The Washington herald., 1912-07-22

Prof Willis L. Moore, Chief Of the
Weather Bureau. yesterday gave out a
statement taking issue with c. W.
Post, a Texas "rainmaker," who be-
lieves that ne can jar the circumam-
bient atmosphere with high explosives,
thereby producing large quantities of
perfectly wet rain, and saving the
money spent for irrigation.
Prof. Moore believes that obdurate
skies cannot be driven. even by the
use of dynamite. While admitting the
dynamic force OF such an argument IN
most cases, Prof. Moore contends that
it IL no good as a rain producer.
Bureau Forecast Rain.
He acknowledges that it rained at
periments by the highly explosive Mr..
Post last summer. At the same time.
he says, II rained pretty much all over
Texas at the same time.
The Weather Bureau also predicted
that 1t would rain before II became
acquainted with Mr.. Posts intentions.
Possibly Prof. Moore thinks that Post
is stealing his thunder.
Prof. Moore thinks that il is wrong
to encourage the farmers located at
desert places to go around firing on
dynamite. arousing the countryside
with loud detonations. and spending
perfectly good money. He thinks that
a ditch or two, fed by some distant
mountain stream, would be cheaper and
more practical.
Tried to Change Topography.
He cites cases where citizens. dis
gusted with continued good weather.
have blown all the waste places to
pieces, and dislocated the topography
of the country in face of the trium-
phant sun, and the only moisture they
succeeded in producing rolled in tor
rents down their necks.
Mr. Post will hold experiments at Bat
tie Creek. Mich. July "A. 1t is said that
the advertising and dynamite contracts
have been let. and all the citizens OF the
town who are not laying in a stock of
mackintOshes, goloshes, umbrellas. and
overshoes are taking out accident insur-
ance policies.
Some timorous citizens predict dire
things and fear Post will succeed only
in moving the flourishing city OF Battle
Creek out into
- The lone prairie.
Where the wild coyote hovls.
They declare that every songbird in
Battle Creek will be beating 1t across the
Rio Grande by the time the ''rainmaker'
gets through.
Prof Moore Displays Interest.
Prof. Moore displayed great interest in
the coming attraction, and proceeded to
cite history. He spoke on the beautiful
simplicity which invented a shotgun to
drive away hail stones, and. also, COM
mented favorably upon the European
system of Using projectiles from large
caliber cannon to induce spring freshets.
'If the old superstition that hen will
lay when listening to a string quartet
had ever been substantiated by the coin
cidence of one successful experiment,
think how much money would have been
wasted in uselessly procuring hens this
entertainment" he said.
Expressing great disgust at these anna
teur efforts to produce rain, Prof. Moore
last night issued the following statement:
Numerous reports have come to the
Weather Bureau indicating that an cpl
demlc of rain making" has broken out
In various parts OF the country, originat-
ing in some experiments of this charac-
ter made by Mr.. c. w. Post, near Post
City, Tex, last summer. The method
adopted was the familiar one Of setting
off powerful explosives until, as Is al
legged. the jarring Of the atmosphere leads
to the condensation and precipitation of
moisture. A description of his expert
ments published by Mr.. Post in a maga-
zine article has been copied widely in the
daily papers, and also circulated in
pamphlet form.
'Mr. Post claims that copious showers
followed three of the four experiments
made by him last summer. He, how
ever, ignores the fact that in each case,
when rain occurred It was general over