The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-12-08
"Do you think it is going

to rain?n
1.-THE sky" 1 replied, "has re-
NAMED pretty much the same since
the beginning of the experiments in
the afternoon"
us it not more cloudy now?"
"Rain drops" replied, ''feli before
the first shell, but not SINCE"
sit is not yet time for the effect"
At 1910 General Dyrenforth called
out to Mr.. King: "COlonel, thought
L saw a lightning flash in the south,
and soldier says he saw lightning in
the north about Z O'clock" A few
minutes afterwards the General ex.
claimed: eyes, saw a lightning
flash"
l had noticed no lightning what
ever. l then watched attentively. 1
| could see at times faint flash on the
southern clouds, but it was followed
at the appropriate interval by the re-
port of a rossellite explosion. 1t was
the reflection from the cloud of the
flash of that explosion. L suppose it
is not necessary for rainmakers to
know anything about the laws of
light and sounds. Later the General
inquired of DR.. Rosselle whether he
had seen the lightning.
No, general, have not seen it. The
doctor was too interested in the ex-
periments as trials of explosives to
care for their effect in rain making.
At 1915 balloon was sent up and
was lost in the darkness; when it eX-
ploded very large area of light was
seen as if the explosion lad occurred
inside cloud. There was no fall of
rain at the camp, and nobody was
stationed below the spot where the
balloon exploded. l consider this the
only experiment that was worth max
ing, yet no care was taken to observe
whether rain did fall. 1t is conceiv
able that the explosion of a twenty
foot balloon inside cloud ready to
precipitate may jar the particles so as
to quicken the dropping of the rain.
This was the idea of Ruggles. But to
test whether some rain can be drawn
down in this manner from rain
cloud does not suit the idea of cranks
who wish to get large something
out of an absolute nothing.
At 10:45 a mist became just percep-
tible. The general issued an order to
get ready the rain guage. The boys
hurried up balloon which was near
ly ready, but it had no effect on the
mist. At 11:40 the mist ceased and
the stars appeared in places nearly
overhead. The general apparently
felt that things were going against
him, for he suggested to the doctor to
put a small piece Of dynamite in the
shells, and also to try the effect of an
explosion down at the springs. At
1890 a twelve-foot balloon went well
into the clouds,
BUT NO RAIN EFFECT.
At l o'clock, the time when opera
tions were to be suspended for the
night, it was fair with some stars
visible, and the boys were preparing
one more balloon. Colonel King re-
marked that it would be necessary to
keep up the operations for forty-eight
hours. retired to room in the no.
tel, from which could see the opera
tions. At 1:30 heard a slight shout
from the balloon boys, and L could
hear the rain pattering on the roof
The general, who had also re-
tired to the hotel, threw open
the window and called out:
"Hurry up, boys" After ten mill
utes the balloon was exploded and the
rain almost Immediately diminished
so as to be scarcely perceptible. When
the explosion occurred had my head
out of the window. The hotel, a frame
house, shook considerably, but there
was no breaking of glass or any of the
effects produced by powerful ex-
plosion in the solid earth. At ESQ the
general went out to observe, and l
heard him say, "There is beautiful
rain to the north Of us and to the west
of as.n
At2 the rain hsd entirely ceased,
and the last of the operations consisted
of two shells fired in succession at 2:O5.
The rainmakers retired to d we'll
earned repose, from which they were
summoned next morning at Z. Ats l
left them breakfasting and drinking
water from the spring.
The rain that fell was mere spriRk-
ling, the rain gauge at the hole 1ndl-
eating one hundredth of an inch. At
the weather office in the city the rain
gauge indicated four times that
amount. Hence it looks as if eoncus-
sion did not pull down the rain in the
right place."
The trial of Friday was crucical
test and resulted not only in demon
strating what every person who has
any sound knowledge of physics
knows, that it is Impossible to produce
rain by making a great noise, but also
that even the explosion of o twelve
foot balloon inside a black rain
cloud does not bring down
shower. The general did not like
the conditions of the experiment, and
T understand that he is to be allowed
another trial under conditions of his
own choosing. These are to start with
a clear sky and keep up the racket
until the rain comes. Starting with a
clear sky any rain that comes even
week or fortnight after the beginning
of the operations must be due to them,
but should rain fail to come ere the
ammunition gives out, the failure can
be explained by saying that the con-
ditions were too adverse.
ALEXANDER MACFARLANE