The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 43, July 1939 - April, 1940 Page: 83
576 p. : ill., maps ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Colonization Activities of Charles William Post
air currents resulting from the explosion of artillery, why could
the same effect not be produced by the use of dynamite ? Post
ordered a supply of dynamite, and planned the details for his
"rain battles."
He arranged thirteen firing stations extending two miles along
the edge of the Cap Rock, from which, at regular intervals, ter-
rific explosions shook the plains and violently agitated the atmos-
phere. The Du Pont Powder Company became keenly interested
and contributed half of several carloads of dynamite for the ex-
periments. In the year 1912, alone, fourteen "rain battles" were
staged. At the outset, the results were encouraging. His engi-
neer in charge wrote:
"From the results of this battle, I believe that under almost
any conditions rain can be produced; for when we commenced
this battle we had less than 50%' of humidity in the air, with
a strong south wind and clear sky. We had a violent storm in
less than an hour after the battle ended."32
Twenty-one "battles" were staged, but the records for only
eighteen have survived. Of the eighteen experiments recorded,
thirteen were followed by no rain, two followed by sprinkles, and
three by sufficient rainfall to register in the water-gauge. From
these data, it would appear that Post's rain-producing experiments
were more than sixteen per cent effective.
By 1914, the experimental period of Post's colonization activ-
ities was over. Land values had risen, and from his experimenta-
tion significant results had been achieved. He accordingly decided
to improve several hundred more farms and place all of his im-
proved properties on the market. His terms were to be twenty
dollars an acre, in addition to the cost of improvements. The
purchaser would make a down payment of two dollars an acre,
and have fifteen years to pay the balance. The payment of three
hundred and twenty dollars would enable a colonist to take pos-
session of an improved farm of one hundred and sixty acres.
Farms so desirable and terms so liberal made possible the selection
of a high class of settlers from the multitude who clamored for a
stake in the land of promise.
32Marhoff to Board of Managers, April 9, 1912, Post Records, Cor-
respondence, Vol. XXV, 41 e.
For Post's views on artificial rain-making, vide: Harper's Weekly, for
February 28, 1912.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 43, July 1939 - April, 1940, periodical, 1940; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101111/m1/91/?rotate=90: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.