Brisbane Courier (Qld. : 1864 - 1933), Tuesday 29 April 1884, page 6


CLOUD COMPELLING.

to Tim run-off OF THE BRISBANE COURIER.

Sillis ser with pleasure in your leading article of to day that some thoughtful scientist in New South i Vi Wales is about to repeat in substance what I j i oposed to do for Queensland, and I trust that with the more educated and

bundle final public opinion, which he will deal as Uni in the more settled and establish ed region he will not be in appreciated or treated with the aboUt and n mow minded jokes and jug nests that were showeiedonmy head Even in the City Police Court a person who was -one of 1 to be an educated man went out of his t when the learned counsel stated that did it tiiniicwitli his analysis, to inform the court is at he was not in rain-maker," and' therefore did not care for my opinion Time a id first 'irony of fate ' cause wise men to marvel, at even astronomer Russell, of Sydney, with his small joke of comparing me to an inch in tom tom' pi ii or, may yet see reason to accept as science that franklin stamped with the impress of genius

On the 17th October, 1883, your respected tone of public lied an i article of mine, entitled "Current Scientific tests," in which I said military balloon corps are now organised is part of our British military service, and why may not the Qu England Government order a complete --set of incidents apparatus., which would answer two imposts' but it would consent to the look out and far seeing eyes of the Lytton fort, and, secondly, it might be used for making those meted biological obst various in the higher regions of the air, winch tony help to get inn;, and as if they fail will i apart knowledge to numerous inquiring minds in Queensland, besides leflectuigsome lustre on the intelligent Government that may spend a few hundreds as pioneers and explorers of cloudland " In connection with this statement I may also call the attention ( to our leaders to another one that appeared in the Jilejiuph, 23rd January, 1882 -"Mr White (Shaw and Co ), by the way, has struck out a happy thought in connection with this cloud compelling business he gets rid of the nine pounder Oiwt LUII, and the difficulty of its transportation into the bush, by substituting a charge of dynamite or other explosive attached to the tail of the kite and firing it with a spark of electricity obtained from the clouds, and diverting it into a fulminating fuse placed in the centre of the dynamite " It is evident that the honour of the idea of bombs days the clouds belongs to Queensland, although (with two exceptionsnamely, D O'Doherty and George Harris, Esq , vi he led a subscription in fat our of more experiments which no one else 1 marked up) she had not fh ciiteipincandcouiagcto grasp it Again the Daily china Her, 20th January, 1852 - Our readers must remember that Professor Pepper does not insist on the success of his expect it he. merely says as Dr Franklin

said, /n.iijMi and let the experiment be

made

On 6th 1 'nuit.lSSí the ster late having informer is iJLOn , reduced in size, did not open till went near for the light wind that pi replies to use it up but the Jdrtjuijih of that nat amuses In proceedings com-menced with the iron"' or some large ship's rocket, then a ball is of a 11 j was, lent by Mr Grace Plains, the land is fast as the single gunn i our 1 made them, and when a mine of dynamite tin I red by the locals pink at a safe distance from the visitors, making a 1 in sport and a hole in the ground a yard in diameter and is much in depth These comes i mis it. is heated up to 2 o'clock, when a --shower of i mi fell, which may or may not have been attributable

to the experience At 4 o'clock a laiA unit ci-iituniurf 10lb ofbluotiiiif powder and 71 dynamite was not, causing a tie rifle is report, an 1 throwing up a dense t 1 inn ' black and yiuysmokc, the. wind by Hilo tic .julijleiito a very light au."

I venture to quote these statements to show that we have anticipated here the experiment about to be tried in New South Wales, and I would further respectfully urge the Government of Queensland to order the military balloon apparatus from the War Office in London, and allow this vexed question of "cloud compelling" to be settled in the interests of science and the farmers who so frequently, but in vain, desire the fruitful showers to descend on the crops, and apologising for the length of these quotations, which were necessary to remind your readers of

"facts,"-! am, sir. &c

JOHN HENRY PEPPER

Laboratory, School of Arts,

Brisbane, 24th April.