The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1891-09-19
DlNAMITING FOR RAIN.
HEMAkES FREE LINE, or ATTACK
Giant Powder. Dynamite and Rack
a-ROck MIXTURE simultaneously
Exploded Observations i'll
Il Balloon.

TApltiltu 'bNtiN Hi lpil~ Ill
II Balloon.
General DhyrrHfurlh'~ : mode of opcr-
ati,hlS in shooting the shy (" produce
rain involves thrr" lines ui attack. The
first consists of the explosions of Giant
powder and bombs al ''rackar"rk'
mixture. Fifty large cloth Kites, laden
with dynamite, cnu-litut" the second.
They are discharged hy means "f an
electric current which pa~sr, through
the wires holding them. Ten tn twenty
larwr balloons. each charged with from
300 to l,UGO cubic feet nl "Nyhydr"g"n
gas, form the third line of battle.
Thr explosions of the balloons take
place when they have reached IN alIi-
ludr of .UCU feet or thrrraholIt~.
HOW THE GAS Is MADE.
In char"img The balloons with the
gases the empty rnvrl"p" is first spread
ON the Ground and filled onr-lhird full
with oxygen. This l. done hy attach
ing the balloon by Il hose /" rrt"rlS
filled with chIoratr OF potassium and 4
small quantity of hin"Nidr Of man
|aneSC The rrtort~ are then subject
ed to intense heat in oxygen furnaces
constructed for the purpose. when
| oxygen gas is generated and passes
| through Il lime water wash into
The balloon. When the balloon iS
one third full il is detached from the
oxygen apparatus and connected by II
pipe with one of the large hN drogrn
generators. winch completes the inia-
| tiOn.
The hydrogen generator consists of Il
large tank half full of water and iron
boringS turned from cast iron pro-
jcctIcs in the navy yard nj Washing
vitrioI is slowly dccamtcd. The acId
separates the water into lis gases, hy-
dro@cn and oxygen, and the iron takes
up the oxygen, allowing the free hydro
gen to escape through Il pipe and
waShbarrcl into the balloon, which Is
held captive by netting attached TO
sand bags.
Ghc observation ;lScrnt- are made lii
balloons of Twenty-Five feet diameter.
|
of 900 feet by Il strong cable while
the mctcorologiSt in the basket com
municatcS the readings of his inStru-
mcntS through Il telephone To those on
the ground below. The cable is then
let 90 and the balloon rises to height
of over two miles and, then descend
ing. lands the occupant at distance
of several miles from the starting
point. \ carriage has already started
from the headquarters, however, and
| The. arrOnautical. observer is soon riding
quietly back on terra Iirma, with his
balloon, folding basket and imstrrl-
mrntS safely packed away.
e.. THE. HYPOTHESIS FOLLOWED.
Three closely related principles of
theories are recognized and acted upon
by General DhyrenfurIh and his party
in their experiments. which, stated
briefly and hcrcft of technical terms,
are as follows: First, most r;linStnrms
have their origin in tn" minglimg of
different currents of the upper air
strata, some of which are warm and
moisture laden lin any locality, while
others are much cooler. As soon rs
these currents begin io min@lr, the
moist current is cooled. and lis m"iS-
turr is thus squeezed out of ii rs from
Il sponge.
The moisture first becomes visible aS
the vapor or '.cloud,' and finally con
denscs into ram. The process Is Il
progressive one, and will generally
|
beginning. The immense air waves
produced by the explosions of balloons
at high attitudes start this mingling of
the currents, which, progressing by
the forces of the Latent heat released in
the condensation of moisture, grows
into II storm center.
/ The second theory is that Il contim-
uous series of explosions jars together
or agglomrratcs the particles of mois-
turc in the air into rain drops, which
are prrcipitated to the ground. This
effect is evident after Il heavy clap al
thunder and has been repeatedly pro
duccd by General Dhyrcniurih's party,
heavy showers having been shaken
from light clouds, from which no rain
had been falling. To produce this
effect the kites are used with dynamite
cartridges attached.
In the third place. it is believed that
he fractional electricity which is gen
Grated in the jarring of the earth and
air by the explosion polariIrS the cart
and air To the point of the operations,
and so creates Il magnetic field into
which th" particles of moisture are
drawn and gathered. The explosions
at and near the ground are especially
calculated To secure this result.
The experiments of General Dhyrrn-
furth and his corps of investigators
have attracted widespread attention
during the last month among scientists,
farmers and people generally. 1t Is
only II slight "Nag%rration To say that
nearly all of til" county in which Mid
land is situated, was present To aid the
rain makers in their work. General
Dhyrcnfurth promoumrrs himself salts,
fled that rain can he produced arliiic-
tally. The experiments will be c"nim-
urd IN FL Paso on large scale, and
probably aftcrward IL southwestern
Kansas.