The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1892-06-04
C RAINMAKING.
The Cause of the Wet Spring Salts
~factorily Explained at Last.

HI SsItASO VA C"O VVOC
factorily Explained at Last.
From the Minneapolis Tribune.
A year ago the fad of the country
was coaxing of rain from the unwill-
ING heavens in time of drouth. Dy-
renfurth was trying it with dynamite
down in Texas, aud there were at
least some remarkable condolences
in connection with his experiments.
In more than one instance and aerial
volley was followed by showers so
promptly and under atmospheric con
ditions so far from promising that
believers in the conclusion theory
were greatly encouraged. They
were supported, moreover, by war
records, wherein it was shown that
the principal artillery engagements
of the civil war, and many OF the
other great battles of modern his
tory, were followed ar accompanied
by heavy rains. To be sure they
were rather discounted by accounts
Of great battles of ancient times in
which no artillery was used, but
which were succeeded by rains never
theless. The theory still has many
believers and their arguments and
proofs are just as good now as they
were a year ago.
About the same time there sprang
up one Melbourne, who claimed to
be the possessor of a chemical secret
whereby, without noise, dust, fire or
disturbance, he could produce rain
while you waited and in quantities
to suit. The records show that he
was even more successful than Dy-
renfurth. In his Ohio experiments
he guessed seven times out Of a pos
sible eight, and in Wyoming the
people went wild over his "rainmak-
ing" as he termedit. So many con-
verts were there that farmers in GER
tain sections of Kansas and South
Dakota organized corporations for
the production and control of rain
this summer, and whole countries
entered into contracts with rain
makers, pledging themselves to pay
a good round price per acre for time
ly showers during the dry period.
1t appears then, that rain is pro-
duced by conclusion and by secret
chemical persuasion. A great many
people believe so and back up their
confidence with good money. That
which a large number of persons be-
lieve must be true. Knowing how
rain is artifcially produced, we may
account for the untimely wetness of
the present spring. First, the down
pour of the past few weeks must
have been caused by human agency,
for the meteorological conditions
during the majo r portion of that
period have indicated clear weather.
The weather observers have said S
in print and over their own sigma
lures. From the foregoing it is
clear that our rainy season has been
caused by conclusion or by secret
chemical persuasion. Let us look
then for these conditions. We are
rewarded by finding that no less
than q presidential booms have ex-
ploded with loud reports since March
3. These explosions have occurred
at intervals just about far enough
apart to keep it raining every day.
But if these agitations of the atmos-
phere were not sufficient to account
for prevailing phenomena we still
have the s'secret chemical persnas-
ion" If we cannot prevent certain
unpleasant occurrences like untime-
lv rains, there is some satisfaction in
being able to account for them in a
scientific manne