Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-08-25
SEVEN WEEKS
DkOUTH ENDS
Welcome Rain Comes Without
the Advance Sanction Of
the Prophets.
BUT WILL DO GOOD ANYHOW
Bears Out the Old Adage to the Eff
feet that ''All Signs Fail in
Dry Weather."

Did you notice that wetness today
The farmer did, you bet, and laid off
to watch the corn wag its ears. 1t has
been a hard pull for the corn, this
drouth, which has reigned with practi-
cally no interruption since the week
of dampneSs precipitated by our cela-
bration of the glorious Fourth. Fo"
practically seven weeks the maize has
been trying to tassel and ear out with
a deficient supply of moisture, handi-
capped at the same time by some IF
the hottest weather on record locally.
Some of the fields had already almost
given up the attempt and the yield
but as general thing the rain will be
of immense benefit.
Without any preliminary flourishes
of thunder and lightning the rain be-
gan to descend about 6 o'clock this
morning. At first only a few scatter
ing drops fell, but gradually the vol
umes increased until within an hour
it was raining hard.
Ii Was Pretty Dry.
One eye witness declares that so dry
was the ground that the first few drops
were unable TO penetrate it and lay
about like hailstOnes Another says
half an inch had fallen before there
was any drip from the eavespouts.
While this may be an exaggeration,
it is cinch that not much of the
days precipitation got as far as the
Mississippi The thirsty earth drank
it up grcedily.
1t has been long time since a damp
and dismal morning has been so much
appreciated. Everybody smiled for
who isn't Interested in the weather,
with all its vagaries? Also. verybody
appeared willing to accept response
bility for having brought about the
doings. Within an hour ,parchcd
lawns and dropping vegetation gener-
ally began to wear more hopeful AMI
determined expression, and It is fair
TO presume there viii now be a fet-up
Purposes.
Flag Escapes n Souse.
The government fair weather flag on
the staff on The Argus building escaped
a good Sousing by being taken in last
evening, and this is only another cir
cumstance that bears out the good old
adage that 'aIl signs fail in dry
weather" This saying has never beaa
more forcibly brought home to the
weather department than during the
late drouth Today's pleasant sur
prise was not predicted by the weather
department yesterday. the forecast be-
ing generally fair" Likewise there
have been lot of predictions in the
other direction thai have turned out
badly in the last seven weeks
An examination of the records
shows that the last rain of any con
sequence fell July Z, when the total
was half an inch. For nearly week
prior to that there had been about the
same amount daily. Since July Z. a
period of AZ days. possibly thunder
showers probably thunder show.
ers.'' cor rain tonight and tomorrow
have been heraldcd in advance on ne
less than rs days, while in only about
one-third of these cases has there been
even a trace, July 2S 30 inches was
recorded and July Is there was SO
inches. Ordinarily. it is stated, the
weather bureau makes good about
nine times in ten, so it is plain that
signs don't count for much in dry
weather