Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-11-13
DYRENF0RTH.
TConiinued From, First POge.l


ton in this locality, ana is tne oesS it aor
that has fallen on the MolIiS
more than three years. -,
mis- s,snccess" was ''scored" three
davs before they began to manufacture
the gas and five days before the nrSt
balloon was exploded. Another ram
n Igbt oDe-was no more due to the
,.nartv's efforts" than it was to the can
rPnading in Chilli. The clouds were
overhead and the rain about to ran
when they made their ground expo
siouS. =. mot
This rain was hardly enough TO wet
ore,s clothes: the rain clouds were low
6own and all the rainmakers did was 10
fire about twenty shots on the GROUND,
two pounds of 'joint-powder oeing uSeu
The three or four sprinkles that TEL
and which the Dyrenforth dispatches
described as heavy down pours' VIII
be referred to further along. Before
Giving particulars few words about the
climatology Of the plains will not De ~
anDropriate as il has bearing up on the
experiments as to the matter OF Gomez
dence. os
General rains, covering large areas,
are not of frequent occurrence: Inc
rainfall is mostly in the shape OF local
rains over small areas; these are al
Times light and again very heavy. a
ranch may have heavy rain wnlle on
an adjoining one not drop Will fail'
THE writer has seen several showers
falling from as many clouds IN dlHereht
directions only a few miles distant,
while the sun was shining "here nc
stood. In the late fall and winter tnere
Is no rain worth mentioning and seldom
anv snow. In March there is some
rainfall and i'm May and June, there are
ALWAYS local rains aud occasionally dur
ING that time a general rain. The wind
coming from the southeast for several
DAYS is always Indicative OF rain; dur
inc this time the gulf-clouds hoat over
and hank up in the north, the wind
suddenly changes and coming directly
from the north brings the heavy clouds,
which shed their rain, the moisture IN
chem being condensed by the colder
current. There is no such thing
rs running stream on the plains
and the water supply is in the
shane Of vast underground
lakes; wells are dug or bored
and the water brought to the surface by
windmils. There is most OF the time a
fair breeze. During the latter part OF
.Jpne and first Of July there is Il calm or
comparatively MINDLESS season. IhlS
simmer il was much longer than usual
and for more than three weeks the
wheels of the windmillS rarely whlrled
and the water had To be pumped by
horse mower attachment. During this
Deriod cattle suffered TO a certain eX-
Jcps for water, but none died, the by
repforth dispatches 70 the contrary,
Notwithstanding.
The most important feature of the
c,imatology of the plains as bearing
uDou the Dyreuforth tiaSco IS the follow
Ing: There is Il rainy season from about
The middle of August until the last of
September, during which time local
rains are frequent, sometimes very
heavy, aud occasionally during this
period there is a heavy rain, covering
large territory. Every man who has
lived i'm these plains will tell you that
this is Just as true as that the sun shines
and the wind blows.
In the light of the facts above stated
concerning the "rliny season." which
are further cOrrobOrated by the fact
that this section OF country had fine
local rains Just after the outfit came
here and before they fired a shot; in the
light Of the fact that the first rain on
Tire '.C' ranch after they came fell on
the 18th, before any experiment had
been made and before their balloons had
been unpacbed; that the main feature OF
the exDerimeat-that of making fire.
Guent and terrific explosions in the
upUer air, which was the theory they
came here TO demonstrate, and which
Mr. WilettS, of the Agricultural De-
partment, refers to in his published re-
ports, as producing rain by coCcus-
sion above the earth'S surface"
was never performed, as only
two balloons were exploded and
these at hap-hazard for the reason that
no balloon ascension was made and
hence they knew nothing OF the cOndi-
tion OF the upper stratum of air; that
these two balloons could not have been
filed properly, IS their explosion was
not terrific" in sny sense Of the word;
that the small amounts Of dynamite
attached to a half dozen kites could
have had no possible effect; that vr-
tually they made no experiment except
The ground explosions aud that these,
as a rule, were made at times when
there were r&in-cloUds over head; in the
light OF all these facts that In their
verify are es firm rs Gibraltar's rock, 1
leave the reader to decide whether or
not the "Deriod of excessive drynesS'
was broken by the great Dyrenforth'S
falSework; whether he event at it" and
"there was rain" or whetherit was vice
versa: whether the facts remove 1.-The
coincidence theory, from the minds OF
the most skeptcal" or whether they
confirm that theory in the minds Of
those who 90 not really desire 10 be
skeptical; whether ''every natural con-
dition was against him" and whether or
not the statement "that atmospheric
conditions worked with US" was "di-
rectly opposite TO the truth" Mr., Will
let's was correct in saying ''of course it
will take more than has been done to
convince the general public" 1t most
certainly will, especially when the gen
eral public" finds out that virtually
nothing "has been done" The Ques-
,lon naturally suggests itself, why did
George Dyrenforth select this rainy
season a the time 10 make the expert
ment? If hs did not know of the regu-
lar occurrence Of rains at that time he
could have known so right in Washing
ton City.
Prof. Robert Hill, prominent Texas
geologiSt, was appointed by the Agri-
cultural department at Washington,
some time ago 10 investigate the water
supply Of the Llano EStscado and in his
report sent several months ago, he told