page_title: Carl Edgar Myers
section_title: Artificial rain
hierarchical_section_title: Carl Edgar Myers / Artificial rain
caption_attribution_description: English: Oxygen-hydrogen balloon made by Carl Myers at his Frankfort (NY) "balloon farm" in 1891.
context_page_description: Carl Edgar Myers was an American businessman, scientist, inventor, meteorologist, balloonist, and aeronautical engineer. He invented many types of hydrogen balloon airships and related equipment. His business of making passenger airshipballoons and instrument balloons at his "balloon farm" was well known throughout the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He invented a machine for varnishing fabric that would make it impervious to hydrogen so that the finished product could be made into large envelopes for lighter-than-air balloons.
  Myers also experimented in making artificial rain in areas where rain was deficient for agriculture. He made oxy-hydrogen balloons that were exploded at high altitude to cause rain. He contracted with the U.S. government and lumber companies to make these balloon "bombs" for the production of man-made rain.
  Myers was a manager for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and the superintendent of their Aeronautic Concourse for balloon demonstrations and aerial races. He made balloon military warships and inventions that could be used for defense in case of attack by air by foreign interests and demonstrated at the Fair.
context_section_description: Myers once made balloons and equipment for the experimentation of making artificial rain and gained renown for that beyond any other scientist. The balloons were referred to as "bombs" – rain-producing explosions. The first demonstration experiments, based on theories by Illinois engineer Edward Powers for making rain, were done in May 1891 for General Robert Saint George Dyrenforth (Patent Commissioner) of Washington, D.C. at Myers' Frankfort "balloon farm". Dyrenforth, who represented the United States Department of Agriculture, then had Myers make a few balloon "bombs" for a presentation in  Washington, D.C. The rain producing tests were done successfully in the early part of July 1891 in front of government officials, scientists, chemists, and engineers.
  There was government funding provided of $9,000 then with support from Senators Charles B. Farwell and Leland Stanford for a full-scale test experiment in northern Texas. There was to be completed a scientific analysis of the results. The man-made rain project was to take place near the town of Midland. The equipment involved in this test was 100 "oxy-hydrogen" balloons, dozens of kites six to twelve feet high, miles of copper wire, nitroglycerine, dynamite, and gunpowder. Myers provided all the balloons and the gases. Electric batteries and generators were also part of the on-site equipment. The design of the rain experiment project was to have explosions stir up particle aggregation. Myers' balloon "bombs" were the start of many such explosions that were to take place in the rain producing experiment. His balloon "bombs" were one part oxygen gas combined with two parts of hydrogen gas, which would make a huge explosion upon detonation. The side effect of this balloon explosion was that water was produced. This water would drop from the sky at some high altitude and the idea was that all of this action would stimulate the atmosphere to make rain. The balloons made by Myers for the government at his "balloon farm" would hold 500 to 5000 cubic feet of gas. Myers had complete charge of the government rain producing experiments for years.
  Each ten foot diameter balloon was filled with one-third oxygen and two-thirds hydrogen. To do this, the empty balloon was spread out on the ground with plenty of room around it. It was then attached to a hose to start filling with oxygen gas. The other end of the hose went to a retort that was filled with chlorinate of potassium and a small amount of manganese oxide. The retort was heated to a high temperature through a gasoline burner. Oxygen gas, generated at 600 cubic feet per hour, went through a lime-water wash and from there to fill the balloon. The balloon was filled up one third of the way. The hose was then connected to the hydrogen gas generator and filled up the remaining two-thirds of the way. The oxygen and hydrogen balloon was referred to as an "oxy-hydrogen" balloon. Each gas had an electric fuse detonator inside, which made it a type of "bomb" when triggered electrically. Wires were used that led from the ground to the balloon and when an electrical charge was made by a dynamo, it passed through the wires to set off the detonator causing an explosion that was brighter than the sun. This caused the oxygen and hydrogen to react, creating water (H₂O). This man-made water then acted as a nucleus for making rain out of the atmosphere.
  Myers made one hundred oxy-hydrogen balloon bombs for the government to do a full scale experiment of producing rain. The balloons were 10, 12, and 20 feet in diameter. The purpose of the Texas experiment was to see if making artificial rain could be done by man-made weather modification. After the experiment took place it was reported that the result was a success of what was hoped for. The news press release of August 20, 1891, reported that rain was made to fall two days before at three o'clock in the afternoon. At the time the sky was clear and there was no prediction of rain in the area for at least a week. The claim was that the rain produced was directly or indirectly caused by the expl
caption: Myers with an "oxy-hydrogen" balloon
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