Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1894-08-09
THE QUESTION OF RAIN.

For many years scientific men and
men who are not scientific, have been
endeavoring to discover some means
whereby they can produce a greater
amount of rainfall. The impression
seems to be gaining ground and the
statement is sometimes authoratively
made that the amount of precipitation
is growing less every year. 1t is said
that even in Iowa that wells have TO
be dug lower than formerly and we all
know that the majority Of seasons dur
ing the past decade have been such at
least, us to excite fears of u drouth.
All this has set men TO thinking, the
fakir who sees in it chance to get
something for nothing, as well rs those
who are deeply interested in the pro-
duct of the soil. One of the most
feasible plans suggested for producing
moisture and precipitation is that now
being discussed by the Register and
others, viz: the boarding of our water
supply by the building OF dams and
artificial lakes. The idea is not q new
one altogether. Thos. Il. Hill, the au-
thor of Hills Manuel, in his thoughtful
little work, "Money Found" advocates
the construction of numerous small
lakes as II means of giving work to the
unemployed and to ellectually stop
floods, drouths and cyclones. The
idea may appear chimerical with some
but few quotations may serve to
change their opinion. In speaking of
the effect of these small lakes upon
drouths the author says:
"The water thus held during the hot
days of summer will evaporate, and
the moisture, thus passing into the
air, will so come back in dgws and
rains as TO prevent the drOuths."
But how can it effect the Hood or the
cyclone? The author answers the first
part of the question by his plan of
boarding the water in countless small
lakes, thus preventing it from passing
off into creeks and rivers. We will
again quote from the author in answer
to the last half of the query:
cover q large extent of territory,
where there is but little water, the sun
shines warm for days and possibly
for weeks. Over all that expanse, Of
possibly hundreds of square miles, the
air is heated and expanded. Then
comes rain and quickly cools and so
contracts the air where it falls as to
leave what may be termed q hole in
the atmosphere. The vacuum thus
made in the hot air, by sudden cooling,
has to be filed, and the air rushes rap
| idly toward this place from all direc-
tons"
POSSIBLY the rain has extended over
a hundred or two miles square. The
contraction Of air leaves an enormous
space, requiring air to fill the same
from far distant regions outside this
area where it is raining, and the rush
of air is for the purpose of filling the
space made vacant by the cold rain"
"The universal distribution Of lakes
as reservoirs Of water, over the entire
country, will cause such general eyap-
Grafton Of moisture as will cool the air
and prevent this sudden contraction
of atmosphere, which results from the
heated condition Of the air, over u
large area Of dry ground
"a severe wind may sweep with re-
sistless fury for scores of miles across
sheet of water and we wonder why it
blows so. The cause is the passage of
air, possibly at a great distance from
the storm, across water and land, for
hundreds Of miles it may be, to fill the
vacuum made by heavy rains oyer II
large area of hot and dry country"
If the idea is based on sound scienti-
lic principles, and it appears to be
steps should be Immediately taken to
bring about concerted action along
this line. 1t is barely possible that if
these lakes shonld become general
many barren wastes could be made 10
blossom as the rose.-C0lfdT Tribune.