Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-11-13

-sa following condensation of letter
non by DR.. w. X. Curtis, OF MID
"a sTeyas. formerly OF Wellsburg,
,bs Pan.HGndle NelCS, in reply
,aouest from the editor of that
,sr for reliable information con-
hing the rain-making tests carried on
,1vqrnment expense, shows how the
..;,ls have been imposed upon and
II money which, If properly used,
-,,s have settled the rain-making
s.orv. was ruthleSsly wasted. The
,,-,, feature, though, is the deception
,,,,,ieed. for it has led people TO be-
.rs that the experiments were sue
=; when they were really not tried.
on THE LLANo EsTACADo,
? RANCH, TEXAS,
November =. 1891.
N compliance with your request for
che truth about the matter" send the
loving correct statement Of the ac-
~,' results of the Dyrenforth rain-mak-
I, eyperinentS on the LlanO. The
ritter is an intirely diSintereSted party,
s.pg only a visitor here; neither, on the
her hand, is he drawing fat Govern
,,Dt salary or getting so much per
p-i IS a sensational newspaper cor
,,Dondent, nor has he the slightest de-
g theory" '''' any "UHss' sa.l.
4le iacts given YeBp ahhrs ,ue ram
assrs We're there. The tests were
nie at the headquarters OF the
llcagO" or &C. ranch, p miles north
Midland. This ranch is 1Sx25 miles
extent, has 81 windmills, about 200
Tad Of stock horses, has capacity for
.WO head of cattle and 19 or Is men
rg employed TO look after the stock and
2ep the mills and fences in repair. 1t
, owned by Mr.. Nelson Morris, OF
Aicago, who, with Armour, Hammond
nd Swift, comprise the notorious big
Four" beef combine.
Both L, S. Senator Farwell, of Illinois
-ghO engineered the bill through Car
Reds late and largely lamented Con-
rsS:, making the appropriation Of So,
DO which Gen. Dyrenforth fooled away
% his great spectacular fZzle-and Mr.
IlrIiS, are largely interested in land
-at would greatly be enhanced in value
-lI the experiment been successful.
>r2tOr Farwell was a member OF the
l2pitol Syndicate" that built the State
o1Se in Austin and received in pay
1en, from the State 100000 acres of
l10 Ia body. This land, known as
De Syndicate" ranch, is about 100
1-es from the &C" Gen. Dyrenforth
,aSattempted practical demonstration
I IL proved himself an ineXcusable
-asler and his botch-work was a bur-
s4ue on science and common sense.
The troupe arrived at the ranch on
a-srst 9Th. Their apparatus was not
:'Nen In shape TO make the experiment
a' over week afterward. They
,@lght nearly a car load of material
'l paraphernalia, including dynamite
20 fack-a-rOck powder, forty ten foot
~ twenty twelve foot balloons for ex-
.g>Ve purposes and three large ones in
'-.in 10 make aScenSiOns for metero-
y cal observations, mortarS, material
" Kites, etc. For the manufacture of
4!sea' tubes or cartridges" contain
* ehIorate Of potash and black oxide
! manganese were inserted in holes in
'sles'-lrOn hood, which surmounted a
lug Gasoline stove and the oxygen, be-
- 'ufoWn on by the heat, was purified
\ passing through wash bottles contain
y, 4 weak lime solution. For the man
~..'uIe OF hydrogen, the Carl Meyer
,',sl' generator was used. Their OBJ
49, ~. AS stated by themselves, was to
n. up aSerieS Of explosions in the air
oG iHe ground simultaneously, for
"a. 's' hourS or whole day and then
:, lO' rain TO come as a result. The
49, sJ-au' and meteorOlogiSt were to as
r,r.' e. 'eSt The upper air by proper in
S.uentS and fnG out at what height
s,i.. was current containing the most
s,s,0fe aud communicate the same by
g1One to those below; the balloons
rs Win win TWO parts of hydrogen and
,,aSsS SI'' OF oxygen, were then to be ex-
-. ~ AZ that elevation at intervals of
g,i.3; minutes, by means of electrical ,
B, ',IlefS TfS connected by wire to dynamos
s,ss Ie ground; dynamite attached to
sa, vas vas TO be exploded in the same
s svl- alu at the same time, explosions
sers' s'ldmlte and rack-a-rock powder
s,or,IS " 'aNe place both on and in the
ags,oS al stated intervals around a
sas sa,,o' - mile across, while the balloon
ato"D remain In mid-air and communi-
evs,v,ta, taept up with the terra-frma.
as b...is hung was to De arranged in apple |
si Il IS..ls .as order, with Dyrenforth, him
Ge t5e 'ffuale, commanding, &c. Here
s,ds uSr SsI tne aeronaut nor anybody else
aalps TSlloon q, ascension while on the
saainv Loe Inc real experiment-that of |
|as~Tss.u usaVy explosions in the upper |
aalOOnSs never never performed, as only Ave
q tbsi, were inflated and sent up dur
sssI,1I sssIn1.ssn entire stay and Of these onlv |
"a sV,Ooedi the others fiosted of nm.
Ons being found several miles |