The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-05-02
BRINGING ON RAINS.
c. B. Jewell Tells Something of His
Interesting Work
By CHEMICALS AND ELECTRICITY
He Succeeds I'm Making Showers
Experiments to BE Made i'm the Pan
Handle.

He Succeeds In Making showers
Experiments to BE Made i'm the Pan
Handle
.sYes sir" said Rainmaker las he pre-
fers it, Rain Producer) G. B. Jewell as
he settled comfortably back into a big
chair at the Rock Island offices; ga large
per cent of the public has an entirely
erroneous idea of this rain producing
business. They expect too much at first
and are too ready and glad to laugh if
one of our experiments does not come
quite up to their expectation. The sci
ence of rain producing is yet in its baby
hood.
"The artificial rainmaking business has
given birth to many pretende-s who go
to a town and agree for, say $500 to bring
rain. If there is no rain they are out
nothing; If it happens. to rain they are
$500 better off. Often these men do
nothing further than lock up a room and
claim their work is being done in that
1.-The fact that of thirty three trials
last summer we had but one disappoint-
ment, and that very slight one. should
prove that we are not working entirely
| in the dark. The skeptics say it would
have rained anyway but you will notice
that it always very kindly rained just at
that time we expected it too and at no
other.
During this season we shall invade
the Panhandle country where none of
the so-called rain makers have yet dared
to tread. If we are successful there we
shall consider our battle as good as won.'
"How do you produce rain?" asked the
reporter
well, that is our secret. In the first
place one must have thorough know
ledge of electricity, chemistry and at
mospheric conditions that different alti-
tudes are subject to at different times.
Exactly the same process used at an ele-
walton of $500 would not do at 5000. We
use only PA volts of electricity, but just
how, do not care to say. The gases are
made inside the car from metals and
acids made expressly for US. Through
the top of the car are three
pipes and through these the gases are
released, rising of their own buoyancy.
We do not decompose metals as many
suppose. The same process that will
produce electricity will produce rain,
when the conditions are right. A thor
ough knowledge of storm centers, air
currents and the changes the atmosphere
is here to is certainly necessary. We
must work with nature and her laws.
Il believe cyclones will yet become
obedient to man through these very laws
and theories. And why not? If we can
get rain before the wind strikes us that
settles your cyclone"
"How did you happen to stumble on to
this thing?"
"Well, when I was the Rock Island
train dispatcher at Goodland two years
ago, Mr.. Melbourne came there and be-
gan his experiments. He pinned his
faith to chemistry alone, and was not
entirely successful Being an electri-
clan, l concluded l could improve on Mr.,
Melbourne's idea, and so started 60 work.
As [ know nothing about chemistry l
associated with me excellent chemist,
DIR. F. III. Smith of Goodland. l got per
mission from the company to go to work,
and together he and l have solved the
problem We know now that we have
the right thing, and we will soon be de-
livering rain to order at any part of the
country DR.. Smith, however, is not with
me now"