Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-08-28
Terrific Cloud Burst in New
York State.
KILLED HIMSELF And FAMILY.
California Hops, Big Damage Suit,
John Sherman's Speech, Base
Ball Items, New Street Car Sys-
tenn, The II Inch Rife, Ninety
Miles 40 Hour, No Official News
from Chill, State and Foreign
News, etc.
ARTIFICIAL RAINS.


MIDLASD, Tex, Aug. 2S.-The
labors Of the rainmakers, whom
Uncle Jerry Rusk sent down here
to try TO pump water out Of cloud
less skies, are practically at an end,
so FAR as this particular locality l.
concerned. General Dyrenforth will
leave for Washington today TO b
gone about ten days. he is highly
pleased with the success Of the ex-
periments, and has perfect faith that
the power Of making rain has been
secured.
From barren dry alkali prairie
this country has been transformed
into firstc class pasture land. The
experiments have not yet been con-
Quoted upon the extensive scale Of
the program first laid out by General
Dyrenforth, but sufficient has been
done to demonstrate that the right
plan for making rain when it Is
needed has been discovered. The
balloons, owing to the present in
adequate means of making oxygen
in large quantities, have not been a
dazzling success, but the rackarock
powder and dynamite have worked
wonders with the atmosphere. The
explosions of any large amount of
dynamite and rackarock were fol-
lowed by rain inside Of ten hours,
upon eight or ten occasions.
Wednesday evenings was the final
and most conclusive and satisfac
tory OF any Of the experiments. The
night was clear aud there was every
indication of a long dry spell. Five
balloons were sent up and exploded.
A stiff gale was blowing from the
east and they drIfted far toward the
setting sun before they exploded.
The battle on the ground, where
rackarock aud dynamite took the
place Of heavy artillery, lasted from
6 O'clock until 10; then the general
and his forces retired. They were
awakened at a. m. by a vivid flash
of lightning, followed by violent
clap Of thunder. They went out and
saw storna of great violence raging
Ia the west. 1t rained until about
s a M; than many pounds of
dynamite and rackarock were ex-
ploded again. After each discharge
the rain fell in torrents.
CLOUD BURST IN NEW YORK.
Troy, Aug, zS.--The whole east
eru part Of Rensallear county was
deluged by cloud burst last even
ing. Three dams were washed out
at Sand Lake, causing a damage of
100000 to the mills. At Smari's
pepper mill In this city, ,one endof the
mill was torn down aud the bridge
carried away. About $1,000 damage
was done. Bridges all along the
stream were torn from their fasten-
ings, and 1t Is believed the damage
will reach half n million dollars.
In the vicinity of the Lebanon
Springs railroad the storm was
equally extensive aud at Berlin
houses were washed away and two
person were drowned.
BERLIN, N. y, Aug. 2S.--The
cloud burst over this town and the
town of Petersburg, last night, was
followed by IA flood that did damage
unparalleled In this vicinity. Had
the cloud burst after people had
gone TO bed the loss of life would |
have been awful. AS 1t was, the
wife of Thos. Taylor was drowned,
and Jas Smith found dead, standing |
in mud up to his neck, horribly
mangled.
KILLED HIMSELF AND FAMILY.
New YORK, Aug. 2S.--rhls morn.
ing a room in the four story tene-
ment occupied by painter named
Baxter was opened and In II was
found Baxter, his wife Mary, aud
their two children. Katie, years
old and John, 4 years old, all lying
dead with bullet holes In their heads.
IL is supposed Baxter killed his
wife aud children and then shot
himself. On table was letter
written by him TO his mother In
which he told his intention to kill
his family and himself.
THE TWELVE INCH RIFLE.
NEW YoRK, Aug. 2S. The new
twelvelnoh built up steel rifle was
fired four times yesterday afternoon
at Sandy Hook. IL was the second
severe test OF the gun, aud the first
public one. The object was 10 test
the quality OF American made pow
der. The first test, several weeks
ago, was for the same purpose. II
was failure, the powder falling far
below the required standard. Yes
gerday's test resulted In the further
proof that the powder does not give ,
sufficient velocity. The powder I
which was being tried comes from
The mill Of Dupont, who will 90 on /
a new lot, and will continue /
20 until he succeeds. He must fur. /
nish an article that, with fun I
'harge OF i40 pounds, will give a
velocity OF 1875 feet per second.
BIG DAMAGE SUIT.
NEW Y0RR, Aug. 2s.--James r.. q