ears ago pioneers believed that
rain followed the plow; the
evaporation from land surfaces
and the conservation of runoff
water caused a proportionate increase
in the rainfall. But after the cycle of
wet years had passed, the dry 1890s
brought ruin to farmers in semi-arid
regions.
During Nebraska's severe drought
of 1894, professional rainmakers
promoted the "concussion theory,"
based on the popular observation that
the detonation of high explosives
sometimes caused rain. Some theorized
that smoke particles blown into the
clouds would precipitate rain.
Frank Melbourne was one of the best
known of a small group of rainmakers
active in the Great Plains during
the 1890s. A native of Australia, he
came west from Ohio in 1891 with
his brother and worked in Nebraska,
Kansas and Colorado. He popularized
the idea of manufacturing gas on the
ground, thus creating a cloud which
ascended and united with the upper air,
causing rainfall.
Melbourne was highly publicized and
charged high prices for his services, but
refused to discuss his methods in detail
– though he claimed that his method
was capable of doubling the world's
arable area.
Pioneer doctor William B. Swisher
was another well-known rainmaker of
that era. According to the Nebraska
State Journal, in 1893 Swisher
contracted with J. H. McMurtry of
Lincoln to make it rain over the capital
city for the sum of $500. Swisher set
up his apparatus and took credit for a
"small sized squall" afterward – and
then sued when McMurtry refused to
pay.
Though not required to demonstrate
his apparatus, Swisher set it up in
the courtroom for people to see. The
Journal described two stone churns
with inverted funnels, an iron box with
a hinged cover, a battery and electric
wire, and accessories consisting of "a
pair of old balances, a wash basin, a
glass funnel, two bottles, a glass dish,
a small pitcher and a quart tin cup.
Among the weights of the scale is a
rattlesnake's rattle."
A University of Nebraska professor
testified that rain had been forecast for
the day Swisher promised to create
a shower; the professor also showed
maps to prove that the rain was general
over the whole region. In reply,
Swisher "swore positively that he made
the rain that fell in Lincoln, but did not
give his reasons for so believing." The
judge awarded Swisher a judgment of
$50.
In time the dry years ended and the
rainmakers went on, perhaps, to other
money-making schemes. ■
Visit the Nebraska State Historical
Society's website at Nebraskahistory.org.
NSHS,
RG2545-9
A Brief History
Nebraska's Rainmakers
By Patricia C. Gaster,
Nebraska State Historical Society
Y
During the 1890s some theorized that smoke particles blown into the clouds would precipitate rain. These men appear to be trying
that process.
10 NEBRASKAland • AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2015
