| Show THE artificial production OF RAIN the question as to whether rain can be produced by artificial means is to be tested by the united states government on motion of senator C J B farwell of illinois a clause was added to the appropriation bill which provides that under direction of the forestry division of the department of agriculture 2000 shall be expended in experiments having for their object the artificial production of rainfall by the explosion of dyDA dynamite MIte in a communication from senator farwell the following theories are advanced my theory in regard to producing rain by explosives is based upon the fact that after all the great battles fought during the century heavy rainfalls rain falls have oc cured this Is historical and undisputed senator stanford one of the builders of the central pacific railway informed me lately that he was compelled to do a great deal of blasting through a part of the country where rain had never been known to fall in any useful quantities and where it has never rained raial since and that during the period of the blasting which was nearly a year it rained every day I 1 feel almost convinced that rain can be produced in IB this way the dynamite could be exploded on the ground round or up in the air and I 1 think f 1 would prefer the latter the experiment peri ment should be made in eastern iowa Col colorado brado or in western kansas somewhere along the railway an anu u my own idea ide a would be to commence early in the morning and explode continuously for seven or eight hours fhe subject of rain production by means of concussion hao hab been frequently discussed during the last twenty five years A great number of 15 instances stances were stated by frauds fraucis powers 0 E in a volume entitled war and the weather or the artificial production of rain 1791 many cases are cited in which great battles have been followed by speedy rain six occurred during our war with mexico in 1846 and 1847 nine oases cases of battles or skirmishes we are given in which occurred in 1861 in the war of the rebellion and which were followed by rain at no great interval forty cases are cited in 1862 thirty for 1868 1863 twenty eight in 1864 and six for 1565 1865 eighteen similar cases are also cited from among the great battles which have occurred in europe during the past century making a total of cases in a criticism of mr powers theory SW sanana nana journal said fo this argument it may be replied that throughout the region from which his examples are mainly drawn rain falls upon an average once in three days and probably a little more frequently so that from the conclusion of one rain to the commencement of another the interval is on an average but little over two days now battles are not usually commenced during a period of rain generally not till some hours after the conclusion ot of rain rain bain therefore ought to be expected exacted in about one day after the conclusion of a battle now the argument of mr powers to is lame damein in this point he takes no precise account of the length of the interval between the conclusion of a battle and the commencement of rain nor does he show that the interval Is less than it should be if the battle had no influence in the production of the rain and in particular he be takes ao account of the case unfavorable to his theory in which rain follows a battle only after a very long interval some of the ewes cases however which may be cited where the f fait of ofrain rain seems to have been arve by the discharge of cannon are wry ry striking during the siege of valenciennes by the allied armies in june 1798 1793 the weather which had bad been remarkably hot and dry became violently rainy after the can no commenced two hundred pieces of heavy artillery were employed in the attack and in the defense of the city the whole of which were frequently in action at the same time at the battle of dresden august 27 1813 the weather which for some days had been serene and intensely hot during the progress of the battle suddenly changed vast clouds filled the skies and soon the surcharged moisture poured itself in a torrent of rain at waterloo according to Si borne the weather during the morning of june 17 1815 had been oppressively hot it was now a dead calm not a leaf was stirring ant and the atmosphere was close to an intolerable degree while a dark heavy dense cloud impended im over the combatants the HuFi sars were fully prepared and awaited the command to charge when brigade guns on the right commenced firing for the purpose of breaking the order of the eti ernys advance the concussion seemed instantly to rebound through the atmosphere and communicate like an electric spark with I 1 ly charged mass maea above A violent kunder thunder t clap burst forth which was immediately followed by rain which has never probably been exceeded even in the tropics in a 9 few the ground became perfectly saturated Humbold fc says that when a volcano bursts out in south america during a dry season it sometimes changes it into a rainy one it I 1 tig is well known that in very hot calm weather the burning of woods long grass and other combustible materials fis produces rain very extensive fires in nova scotia are so generally followed by heavy floo is of rain that there is ground for believing that the enormous pillars of smoke have some share in producing them thein captain james jamea allen alien acting signal officer of the war department in reply to interrogatories recently addressed to him regarding the probability babi lity of producing rain fain by artificial means sald said one fact would seem to be easily admitted that an attempt to explode gunpowder in order to practically demonstrate the advisability of attempts in rain min production should at first be made r after most careful consideration of the atmospheric conditions for example if these explosions should be made in the center of a high area rea as shown by our weather maps or even after a low area has past any point we may be absolutely certain no rain will follow the first experiments should be undertaken to the southeast or east of a low area and to miles from the center observing stations should be established every 6 5 or 10 miles for miles to ane eastward of the p point 0 i of explosion if the ex plo are made in a comparatively clear s sky k y and after that unmistakable clouds are observed to the eastward and not to the westward some connection may be surmised it must be sai sail J however that even if the production of rain min be practicable it can only be for a very limited area and it is believed that any benefit which can possibly laly arise from such din can never amount to the expense of the enterprise the opinion of captain allen alien is similar to that of president H 0 russela Russ elJ of the royal society of now new south wales contained in au an anniversary address delivered in 1884 he says it would seem unreasonable to look for the economical production of rain under ordinary circumstances and our only chance would be to take advantage of a time when the atmosphere is iu in the condition called unstable equilibrium or when a cold current burred t over lies liea a warm one if under these conditions we could set the warm current moving upward and once flowing into the cold one a con sid erable quantity of rain might fall but this favorable tavo rable condition seldom exists in nature 12 the experiment of producing rain by exploding dynamite is about to be tried and the result will be awaited with much interest scientific american |
