The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-24
WHY WICHITA DON'T HAVE ANY
MORE THUNDER SHOWERS.
To the Editor Of the Eagle.

IL nus cCClA soOl IjdIN NcoiS SHIT
we have had heavy thunder storm in
Wichita. This was not always so. Mos.
of the old settlers will remember the
floods that we had here in 1877. How
the rivers overfiowed their banks and
how half the town was from two to four
feet deep in water; how goods was de-
livered in canoes and boats, and how it
| became necessary to raise the levy along
the banks Of Little river and even in
later years those levies were so nearly
overfiown. In fact the Big Arkansas
river was always on boom as soon as
warm weather set III and the SHOWS
Were melted in the mountains. Now
| most Of these waters are consumed in
the irrloating bitches in eastern Colorado
and western Kansas and the bed of the
river for hundred miles west has been
| largely filled with sane and islands of
willows and millions of cottonwood
| shrubs. But did not intend to speak
extensively on this line, but rather III re-
gard to the lack OF rain and
The loss of the rainmaking power.
In 1879 we had right here
in Wichita and vicinity one of the
! lIEiNlSSl rain anu HAN SLOIIl thdL WAS
! ever witnessed anywhere, by the oldest
inhabitant. Since that heavy rain
storms lave occurred at most other
points throughout the state. These
storms were generally accompanied by
lightning and heavy thunder. And this
is the point to which | wish to cali the
attention Of your readers. Heavy thun-
der generally accompanies heavy rains.
Thunder and lightning lead the skirmish
lines OF the heavy rain clouds as the
| heavy artillery attracts the line Of battle.
And where the air is not in a condition
TO produce thunder and lightning there
the rain clouds do not go. Then it is the
condition of the atmosphere that pro-
duces the rain. 1t is an impure atmos-
Dhere that produces lightning. |. is the
impurities of decomposition that pro-
duces the rich soil, and it is the rich soil
that produces abundant vegetation, pro-
viding its riches Is not consumed as fast
as it arises frCm the face of the earth.
In Arkansas. Missouri aud states farther
east, water standing in pools on the face
of the earth viii turn green in few
hours. A green scum accumu-
lates either out Of the earth or
out of the air, perhaps both.
This state of the air attracts the impuri-
ties and produces oxygen. Oxygen at
tracts hydrogen and these two elements
create cOmbuStible matter that Is at
tracted to the first heavy cloud that
makes it appearance and as soon as 1t
reaches the vicinity of that cloud it ex
plodes and causes lightning, and this
lightning follows this line OF combusti-
bic matter in a ZizZag direction toward
the point from whence 1t accumulated.
The lightning produces a temporary
vacuum in the air in the direction in
which it flashes and the thunder follows
the lightning and the rain cloud natural
" drifts in that direction. 1t has also
been noticed that in the gas districts
there is more rain than in any other
localities. Gas is an impurity, is also
combustible, both of which conditions
have tendency 10 attract rain, hence
anything that consumes these qualities !
of the air prior to their having an oppor-
tunty TO accumulate in combustibIe !
quantities has tendency to rebel rather |
than invite rain in any locality. In the /
districts where these combuStible impur- !
tiles of the air generates most profusely !
there is where it rains most copiously. !
There is where it lightnings the sharpest |
and thunders the loudest And there is |
where the doctor has the most cases of !
of malaria and fever and ague. Now |
the next thing is TO know what it is that !
has a tendency to destroy the natural |
conditions of the air in the localities |
where the rain storms do not come.
During the Crimean war when the allied |
powers of Europe were bomOarding |
Sevastopol we had very wet time ali |
over the eastern states in this country. |
And later, when Grant was bombardng |
Nicksburg, they had an excess of rain /
in France and other portions of Europe. |
These things were thought of and talked |
of when we were children and then is !
when we learned 10 reckon our distance !
from the thunder cloud by counting the /
number of pulsations between the time /
of the flash of the lightning and the long |
roll of thunder which followed.
Lightning rods are intended TO carry |
off this combustible element that &C
cumulates in the air during this lower
ing condition of the atmosphere and |
thus protect buildings from being struck
by lightning, and in the Same way the |
combustible matter is carried INTO the !
earch without explosion or danger to /
the buildings. More lightning rods, /
fewer storms. did you say: Well we
will not discuss that question
now, but will refer you to
a system that performs much more
in that line than the lightning rod does. /
IL is the electric car, electric light and /
telegraph systems. What net work of |
these we have in Wichita and vicinity
Well, | should smile. Fifty miles of
street car track, with flashing blaze of
fire following each Car from one end of .
the line to the other every twenty min (
utes,. burning this combustible air in all
of that space above and below, all day |
long and Till 10 o'clock at night. Theu
the $50 arc lights burning during the
night. + it any wonder that the im-
pure air is consumed long before it ac-
cumulates in explosive quantities. The
fact is, the rain destroyers are becoming
much more numerous than the ''rain
makers" all over this country. And the
condition of atmosphere which pro-
duces rain and thunder storms is being
DESTROYED: and the fellows who would
rather ride on the electric heers'' and
pay for it, than TO walk on ''jasperite
and not pay for it. foot the
bill. And vet some people talk about
CHiIoIIaHc pray iu5 Ioi ram SUN a
PRAYER would be Il direct insult TO the /
creator of that universal law, which /
men continually disobev and destroy in
their own interest aud greed for gain.
The formerly great Arkansas river
has been robbed OF half of It's substance
before it enters our state, and its chan
mel Is half destroyed. 50 also the sub
stance that formerly produced ram III
copious thunder showers in Wichita and /
vicinity is consumed IN It's inc.piency.
And the last thunder shower that doomed i
up in the north found no material out Of /