The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1870-10-24
Artificial Rain-Can it be Pro-
duced2

The Baltimore Gazette says: ais it
possible to produce rain at will during
q season which promises to be one of
protracted droughtH The question is
one that has exercised the minds of
scientific men for a number of years,
and all, or nearly all Of them, agree
that no matter how dry the weather
may have previously been, heavy rain
storms almost invariably occur after
great battle has been fought, or a
town has been subject to lombard
ment.
German writers record similar from
the battles which have recently been
fought on the French frontier. The
drought, which had parched the crops
and shriveled up the rivers, has been
succeeded during the past six weeks
by vast and violent rains, which have
done great damage to the standing
corn in many districts, and have Sc
riously impeded the march of troops.
Since the opening battle of the cam
paign, at Woerth, until the close of
the siege at Strasbourg. there has been
series of violent transforms accom-
panied by much thunder and lightning
These storms have swept, in, their
course, across southern Germany to
the far plains Of Hungary, and it is
| stated that the clouds did not disperso,
and iaiii' weather set in until the cessa-
ton of heavy lighting. Various facts
are cited, in regard to previous wars
to confirm the theory that violent com
cussions of the atmosphere are produce
tive of rain. During the invasion
of republican France blythe Ger
man armies in 1870, the latter, on
their retreat, were obliged to abandon
their heayier artillery because the
rains had saturated the soil TO such O
depth as to prevent them moving the
guns with the necessary rapidity. The
Franco. Prussian war of 1906 was
marked by heavy and continuous rains,
and during nearly all the campaigns
of Napoleon, the Crimean war, the
war in Italy, which ended in the ex-
pulsion of the Austrians, and also
our civil war, similar meteorological
disturbances were noted.
| From these facts the deduction is
drawn that rain can be produced dur
ing a period of drought by missing a
number of batteries of artillery and
firing them off simultaneously, at in
tervals of a quarter of an hour. Such
suggestion was made to the French
government during the severe drought
of June last; Dut it was not then acted
on. 1t is not, however, claimed that
success would be sure under all cir
cumstances but only under cetain at
mosphere conditions. These condi
tions are that southwest wind shal
be blowing at time and carrying will
it heavy masses of clouds; that thu
barometer shall mark less than seven
ty-six centimetres, and that the place
of firing shall be at some point on thu
, coast where the atmosphere is charged
} with aqueous vapor.
! But if the theory thus elaborated b.
) correct, some of these conditions ar
, certainly not required. The northern
9 frontier OF France, where the grea
f battles were fought, is remote from tn
:, coast, and up to the time that tn
e heaviest firing commence the crop
S and herbage were almost burnt up b
n the long prevalenes of dry weathe
: and the sky was nearly cloudless. n
sooner, however, were one or two grea
y battle fought than the long period {
: drought was broken up by the serit
It of rain storms to which We have refeI
8 red. There can be but little doub
d we think, from abe facts already cite'
e that heavy artillery firing, by concu
sion of the atmosphere, and, perhap
I. by the changes which thus wrougl
). in its electrical condition, will prodo'
w rain. But whether it is possible
Il give to this knowledge practical a
i plication, the interest Of agricultur
|. is a question which is yet to be dete
A mined"