The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-10
sHOoTIN0 At HtIJsrORMS
This Means of Preventing Damage to Crops
Il Said to He n Success In Europe.

IL said To He Success In Europe.
Tho idea OF destroying storm clouds including
tornadoes by firing cannon at them, has been
! laughed at In this country and experiments in
this line have not been successful but tho sche mo
Is taken moro seriously In some parts OF Europe
and even some ofthe scientific journals assert tina IL
Is practicable and cite press We instances TO provo
H. The following statements, for example arc
taEen from Giobus, one OF the best known geo
graphical publications OF Germany.
"On May 80 last tho Minister Of AericuI,ur,
In Italy suggested that the experiment be tined
Of destroying hail clouds by means of cannon
discharges He fortified his suggestion by
copious quotations from Prof. Edunrd Ottayi',
book on Destroying liastorms in Syria by
Means OF Cannon Discharges the third edition
OF which had Just appeared. The Italian & oyern-
ment thereupon placed at the disposal OF land.
owners the powder in one Of tho Government
magazines at low price. until the end Of October
this year, The result was that many firing sta
tons were established in regions where vineyard,
were peculiarly liable 10 damage and tho results.
have been most gratifying"
This seems to prove that tho theory OF destroy
Ing hailstornis by means Of cannon is not a hum
hug. Furthermore, tile theory and the demon
s,rat!on ofits value arc by no ncansncw Araro
tells OF a fleet anchored, in the seventeenth CEN
tury. in Cartagena, South America which. bv
bombardinE storms repeatedly prevented them
In the eighteenth century a French sailor also
destroyed storm clouds in this manner at his
county place in the neighborhood of Macon.
In Germany experiments were made in 1885
In Italy tho theory has been tested on A much
larger scale and the experiments there extend
as far back as the sixteenth century.
Prof. Bombicci, OF bologna, was ono OF tho nrst
to discuss the matter scientifically In recent
times however. the decisive tests have unques,ion.
ably been made in Styria, Austria.
The Burgomastcr OF Windsch- Fcistritz In
Styria, has very large and fine vineyard on the
south slope OF the EaChen Mountains lie sus-
tanned enormous Losses every year from hail.
storms In 1896 he erected twelve shooting sta
tons on the property, distributed over about two
square Kilometres. They wcro Placed on IN.
highest elevations Each station had ten heavy
cannon. handled by six men. Each charp.
consisted OF l2O grams 81 powder As soon a,
hail cloud approached shots were heard from
oil the stations. The Vienna ImMriL NIc,e-
geological Society thus described the procedures
Heavy black clouds move forward from above
tho Bachen Mountains Al a signal shooting
begins AT all the stations, and after a few minutes
the forward movement Of the clouds ceases Then
the clouds open az II a canal divided them, and
gradually disappear Not one stone falls The
experiment was tried six times in 1905, always
With tho same result Since then fifty six sta
lions have been erected around Windisch- Tcstritz
and II has paid well to support them"
Tho question ia Of great Importance TO Italy
where certain districts are regularly visited by
hailstorms This summer 10 stations were
erected in the province Of Treviso 80 in radua
280 In Vicenza, 30 in Verona, 1875 in Bergamo
and In othor provinces stations arc constructing
under the supervision Of Prof Ottavi. The can
non used were brought from Styria. where SIZE
cia industry in the manufacture Of this article
has developed. In Iny, nlso some firms have
begun 10 make the so.caed "llunga &c, mon.