The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-02-04

a fash Of lightning. II Is Just a little cna
The drums roll again and the lightning
maker makes another flash. Then all OF
the men az the drums begin to pound for
Lar life. and the lightning-maker gets real
busy.
Ey this time a dozen sheets Of sheet iron
are being shaken. ard the rainmakers and
The ~wIrImdkeTs are Industrious. The for
m"r accomp'tshes his purpose by turning tho
crank uf a rough cylinder. against the face
"t Viii h there are a number of thin boards
that rattle as the cylinder turns. The wind
maker has a more complete equipment IL
consists Of n cylinder. built after the form
Of t snare drum. Running around II ars
tv" strips of wire screening. about an inch
apart. Between these strips are n lot Of
reasr. shot and pebbles. And the din they
DO make a. thew roil ahuat between the
two strips # wire screening,
At this stfEe the storm IS at It's height.
The man who Rad been attending 20 ths
clouds took q running jump and slid down n
rope. Downstairs he took charge 81 the
thunder and thc lightning. He had the
drums beat more vigorously than ever, and
h. had the man WITH the file and the car
bon Ie-cUf'rscd by 4 man with n fiashlisht.e
AMI he got both nf them to working over
time. All the drums were going; all tho
sheet iron was being ratified; the lightning
WIS dazzling and was being moved about,
first on 81" side Of the stage and then in
the rear and then on the other side OF
the stage.
Huge volumes Of white smoke came roll
ing Up into the loft. and they were sitting.
Now and then a spark Of FIRE went floating
about IN the afr among the curtains The
stranger was ratified. IL was more no,se
than a political pOwwow can furnish. And
there he vas. fifty feet above It. getting all
III" smoke that he could swallow. and cor
fidcnt that one Of the sparks would CO.
fire {" something and cause his name To
appear IN the paper as a part of the liza.
Of victims Of a great holocaust.
Perhaps IL was this which cause,, hin,
tn take a step toward tho rope. down rhirh
his guide had slid AZ the beginning OF hos
Ties tut he did not 20 down. Right
under him there was a man with , torcb
81 the end of 4 long role. This torch Ia
was moving along the edge of a hinge b,oc,-
- steel. IN which there were half n dozen
rcurd black spots Presently, the man
! TotsG his torch further along The steel
| block. and then there came the deafeuinc-
est noise that ever hurstcd human tvm-
| T%IrUrs. 1t was the final thunder crash %
the storm Six pounds OF black powder aid
The work. and the conclusion shook rIas-
tar from the ceiling. and scaled paint from
the canvas ls.scs that were stationed as
the corners of the temple.
Then the curtin went down. CLEOPATRA
was standing on the altar. and Antony
was beside her. carefully picking plaster
. ana sparks IRON her lily-white arm. IN
front or the curtain the audience was
! shouting itself hOarse and clappinc hli=ters
INTO ITS palms. Antony bowed to Cleopatra.
and the two stepped before the curtain.
linen Inc orchestra began. and Typhon.
now a common stage hand. with Ell his
glory departed from him for tho rast a.
the Gay. tegan to- clear away the wreckage
Of the storm and erect CIe0pafra's palace
on the f a. Of the Temple Of Isis.
and knew it