Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-03

MENr RESERVATION BIZ GEN. sCHoPIKLD.
II storms and precipitation are the articles
which the gentlemen engaged in the ''rainmak-
ing business over at Fort Myer are after, let
them be satisfied, for both have come. The
mighty bombardment has caused storm Of in
dignation in the usually peaceful bosoms Of the
citizens Of Washington, so atitlooks as though
there was danger Of a march upon the rain
makers camp. The precipitation has taken the
form Of q shower Of complaints and indignant
letters, which have fallen on THE STAR Office
and the Agricultural Department
LAST NIGHTS BoMBARDMENr
capped the climax, and especially in George
town was the shock Of the explosions, which
took place late in the night, startling and
alarming Even on Capitol Hill and in the
suburbs Of the city, however, the conclusions
and shocks could be plainly felt. The sudden
awaking and terrible jar was especially disas-
trous to the sick and feeble of the CITY, and this
morning the doctors of the city were especially
indignant at what they term the Outrage"
The explosions are for the purpose of testing
new explosives to be used in Texas in the "rain-
making" experiments. Just why. even II these
explosions are necessary, they should be made
at night il one of the unsolved mysteries of the
affair. Last night the hour between / and
seemed to be the favorite one for the heaviest
charges.
THE RAINMAKERs FIRED.
As has been stated the Agricultural Depart
ment has received large number Of protesting
letters and the Secretary this afternoon
held consultation with Gen. Dyrenforth,
which would undoubtedly have resulted
ing the ceasing Of the night firing if
not Of the whole business Gen Schofeld,
however, took the matter out of the depart
ments hands this morning and issued an order
to Col. Guy Henry at Fort Myer directing him
to forbid the rainmakers to conduct any further
experiments with explosives on the military
reservation.
COL. HENRY's COMPLAINT.
Col. Henry called at the War Department
this morning and informed Gen. Schofeld of
the operations Of the bomb exploders last
night He said that not only were the ex-
plosions source of annoyance to the
people of that post, but that COM
plants were received all during the night
by telephone from citizens in Washington and
Georgetown imploring the commander to stop
the experiments. Some Of these appeals were
OF the most urgent nature, coming from physi-
clans and from households where there were
sick people and invalids who we're seriously and
in some cases dangerously affected by the de-
donations.
One Of the explosions broke gas globe in
Col. Henry's apartments, and the fragments
fell upon Mrs. Henry. who was reading at ia
Bile, giving her a severe fright
Cen Schoheld acted promptly and the bomb
bursters will be fired incontinently from the
reservation today.
GEN. BoYNToN's PROTEST.
Dozens of people have written or called at
The STAR Office today to protest against
any further sleep-destroying bombs.
One Of the best known Of Washington ne VS.
paper men. Gen. II. V. Boynton, makes this
vigorous protest:
Having a very sick brother to think about
my attention was most pointedly called to the
tremendous explosions at Fort Myer, lasting
from O'Clock till near daylight this morning,
and being strong enough to shake houses as far
north as n street.
"Ore Of the leading physicians of the city
said this morning that all the doctors felt that
the affair was one of the grossest outrages ever
city"
EFFECT ON THE AGED.
well-known city physician said today to a
STAR reporter:
1.-Two old ladies, one over eighty years Of age
and bedridden. the other over seventy. who
needs undisturbed sleep, were Frustrated this
morning from the noise and Earring of their
houses by the explosions made by the expert
ments to produce rain last night. am sure
If Secretary Rusk or the President knew Of the
shock to the nerves and injury to health of the
feeble and sick, living within jarrng distance of
these explosions, the experimenters would be or.
dered to an unsettled part of the country"
WEATHER BUREAU MAN KICKS.
There is one well-known scientist over in the
weather bureau v no disapprovesi in the strongest
manner Of the whole subject.
SEND THE BOMBS TO TEXAS.
Another well-known newspaper man, Mr.. F.
A. G.. Handy, says:
I'VE can water the parks and reservations
without their assistance, and we prefer the re-
freshment of sleep to that of showers artifcially
manufactured. Let the experimenters 90 to
Texas or some other hot region forthwith, and
we shall be grateful"
ANOTHER NEWSPAPER MAN OBJECTS.
Still another newspaper man writes: From
O'Clock until the bombardment was almost
continuous, and at each discharge the windows
Of residences throughout the city we're ra tiled
and the houses themselves shaken to their very
foundations. II these experiments must be
made let the inventor and his followers 60 to
the desert OF Sahara, where they and other peo-
pie will be undisturbed, but let US have peace. {"
oUTRAaEs ON THE SICK.
An street merchant writes Q communion
ton to the point He says:
Explosions in the middle of the night loud
enough to shake the stars in their sockets may
be scientific, but they are outrages on the sick
and weary, and make one wish the expert
mentors were already in Texas, or that other
place mentioned by Sheridan
4 gentleman from the Capitol writes:
II have inquired at several hospitals this
morning and find that the heavy reports caused
much loss Of sleep, and in several instances Sc
rious trouble was threatened
lis it not time for The STAR to turn
its strongest search light in the di-
rection Of the rain-bomb fraud across
the river?" he writes. "If odd Merlin,
who is engineering that particular piece Of
reporter yesterday why is 1t that he must
plosives2 Would not the day time answer as
well to determine their vaIueY No doubt nine
tenths OF the Inhabitants of the nations capt.
tai were awakened between and 2 o'clock this
morning, the nervous ones irritated and the
sick injured by old Merlin's' bombs. II the
explosions would only bring rain the nuisance
might not DO complained of, but the only
effect thus far observed is to apparently
drive the rain away. 1t was raining quite
briskly In Georgetown this morning at about
so, when the first bomb was fired, but after
two or three Notwithstanding whang bangs If
the same sort the rain abruptly ceased. J.
Pluvius will never, fear, bestow his favors on
any community, however drought-stricken
which permits such monkey business Chats the
proper term) in its midst.
"In all soberness the recent repeated heavy
explosions have demonstrated conclusively that
conclusion or sound waves will not produce