factory Destroyed.
pr1rcurrpn pa At