The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1893-06-16
RAINMAKINo.
From the Alma, KAN News.

On Friday of last week about
noon, the cities of Wellington,
Winfield, Arkansas City, South
Haven, Caldwell, Hutchinson and
Newton began simultaneous
bombardment of the heavens with
view to bringing rain. This was
done at the suggestions of Mayor
Savage, of Wellington. Cannon,
bombs and every other available
means of making a noise was
brought to bear and according to
the dispatches, about o'clock
the clouds opened their reservoirs
and the earth was drenched with
rain for the period of four hours.
These rains extended over a wide
area of country.
Whether these transforms were
merely a coincidence, or the re-
suit of the preconcerted lombard
ment of the heavens, it is no part
of our purpose to discuss. But
we will take occasion to say that
the ridicule to which all attempts
to produce rainfall has been sub
jected is neither pertinent or wise.
That the secret of controlling to
some extent cloud formations and
rainfall will eventually be discov-
cred and applied is not at all un-
likely.
Any one who is familiar with
the chemical constituents of air
and water will see that the pres
ence of aqueous vapor in the at
mosphere is not absolutely essen
tial to rainfall. Water is COM
posed of hydrogen and oxygen,
one part of the latter in volume
to two of the former. There is
present, even in the dryest at
mosphere, about one ten-thous-
andeth part of hydrogen. If by
explosions or any other means,
this can be caused to unite with
the oxygen, i'll the proportion of
two to one in volume the result
will necessarily be rain, not from
the condensation of aqueous va
pors, but from the formation in
the atmosphere of that compound
of hydrogen and oxygen which
we call water.
The elements of which rain is
composed is found wherever our
aerial envelope exists. And the
chemical union of these elements,
which is effected in the laboratory
by the electric spark, produces
water. Then why may not man
be able to discover some means
of duplicating, on large scale,
in the open fields, the phenomena
which is so common in the lab
oratory The process of the
union between hydrogen and oxy-
tgen which causes clouds and rain
fall, having once been commenc-
ed from any cause will extend
over an area, under the operation
of that law which has been called
nasence; until an equilibrium be-
tween the forces have been re-
established.
Dry weather is a condition of
the equilibrium between the con-
stituent elements of water which
exists in the atmosphere at all
times. The secret then of pro-
ducing rainfall is to discover the
means of disturbing this equili-
brim so as to start the process of
uniting the hydrogen and oxygen
in the right proportions, to create
vapor, clouds and rain drops.
The process once started in any
locality must necessarily extend
over a considerable space before
the equilibrium is restored.
Whether this secret has been
discovered we do not pretend to
say, as we have no means of
knowing, but that such a discov-
cry is within the reach of scienti-
fic observation and careful exper-
iment, there is scarcely room for
a doubt. And with the impetus
that has been given to these ex-
periments, during the last two or
three years. the probabilities, are
that the knowledge gained, will
ere long, give the cultivators of
the soil some degree of control
over the seasons on which so
much depends. Let the work of
observation, investigation and ex-
pertinent go on, and the result
cannot be otherwise than benef-
cial.
Shoes, Shoes, shoes.