The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-03-26
WEATHER TO ORDER.
An Electrician Thinks sciopce
. May Finally Achieve This.
He SAYS ELECTRICITY WILL Do IT.
Prof. croolier, OF Columbia, Tells
How Wo Might Modify Our Gil.
mato-iIow Weather aIuy DO Made
Temperate anti Sea Shore Air 10
Secured to Cities During tho
Iloatcd Term OF tho summer.

sccurou 10 Citics During tho
Heated Term OF tho Summon,
SeiV York Herald
VIII man In tho future regulate tho
seasons, as tho woStorn irrigator rcgu.
lates hia wator supply? Will tho mo.
neurological bureau takc control Of tho
weather aud run things 10 suit tho pcr.
sonal convenience Of tho greatest nun.
ber2 Will we make 1t rain whom we
wish rain, bring cooling brooxes FROM
tho Arctic circle and balmy broaths
from tho sunny south? In short, Is
man.direc!ed wcnihpr ono dny to sue.
coed the caprice Of nature, Just ns tho
ocean steamship has succeeded tho sail.
lug vessel, or as the mariners compass
succeeded the systom OF following tho
stars?
Ina word, go far as mans convon.
ienco and comfort Ia concerned, has
science Just begun upon the wonderful
things which one day it will work out
Tor himp IL tho edge OF the future still
q rosy dawn OF untitled promise?
A bold and daring electrical engineer
Of London, in an article written for ono
Of tho London technical papers. has ad-
yanced tho proposition that Tow years
hence making rain by electricity will DO
regarded as no moro wonderful than the
endeavor TO supply tho motive power
forthe machinery oil n hall dozen states
from Niagara 10 to-day. Nor does no
sec any reason why the climate should
not DO modified by tho same agency.
The author OF the article. Mr.. Sidney
F. Walker. 10 among tho younger and
more daring OF English electricians.
lic declares that, ''judgeh by the age OF
other branches OF science, electricity ia
s.ill an infant, with all Its manhood's
work yet 10 ACCOMPLISH" lie declares
that tho future OF electricity holds in
View, first, tho gradual Utilization OF the
forces OF nature known as wind and
water power, to tho gradual displace-
ment OF coal. At Irregular periods the
world is startled by the cry. what will
become OF US when our coal supply
iails?" Long before that period ia
reached. Mr.. Walker asserts, coal itself
will have to fight Tor its life as an in
dus.rial product, just as gas is now do
Ing. tho antagonist: being wind and
water power. delivered where required
in the shape OF electrical energy.
PROFESSOR cRocKER's VIEW.
Concerning Mr.. Walkers bold pre-.
dcsions. sought tho opinion OF PROBES.
sor F. B. Croker. OF Columbia College.
Professor Croker ranks with tho most
eminent electrical scientists OF this
country and Europe. In reply to my
questions he said:
at is difficult for the most conserya.
tive man to set any bounds to tho pos.
sIbilities Of what electricity will one day
accomplish. OF course. there is one
great fallacy in the popular mind, and
that is that We know very little about
electricity. On the contrary, We know
gres. deal. Electricity is to-day one
OF tho most exact OF all sciences. On
the other hand, it ia perfectly fair TO say
that We have hardly begun to put this
be made OF it in the future. In word,
whilo we know n great deal about it, We
hove only just begun 10 perfect mechan-
ical devices for applying and utilizing
1t.
II do no. know that it, would be at all
impossible to make rain bv electricity.
The discoveries OF Lord Raylegh and
Professor Oliver Lodge are very we'll
known to science. and have led to many
interesting experiments. For example,
current OF electricity applied to n
broken or interrupted Jet Of water will
make the stream perfectly smooth and
continuous. Ono great difficulty in
making rain by this means would DO
that OF securing m effective discharge
OF the fluid. However. it might DO
feasible to send up balloon from which
could be suspended large circular ring,
with large number OF sharp points
sticking outward, and connected BY a
fine wire with = high tension dynamo
or influence machine below. Whether
this would secure tho desired end, am
not sure, as air, you know, is very bad
conductor. It is thing that would
have to bo exhauatively tested by actual
experience"
Professor Crocker suggested TINT, per.
haps. the greatest difficulty to overcome
would be that OF e!!ecting tho discharges
OF electricity in the proper places and
4. tho desired attitudes. l asked:
"Why no. By means OF mir ships2 Do
you regard tho successful air ship rs
more than ten years OFF,"
"No; perhaps not" replied Professor
Crocker. II think it ia entirely proba-
bic that within the next decade we
shall have solved practically tho ques-
ton OF aerial navigation Not that this
problem ia 40 very easy. But it pre-.
sents no other difficulties than hun
dreds OF other mechanical problems
have, and there is no more reaaon to
suppose that We shall not build sue.
cessirl air ship than there was reason
10 suppose q hundred years ago that
steam could not be applied to tho pro.
pulsion OF train OF cars along smooth
track or OF ship across the ocean.
And, OF cours, il We get an mir ship that
can BIO easily operated and will carry
considerable weight, then it will DO
very easy TO load ship with storage
batteries containing big electrical sup.
ply, sail up into tho clouds, and dis.
charge tho electricity wherever we want
it. In word, II 1t Ia found that wo can
mako rain by m electrical discharge,
aud We want to do it, it will not DO worry
long before wo shall find ways and
means OF doing it.
"Of course, it would still remain to
DO seen whethor thOro il actually