Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1891-09-23
Rain Making.


claims to be the man who induced
government to engage in the expert
ment of rain making, which has prov
ed to be such a success. The Sena-
tor in the Philadelphia Times tells
what lead him to the belief that rain
can be brought from the atmosphere
by means of explosives. He SAYS
For years 1 have objected to gov
ernment appropriations for artificial
irrigation, but have espoused all eff
forts to cause rain falls by mid air
blastings. Vast sums have been ex-
pended in the arid regions of the Far
West in artificial irrigation, but the
relief 1t has given has only been tenn
porary, as the sun during the dry
season drys the channels which have
been cut.
EFFECTS OF DYNAMITE EXPLOSIONS.
"My attention was called to the
condensing affect of the explosion of
dynamite when I.was superintendent,
many years ago, of one of the big sill
yer mines of the West. In the lower
levels the thermometer would some
times rise as high as hundred and
sixty degrees and the men could on
ly work for short time and at fire..
quent intervals. When, however, in
blasting dynamite cartridge would
be exploded l observed that frost
would appear on the walls of the
mine and the thermometer in that
locality would run down to zero.
On the Central Pacific twenty differ
ent points in the same locality, there
was invariably rainfall where rain
had never been seen before and has
never been seen since After all
large battles there is a heavy down
fall of rain on or around the scene Of
conflict, and Fourth of July celebra-
tions are followed by heavy cloud
bursts in all the large cities where
the explosion of gunpowder has been
the greatest.
"All these things set me thinking,
and long ago reached the conclu-
sion that if dynamite could be car
ried into the air by balloons and ex-
ploded either by means of time fuse
or an electric wire, rain would ensue
The government scientists ridiculed
my theory, stating that it might hold
good where rain clouds had already
gathered, but insisted that where
there was no clouds there could be
no rain. To this 1 answered that
they certainly knew nothing of the
upper ether, and that l was certain
that explosion of dynamite would
cOndense into vapor or clouds the
moisture there existing, and that it
would subsequently fall in rain.
Some tire ago l got into the dis
cussion of the question with Charles
B. Farwell, then Senator from Illinois,
and who was much interested in the
matter. He owns nearly three mil
lion acres of land in Texas and much
of it is unproductive on account of
the long continued dry seasons.
Frequently large quantities of grain
are destroyed and cattle die in that
region for lack of moisture, and yet
that which would save them is car
ried over their heads to fall else
where in superabundant and ruinous
quantities. Senator Farwell declar
ed that if Congress would not make
an appropriation for the Agricultural
Department. to make experiments
with mid-air explosives, he would ex-
pend the money himself, but that he
naturally preferred, in order that the
country at large might be benefited,
that the trial should be made with
the governments sanction. "When
the Senate Committee on sppropria-
tions was asked to appropriate S10,-
600 in their bill for the purpose die.
tated, the proposition was greeted
with laughter, but as a personal fa'
vor to Senator Farwell the appropria
ton was made. The House, howev-
er knocked it out, but in conference
it was subsequently re-Instated. The
results of the experiments which have
been made have been surprisingly
successful, and expect that Secre-
tary Rusk will ask the next Cong
for large appropriation for the AZ
tifcial production of rain. 1 have
Just received letter from one of Mr..
Rusk's assistants, who previously
laughed at my theory, in which he
completely change. his tone and ad-
mits that he was mistaken in his pre-
vious belief"