268 WEATHER MAKING, ANCIENT AND MODERN. 



meut showing wbat they themselves feel they have accomi^lished. We 

 have been slow to believe there was anything- in this bnsiness, but at 

 the same time must admit that they are either very fortunate in reach- 

 ing the ditferent points where they have experimented jnst in time to 

 have rain storms, or they have certainly hit upon the right thing in the 

 way of rain making." 



The process I do not know, but a humorous railway man, personally 

 cognizant of the matter, told me that the operators kept themselves 

 carefully secluded in a freight car with a hole in the roof, and when 

 occasional glimpses were caught of them they seemed to be cooking- 

 over a red-hot coal stove. Probably the method employed was that of 

 Frank Melbourne, the Australian, who has most reputation in the 

 West, and who has carefully kept his secret. It is proposed by the 

 company in question to continue the experiments in another field and 

 with competent experts accompanying, and another railroad company 

 is seriously considering the proi)riety of entering the field. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



Finally, permit me to complete this sketch by some remarks; and, to 

 make them as specific as they can be made, permit me to put them in 

 the form of questions and answers. The answers are my own. 



Q. Will a noise make rain? — A. No; there is no reason in theory or 

 practice to make us think it will. 



Q. Will a concussion make rain? — A. It will probably jostle the 

 droplets in a cloud and may bring a few together, which may coalesce 

 and become large enough to cause them to fall to the ground — a few 

 scattering drojDS only. 



Q. Will smoke or dust released in great quantities i^roduce rain ? — 

 A. Floating particles of spongy texture will absorb the moisture hygro- 

 scopically. If the air is dry this will make it drier, and prevent rain. 

 If the air is very moist and near saturation, any solid particles in the 

 air will facilitate the condensation; witness the experiments of Aitken 

 and IJarus. Thus, when other conditions are very tavorable, an addi- 

 tion of much dust or smoke to the air might determine a fall of rain. 



Q. Will the expansion of carbon anhydride produce rain? — A. Mr. 

 Gathman says he has tried it and with success. Experiments should 

 be made systematically. 



Q. Will electric connection with a cloud aid in rain formation ? — A. 

 M. Baudouin says it does. 



Q. Will a confiagration produce rain? — A. Quite probably, under 

 favorable circumstances. It acts in the line in which nature acts, 

 according to the best of our knowledge. Condensation is the result of 

 chilling the air. The theory of chilling by mixture, the Huttonian 

 theory, a century old, is now known to be inefticient. The chilling in 

 nature seems to be due either to the ascent of air and its consequent 

 expansion and loss of heat, or the chilling of one cloud by having the 

 shadow of a higher cloud fall on it in sunlight. The chilUng by ascent 



