The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1892-01-29

der their command. They might as
well toss a pebble in the ocean and ex-
pect to cause tidal wave that would
destroy some enemy on q distant shore.
The Chinese who discharge firecrackers
to frlghten away evil spirits, are doing
as sensible an act and one that is back
ed with as much reason as their Ameri-
can contemporary who discharges
bombs, or pours an unknown gas INTO
the atmosphere, thinking by that act
to scare or coax the rain gods into Civ
ing them q cop IS shower. know
that it is generally believed that showers
OF rain follow all great battles, but 1 be-
lieve this belief to be like many other
popular notions, not sustained by the
facts. admit that nearly all the great
battles OF our late war were accompan-
led by more or less rain, the reason Of
this was not because OF the concussion
In the air but because OF the great nat
ural rainfall OF the south.
Now to the theory of producing rain
by the explosion Of gun powder, dyna-
mite, or oxy-hydrogen gas. The "rain
makers" claim that the conclusion
causes the vapor in the air to gather in
drops and fall as rain. Now 1T is an
easily demonstrated fact that this is
impossible. The explosion OF an explo-
sive mixture Of any kind in the air SIM
ply causes q momentary displacement
of the air molecules, which in u fraction
OF second resume their natural posi-
tlon, and even this momentary displace-
lneGt diminlshes as the square of the
distance from the centre point OF ex-
at II quarter OF u mile distant
1T could be no more than the thou
sandth part OF an inch. 1t is absurd to
think that such d small displacement OF
the atmosphere would cause q down
pour which would represent millions OF
foottuns OF energy. Some say there Is
a stra tum OF warm moist air above us
IN the upper regions OF the atmosphere,
and to mix the cold dry air OF the sur
lace with this warm, moist air will cause
a precipitation OF moisture. This is not
a iact, even if the moist air above did
exist, (Which it does not except on rare
occasions) the mixture OF the cool air
above would cause no rain to fall except
that both were loaded with moisture to
the point OF saturation, but If the mix
lure OF these air currents would produce
rain, the momentary pendlnm like swing
Of air molecules caused by an explosion
could have no effect toward the admiX-
ture OF hundreds OF cubical miles OF at
But says some, the explosion pro-
luces heat and hot air being lighter
must rise. Yes, so it must, but if you
only want hot air you had better set
lire to hay stack, or the dry prairie, it
would be much cheaper than dynamite
and fully as efficient, While the b, and
NJ. railroad was being built through the
Hills large quantities OF powder and
dynamite We're used in blasting rock,
and in addition to the burning OF the
right OF way set. fire to the timber in
many places and great forest fires were
the result. Yet III spite OF all these ex-
conclusions and dconflagrations.
the season was an exceedingly dry one,
an old resident OF Rockford declared it
to be the dryest in eleven years.
The only way it is possible to cause
the air to give up its moisture is by
over s;lturating it. The air like all
desolving a substance always retains it
until there is q change in temperature
OF pressure. AR IS governed by the
same law in this matter as water which
as Is we'll known never gives up any
thing it once dissolves except there is