The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-13

with General Dyrenforth. Still the fact Of
the matter seems TO be that it never had
no father" but like Topsy 1t ''just growed,"
and that the attention that various persons
accord it is only the decent notice they
would show nobody's darling from any
where, if il CHANGED to be thrust upon their
doorstep.
Secretary Rusk, in person, and his Off
cial incarnation, the agricultural depart
ment entire, wear an apologetic attitude
when the subject is brought up. "Ohi
dear, no, We had nothing to do in origin
ating the idea. There was an appropria-
ton granted by the government for max
ing the experiment and the task was as
signed to this department. We are per-
fectly helpless in the matter, understand,
and at once put 1t in the hands of General
Dyrenforth."
This was the way it was stated to me by
Assistant Secretary WiIletts, of the agri-
cultural department, who is now acting
secretary in the absence of Secretary Rusk.
Something akin TO the resemblance be-
tween founding on doorstep and the
head of the house causes one to regard
General Dyrenforth's relation to the rain
making idea with suspicion. To be sure.
he will not father it, but you get subtle
sense of the eternal fitness of things in
finding it in his care. In the back room of
his offices you step gingerly and move
about with caution.
This rain-producing is an infant that is
fed on deadly pap, and you find elements
of its compounds standing about. You
start to sit down near box that is marked
This end up" and change your intention
to draw near another box marked Handle
with care" There's battery under the
table, two on top of it, and in corner
some wire that may mean rain and may
mean rapid transit to a world where even
the government of the United States can
not make rain.
General Dyrenforth himself, when you
finally front him, is potent with thunder
and lightning. You don't know why, but
you are sure he is charged with something,
and you remain in his presence constantly
on the outlook for him to go off. When
you ask him if Daniel Ruggles, of Fred
ericksburg, Va, had not patented a rain
making device before the appropriation
for experimenting with such device was
made, there's a conclusion that inclines
you to reach out for your umbrella. Gen.
eral Dyrenforth was just back from his
rain-making circuit of Texas when talked
with him.
Yes; our brother in the Lord Ruggles
has device for producing rain by means
of explosives discharged from balloon"
said the general. at was patented before
the government gave the idea thought or
dollar. But want it understood that
m not exploiting his patent or anybody's
else. HIS device is to produce rain by
carrying up acknowledgements, nitro
glycerlne. what-not that makes big report
and discharging them from balloon
while /, 10 the same end, send M balloons
and make the ascensional force of the bal
loon the explosive. His device may be
very good one. | have not tried it. But
balloon large enough to carry up any
amount of explosive matter would he SO
costly as to render the experiment impos-
sible 10 begin with.
w hen was finally persuaded to take
hold OF this matter. for various reasons
too technical 10 be popular, | was imme-
dlately satisfied in my mind that the ele-
mental parts OF drop of water, hydrogen
and oxygen, We're the explosives We wanted
TO introduce into the atmosphere TO get
rain, II II could he got. ! was not satisfied
that II could be- | am an artilleryman
myself, and during my service, both in