Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-10-10

bring on rain, and whereby retard Us in
| pursuit OF the enemy. We got the rain
in less than two hours After the firing
after the capture of Van Buren, alse we got
rain in few hours.
The results Of Gen Dyrenforth' g recent
! experiments In Texas are almost too re-
markabe to be regarded as simple coin
cidences. He thus tells of them:
The first operation was made on August
| g. At this time the balloon apparatus had
not been set up, aud only the first line of
ground explosions was brought into ac-
ton. The ground batteries were operated
for about an hour, beginning at p. IN.
August 9, and reopened again for a shorter
time about p. N. The weather was
clear on the 9Th, and the barometer stood
at its normal height at p. m. At noon
of the 10th clouds began to gather directly
! over the ranch, and during the afternoon
and the evening very heavy rain fell,
nearly two inches, transforming the
roadways into rushing torrents and every
/ hollow OF the prairie into a small lake.
/ The next important operation was per-
! formed on August Is; the explosions hav-
| ing been begun on the evening previous, a
/ large quantity of oxhydrogen gas was used
IN the balloon explosions, while the ground
| batteries were kept in almost constant ac-
| ton for twelve hours. The morning had
! daWned clear and beautiful, and neither
! the appearance of the atmosphere nor the
/ readings Of the instruments gave any indi-
/ cation Of aught but the fairest weather.
/ This state of the weather continued until
| late in the afternoon, when heavy clouds
! gathered and formed in the south and
west and at p. m. the operators of the
/ ground batteries, which had kept up their
roar until that time, were forced to run
| for shelter through drenching rain,
which fell In torrents for two and a half
| hours over the entire southern and eastern
| portion of Andrews county and most of
| Midland county and those to the south and
| west of it.
Late In the evening the writer drove in
TO Midland Station, distance of rs miles
and it Is safe to say that six or eight miles
! Of the road traversed was flooded under
| four TO forty inches OF water.
| The final operation of this series Of ex-
periments was begun at II a. N. on the
18th day of August. AT $3.50 p. m. of
that day the barOmetric curve indicated a
! pressure of 1858 inches, which is slightly
below the normal for that hour at this
elevation and locality, where the barome
ter generally reads very dry" The wet
and dry bulb psychrometer indicated a
relative humidity of only Is, with the dew
point at AZ degrees
The wind blew from the southeast 1.-THE
usual dlrection) at a velocity Of 1873 miles
per hour The sky was clear, except for
few very light scattered cumulus clouds,
which were estimated, by the movements
of the balloons to be at a height of more
than two and one-half miles.
Seven balloons, mostly Of the large size,
were sent up in this operation. Two 10
foot balloons were exploded bY means of
electric cable at a height of 1000 feet, but
the explosions Of the larger balloons were
too terrific to te risked at so close pr0x-
unity, and they were therefore fitted with /
fuses timed for two to six minutes and
allowed to attain attitudes Of from one to |
three miles before exploding.
The manner of operating the balloons
was to I'll them first to one-third their ca !
pacity by attaching them by pipes to a /
number Of retorts containing chlorate of
potash and small quantity Of binoXide |
of manganese. When these retorts were
passed through the flames of gasoline fur |
ittA'e NAN ny III q Iol ~ tttAN At W bi kNllN ~ ]
the potash being decomp0sed by the heat |
gave off oxygen very rapidly. The balloon |
was then attached TO the hydrogen |
generators and the initiation was
completed with hydrogen. Tie hydrogen |
apparatus consists of three large tanks |
half iull of water, with a half a ton OF /
iron b0rings in the bottom of which sui |
phuric acid Is slowly decantcd. The acid |
rapidly decomgoses the water into its gas
eous elements and the iron takes up the .
oxygen. leaving the hydrogen free to pass /
through q wash barrel into the balloon.
While the balloons were being filled and |
exploded tremendous "cannonading |
was in progress all along the ground bat /
terles, and late into the night this firing |
was continued along line mile and "a !
half in length.
At II p. IN. the firing ceased, and our !
weary party Immediately retired for the
night. AT 3 a. m, however lhe heavy |
rolling of thunder disturbed Gre Sleepers, |
and, looking out to the west and north, |
heavy banks of cloud were seen advancing,
almost constantly lighted by most brilliant /
lightning. An hour later the rain began I
to fall in torrents on the ranch, and did not
cease till 8 a. m. The northern portions
Of thus county received the most thorough |
watering they have had for the past three
years, and the reports from incoming cow
boys indicate that the storm extended over
many hundreds Of square miles.
The results are extraordinary, to say
the least, and iGen, Dyrenforth mutually
has no hesitancy in claiming that his ex-
periments resulted as satisfactorily as
could possibly be hoped for
In combating the artificial rain theory
Prof Newcomb makes the Introductory
remark, after abiding to the wonderful
accomplishments of science as exmplifed
in the telegraph, telephone and the steam
ship am not going to maintain that
we can never make rain" Continuing he
SAYS II unhesitatin ! maintain that
sound cannot make rain, mol
physical fact is better established than