Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-05

RAIN AND RAIN MAKERS.
Some Reasons why Man Cannot Compete
With Nature
To the Editor Of The Evening Star.
| Men who seem 10 think they can accomplish
| everything and compete with nature in ell her
parts, at present seem TO be carried away with
| the idea thst they can compete with nature in
| the line Of producing rain at will. They do
not seem 70 have the least idea of the magni-
| tude Of the forces whereby nature produces
| this result They seem to think that there is
| enough moisture always present in the upper
strata Of the atmosphere to produce rain. and
all they have 70 do is to contrive some mechani-
| cal device whereby they can tap this great res
srvoir - one might tap some huge cistern and
down the water will come in copious showers
Nature requires . large area In which to
work There must be the material, water and
heat power Of the sun acting thereon. All
portions of the atmosphere are not at all times
equally supplied with the necessary moisture
1t 10 quite amusing 70 read Of the descriptions
of the conditions of the atmosphere by those
who are earnest in their support Of mans
power TO produce rain At will II they would
famiiarize themselves with the weather map
and compare notes they would readily see how
nicely they have been describing the fore
runner TO the conditions that produce the
| summer local" Some claim that it 10 the
noise or conclusion from the heavy artillery
frin8. and yet they cite Plutarch 40 authority
In the ancient world when battles were fought
with bows and arrows, swords and catapults
wherein there could have been no noise beyond
thousand men could produce rain in these an
Client days by hallooing certainly like num-
Der could today, and this method might be
quite as cheap as that Of expensive fireworks
shot of in the sky. The winter OF 1854 and '65
tn was In the Army Of the Potomac. near Peters
burg, where there was cannoEading a.
most every night II there had been
any such power in this artillery firing
certainly there should have been some virtue
IN such heavy firing as then took place. These
men are ready with their statistics as to the
great number Of battles that were followed by
rain, but their statistics are silent as to the
meteorological conditions Of the periods OF
which they WRITE though in some minor yet
important details Of description they give
themselves away,
As to the statistics they offer, they are about
as valuable AS the statistics offered as to the
supposed influence Of the moon ON the weather.
There are probably more people who still be-
iieve IN moon influence than who believe in the
concuaslon influence as applied to rain On
the same night in one locality people will think
the clouds are driven away and thereby the
rain averted, while less than hundred miles
away the same class OF people will believe that
the storm in their locality 10 induced by the
moon strange kind Of q moon that will
different kinds Of influences as there are va
rieties OF weather-all on one night!
The weather map has proved beyond doubt
that the moon has no influence upon the
weather, ana more that it is absurd to hold
any such notions in regard to our earth's sat-
elite.
Az to battles and their supposed influence,
they have about as much to do with the cause
OF rainfall as the rainfall has to do with them,
and if anything less The simple solution OF
the matter is that the great majority Of the
battles of the world take place at that season Of
the year when "locals' are in order, that Is
during the warmer months Of the year. Before
the ''rainmakers" went to their work in Texas
this summer QS91), in o communication to The
STAR told them how to try their scheme 80 as
TO satisfy the intelligent people OF the world
and how to make it an apparent success to the
vulgar crowd. In order to make an experiment
to satisfy the intelligent masses it was sug.
gested that they try their experiment in the
center OF IN extensive and high grade "high."
Could they produce rain under these atmos-
pheric conditions their scheme might be worth
considering. But to attempt it within the con-
fines of "low" was most absurd. for there
they could get most any result and at times,
from their point OF view, an apparently most
favorable one.
Some of the advocates Of this idea have ad-
mitted that the conditions must be favorable
for the success OF the experiment O. Ger
tainly they must But, says the enthusiast for
this side, we have already accomplished the
feat. Possibly they think they have. A rain
prove that their experiment had aught to do
with it. II they are DESTROYS Of making such Q
test AZ will satisfy the scientific world let them,
as herein suggested, try their experiment.
when the atmospheric conditions are not favor
able for locals" II the thing can be worked
q N
Nature Ii not unlike herself in different local.
tiles. So far ~ general laws are concerned she
is the same the world over. In details she pro-
duces great variety. but in her general make
two oaks or other trees alike in detail, yet all
oaks of q class are alike, and one would never
be mistaken for another.
There was no need of going OF to any out-of-
way place. where the weather bureau stations
are few and far apart II there is anything Of
power over nature, which really amounts to
rivaling the Creator and making sonnet out
Of nothing; il man has this power in the de-
partment Of meteorology. then surely he should
have it in all the other departments and no
time nor place should hamper him, and he
should be as ready to prove himself in one
place and time as at another, and should be
equally ready to try his hand under unfavora-
BILE as well as under favorable circumstances.
Indeed, the very fact of seeking favorable cir
CuulbtduCeb buOulu cOnuemu Mn. DQt IQef6 ID
an attempt to make it appear that these rain
makers went to an unfavorable country. 1t
may be that portion Of Texas suffers from
drought, bus nevertheless it is within a circle
where locals are IN order during the warmer
months Of the year. Let them try their ex-
periments somewhere in the center of the
United States say somewhere between Ohio
and Nebraska, when there is good thirty and
seven-tenths thigh" present, then let US rec
what the result will be. LIN
Washington, D. c.. December 5, 1891.
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