Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1894-07-26
"A INDUSTRIOUS JOKE"
Rainmaking Discussed from q sksp.
tics Standpoint.

/, ABILENE. July 2S.-The rainmakel
K have been at work in Dickinso
K county four days without the lea1
t appreciable result. The illogical p,
t sition Of the operators ought to be b
this time fully apparent to all.
From the very beginning Of tn
operation Of rainmaking ! have bee
skeptical as to the results and hav
regarded the whole thing as a mon
strous joke. This view seems to b
confirmed by the startling array Q
figures which have been arrived at b
a series Of mathematical calculation
and which | believe to be approx
mately correct.
As rainmaking is now the chic
topic Of conversation and as an at
tempt to produce rain "at will" b,
artificial means seems TO be a failure
in this locality at least, it may be o
interest to most readers to learr
somewhat Of the enormity Of the task
undertaken by him who would, b,
mechanical means, compel the atmos
phere to yield up its moisture.
1t seems so utterly preposterous to
think that any number Of retorts and
gas generators could undo the work
of the sun, by counteracting the effect
Of the heat from the sun upon the
earth and SO lower the temperature Of
the air as to cause precipitation Of Its
moisture that | could not refrain from
making these few calculations for my
own satisfaction.
In the first place, it is, l under
stand, claimed that rain would be
produced over an area twenty-five
miles square; this would be equal to
sixteen townships Of thirty-six square
miles each. The whole sixteen town
ships would thus give an area Of 576
square miles.
Now a space one mile square and
one mile high, or in other words,
a cubic mile, would contain l17,197,-
952, 900 cubic feet of air.
The amount Of moisture that can
exist as vapor in the air depends on
the temperature. There is a certain
pressure Of vapor corresponding to
every temperature which cannot be
exceeded; beyond this there is con-
densation. This temperature is
called the temperture Of saturation
for the pressure. When the tempera-
ture OF the air diminishes until the
saturation temperature for the vapor
contained is reached, any further fall
causes condensation of moisture. The
temperature at which this occurs at
any time is called the dew-point
temperature at that time. The les.
the quantity Of moisture the air con-
tains the lower will be the tempera-
ture Of its dew-point. Conversely the
more vapor present in the air at any
time the less will be the reduction in
temperature necessary in order to
cause condensation The law Of
aqueous precipitation may then be
stated thus: Whatever lowers the
temperature Of the air at any place
below the dew-point is a cause Of
rain. And this is, believe, the
theory on which the gas rainmaking
process is based.
Hence, it would be necessary to
lower the temperature below the
point OF this vast body of atmosphere
over an area Of 576 square miles in
order to extract the total moisture
therein.
Now the amount of moisture CON
tanned in the air is very variable Mt
different times.
On very cold days il is exceedingly
slight, while on very warm days it is
great At the temperature Of zero
,he air contains a triile over J Grain
'f moisture per cubic foot, while al
temperature OF so degrees Fahrenheit
his amount would be increased up to
little over 10 grains, or about u
lrops. 1t is upon a temperature of
80 degrees, with ten grains of water
% each cubic foot Of air from the
surface Of the earth up to the sky for
distance ofone mile that the follow
ng calculations were based.
A cubic mile Of air would thus CON
ain 2s, 1924 gallons liquid measure,
u water. Now multiply the figures
IS above given by 576-the number of
'ubic miles to be operated upon-and
he result will be dazzling. If all
his water could be brought down at
nee it would give us one and one
fifth inches OF rain over the whole
Irea.
In order to cause precipitation Of
he entire amount Of moisture from a
'ubic mile of air containing twelve
|rops Of water to each cubic foot 1t