, 1891-08-28
THE RAIN WIZARD HERE
Melbourne Ready to Cause The
Showers to Descend.
A Simple But Effective Plan of
Rain Making.
Waiting For Clear Weather for the
First Test.

he can cause rain to fall at his command,
is here. He is, although called the storm
king, not an autocratic looking individual
but considering his power over the ele-
ments Is very modest and unassuming.
Mr.. Melbourne is an Irishman BY birth
and has lived in Australia for the past
twelve years, coming to Canton, Ohio, in
April last from that country. He is a
tall, gaunt young man with steady brown
eyes, high forehead and features OF
marked intelligence. He looks like a
hard student and there is nothing in his
physiognomy to indicate that he is the
crank many people would term him upon
hearing of his claims that he can pro-
drce rain at will.
Melbourne is we'll educated, a self taught
chemist and saws he made lis great dis
covery by accident. He claims that by
one operation extending over several
hours he can make rain lall over an area
500 miles square. The cost is not great
and the permanent employment of his
methods are within the means Of either
the state or Of private investors. He
says that he produced raia twelve tunes
in Australia during a season of terrible
drouth, one of those tunes when the hot
winds from the desert interior of the con
tinent burned up every thing within their
reach. In addition to his experiments in
Australia. Melbourne says he conducted
five successful tests in New Zealand.
In Canton, Ohio, be has since April
last been successful in several tests and
has produced heavy r~ainfalls at times set
by the newspo eers of that place.
In June last Mr.. Melbourne sent a
circular letter to Acting Governor Barber
calling attention to his scheme for rain
making. This was published in TUE
LEADER and led to +. II. Jones of this
city becoming interested in the matter.
He commenced corresponding with Mr..
Melbourne and secured subscriptions by
which the expenses Attending the expert
ments will be betrayed.
The tests will be made by Mr.. Mel
bourne as soon as these subscribers desire.
They will be conducted from the grounds
of Mr.. Jones residence, the old Frewen
property in the northern part Of the city.
A small barn will be the place from
which the magic forces will be sent
skywaTds to cause the downfall OF the
floods.
A tube through the top of the building
is used to proiect a stream of hydrogen.
or some other gas, into the upper air.
The barn will contain a hand dynamo: the
hydrogen gas is made in another building
near by and carried TO the barn in a highly
condensed form. 1t is her liberated and
goes up the tube with tremendous force.
A wire with a broken circuit near the TOP
of the SHIFT furnishes an electric spark
when the dynamo is worked which
ignItes the gas. Hydrogen burns
with a colorless flame, and while burning
unitcs with the oxygen in the air to form
water. Every drop of water so made
gather mnre moisture until it forms a
drop f sufficient SIZE to fiI in the form
of rain. Ohcc .tart such Il condition in
the upper atmosphere and .he, artificial
rain gathers force which soon operates
with pcICC ptiblc fleet. This is an ex.
rlanatiuu Of the Melbourne experiments
which, while the inventor does MT affirm
he does not dispute.
MIR. Melbourne has no patent upon his
invention. He prefers to keep the pro
cess a secret until its success is demon
stratcd beyond doubt. Then if he can
not sell TO the general government or to
the states he will dispose OF his plan to
corporations or individuals.
A letter from Secretary Rusk desiring
that he be kept informed of the results
OF the various experiments is the only
formal recognition made Mr.. Melbourne
by the government of his invention.
The rainmakcr Is accompanied by his
brother, who will act as his assistant in
the experiments here.
The subscribers to the fund to pay the
expenses of the experim ,nts have selected
ex Governor Baxter, Andrew Gilchrist
and c. p. Organ to act as a committee in
charge Of the experiments. This COM
mittee will give the matter a thorough in
vestigation and will come very neal arrIv-
ing at the exact value and utility OF Mel
bourne's process.
Several other rain making processes are
Just now attracting attention. A series
of successful experiments have just been
made in Texas with a plan of exploding
balloons at heights varying from 1000 to
10000 feet above the surface. Rain has
followed every explosion in copious guam
titles. This process OF rain making,
while evidently successful Is exceedingly
costly and if the Melbourne plan will
work at the comparatively cost the
inventor claims for it there will be mil,
lions IN it for Melbourne and for the PEG,
pie Of the west.
Although several requests have been
received from ranchmen who are making