Shooting Skies For Rain

1910

Uncle Sam Has Lost Faith in Rain-Making Schemes, but Italians Are Still Sanguine

Washington. — Recently when fire was sweeping over the mountains of the west, leaving death and destruction in its wake, the despairing people appealed to the war department to bombard the skies and bring a much-needed rain. For obvious reasons their request was refused. Uncle Sam, a few years ago, spent large sums of money experimenting along this line, sending up bombs and firing cannon at the skies to produce rain by artificial means. It was no use, for clouds refused to "leak" in satisfaction of man's tiny tickling. Since then the government has been without faith in any scheme for rain-making.

It is now held that the reason why rain usually followed the great battles of history is because whenever possible the commanders moved their armies and began battles when the weather was fair. Rain falls on an average of one day in three, so it is no amazing matter that the clouds should spill their contents about the time one of those famous slaughters would be over with.

Of course, the great men of science know that it is useless for man, with his puny implements, to undertake to bring about those stupendous changes in nature necessary to produce the phenomenon of rain. It would be necessary to lower the temperature of a vast area of the heavens, or saturate such a region with moisture to obtain results, and our means of accomplishment are too limited.

Though our government has lost faith in rain-making, however, the Italians seem to be quite confident that in one way, at least, bombarding the clouds is productive of good results. In all the vineyards of that sunny land there may be seen curious funnel-shaped guns pointing to the sky. Hail storms form one of the chief dangers to the grape crop in that country, and the Italians believe that the firing of these guns prevents such destructive visitations by dissipating the clouds which give them birth.

Strenuous Yawning Dislocates Her Jaw

South Dakota, 1909--

A Badly Crippled Woman

Watertown, S. D., Aug. 7 -- Mrs. August Zamow, wife of a farmer residing near Grover, in Codington county, ten miles southwest of this city, met with the unusual accident yesterday morning of sustaining the dislocation of her jaw through an extraordinarily strenuous yawn.

--Weekly State Spirit and Dakota Huronite, Huron, South Dakota, August 19, 1909, page 8.



City Brief – Keeping Drinks Cool With Hail

Sheriff Huntley went to Bonilla Saturday morning, near which place he has a farm, but no crops, since July 30th. On Sunday, August 1st, he was in that neighborhood and called on a friend. After entering his friend's home he asked for a cool drink, and was told there was some ice cold pop in the house. The sheriff said that would do, and going to the refrigerator he was shown pop bottles lying in a bed of hail stones. "That's the kind of ice we have up here," remarked his friend.

--Weekly State Spirit and Dakota Huronite, Huron, South Dakota, August 19, 1909, page 8.

Herds of Hobos, Tramps, Bums, Idlers Cleared From Town

Huron, South Dakota, 1909--

City Briefs:
Herd of Hobos Driven Out, Big Hail Proves Useful

Wednesday morning the police made a big cleaning up around the yards of the Chicago & Northwestern, where a herd of hobos have been taking their ease among the freight cars. The Chief of Police stated that about 40 bums were gathered into the fold and afterward were shipped bag and baggage from the city. This is the time of the year when this class flocks into the farming states of the northwest under the pretense of being farm hands and harvesters, and the summary disposal of this large number of these most undesirable citizens is a good thing for the town, and for their energy the police are deserving of commendation.

E. T. Gorsuch went to his farm near Hitchcock Friday. At the time of the storm of one week ago he and his wife were at their farm. The hail at that point fell so fast that one could not see through it. The hail stones were not large, but nearly every chicken was killed in that neighborhood. A grove of cottonwood trees were entirely stripped of leaves, and all crops were destroyed. Worse than in many places, the corn stalks were cut off about a foot and a half above the ground. The wind moved Mr. Gorsuch's large barn, which is very heavily built, eight inches on its foundation at one end, and put it out of plumb. The amount of the hail may be judged from the fact that twenty four hours after it fell he gathered sufficient hail in a protected corner near the barn and froze ice cream. Several of his neighbors' barns were blown to the ground.

--Weekly State Spirit and Dakota Huronite, Huron, South Dakota, August 19, 1909, page 2.


Another herd, maybe some of the same hobos...

DRIVING OUT THE TRAMPS.

Authorities at Aberdeen Roused to Action by the Assault on W. J. Brown of Brookings

Aberdeen, S. D., Aug. 9.—Roused to retaliatory action by the petty crimes, which have been committed by tramps for a week or more, culminating in the slugging and robbery of W. J. Brown of Brookings on Wednesday night, orders have been issued to the police department by Chief Zirbes to rid the city of the tramps and to keep them out. Men seeking legitimate work are welcome. All others must stay away.

The first action in this campaign to drive out the men without visible means of support or inclination to exertion, was taken Thursday night about 4 o'clock, when Officers Daly, Culhane and Pierson and Special Officer Savage made a raid of the box cars and cattle pens in the Northwestern railroad yards.

The officers rounded up 153 hobos in the early dawn, routing them from their slumbers in holes and corners in the open air. They were herded together and driven in a body from the city. Down the Northwestern track as far as the Lockington packing house the band of idlers was sent on its way.

--Weekly State Spirit and Dakota Huronite, Huron, South Dakota, August 19, 1909, page 7.