The evening times., 1895-10-11

rs not, this government likely TO Sc
cure such a balloon for offensive and
defensive purposes?''
| Il don't know what we may do in
| the future, but at Present in this respect
| We are sadly behind the three European
| countries have named
| Their inventors keep their mechanism
| a profound secret, and it is impossible
| for us TO buy 1t from them"
Are not the Americans capable of invent
| ing balloon OF sufficient strength and ca
paciiy 10 Meet those OF the European couu-
tries upon even terns?''
II should dislike replied Pr'f. Hazen,
with q smile, Ito say that wecoriG not doso.
| We Americans are said TO be0he most in
genious people in the world i have no
doubt il the proper inducements were Of
fered by the government that such a bal
loon would be readily forthcoming 8.
Prof. Hazen has in contemplation a Sc
ries of balloon ascensions TO discover the
nSecha nism of storms. OF the laws control
ing their formation and development. The
advantages which would result from these
experiments are. he says, manifold. One
OF the results will be a knowledge of the
con6fii ions under which natural rain forms.
I'VE have not to-day" he explained. ANY
clear conception of this matter. Some sci
entists argue that the air where the rain Is
forming must be warmer than the surround
ing region. Others contend that the air
must he cooler, or there could he no con-
densatiou The other advantages which
would result from the experiments are
briefly these:
First we ca mot from the earth discover
the cause of Il storm, inasmuch as the storm
is energized at a height of 7 1000 feet or
more. and we must go, therefore, at the
point TO which the energy OF the storm is
displayed in order to determine its source.
"Second, the cause of the motion OF the
storm Some persons believe that a
storms motion is due to the drift OF the at
n,osphcre. others to the wind. Others.
again. argue that the storm is attracted
by the rainfall in its front. which, in my
o,tnion, is putting the cart before the horse.
The rain is merely an incident of the storm.
Some of our severest storms have absolutely
no rain in their front.
Third. TO determine whether the heat
has anything TO do with the formation and
development of the storm.
termine the effect of the suns heat upon
the atmospheric layers to a height Of 30
900 feet; also to determine whether moist
ure has anything to do with the develop
ment of the storm, since many people be-
lieve that the moisture condition forms
an important share in the development Of
the Storm"
Where do You propose conducting these
experiments"
They could be successfully carried on
at Prof. Carl Meyers balloon farm at
Frankfort, N. Y. Prof. Harrington, the
former chief OF the Weather Bureau. al
ways insisted that experiments of this
character should be made without govern
mental assistance, and agree with him.
II am hopeful that arrangements can be
made privately whereby a sum sufficient
to defray the expenses of the experiments !
can be raised. A few thousand dollars
would be ample, and it is not unlikely |
that there are u sufficient number of pri- |
vate citizens in the United States inter
ested in such matters to provide the neces-
sary amount.
IAN the ascensions would be made, of !
rourse, during the prevalence of storms.
shall go to a height of five or six miies,
30 that all the conditions may be favorable
for securing the data from which to in
lrease our meteorological knowledge"
.'You do not regard these astensions as
them"
by no means The more improved meth
DDS OF baliuoning have reduced the s.anyer
II ascension to a minimum. On the other
,cpd. the benefits resulting from this in
rcnSed knowledge can handy be over esti-
mated.