El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-02-26
SHOOT THE CLOUDS.
The Attempts To Call Down Rain Ir
California.

The "rainy season. in southern
California is now about over, and the
total precipitation has been less than
| FIVE inches-or scarcely third of what
| is necessary to make a good crop. This
condition of things is causing attep tioL
| to be given in some sections TO the
! idea of causing precipitation by artl-
| fetal means. and in an article speak
ing of what is being attempted in this
line the Los Angeles Times says:
Several efforts were recently made
in San Diego county TO produce rain by
artificial means in the shape OF chem
icals exploded In the atmosphere, after
q system which Is said to have worked
successfully 10 Kansas. The expert
ments in San Diego county were bar
rem of results, unless a slight local
shower may be attributed to this cause.
Experiments are, however, being con-
tinued. Possibly this was because
there was not sufficient amount OF
moisture in the atmosphere at the
time, for it is absurd to suppose that
any device can create moisture. All
that we can expect to accomplish in
this way is to cause moisture that ex-
lists in the air to be precipitated.
"F. j. MOll, ST., formerly of this city
and now residing in Avalon, who sug-
gested through the columns of the
Times the idea of sending up explosives
into the clouds by means of q balloon
as far back as 1855, writes to suggest
that the proper way to make a fair
test of this plan would be to try it
when clouds hang heavy over this sec
tiOn, as they sometimes do, seeming
to be ON the point of precipitating
their moisture. Then toward noon the
heat of the desert causes a suction OF
the cooler atmosphere along the coast,
and forces the clouds across the noun
tains, SO that the rain Ia lost to US for
that day. Mr.. Moll thinks that by
sending up balloon charged with ex-
wire, and firing it OFF at q favorable
point, We might produce q rainfall.
Such q test would at least not be ex-
pensive. Perhaps come of our big
land owners who are looking anxiously
for rain may incline to give it a trial."
It must be admitted that all at
tempts in this line, such as those re-
ferred to in the language copied above,
whether by individuals or by the gov
ernment, have thus far proved to be
practically futile, but we believe the
time will come when science will be
able to solve the problem of the
clouds, and when by the application Of
properly directed means man will be
able to superinduce a fall of rain on
any part of the earth's surface at his
own pleasure. If we can generate
from the atmosphere and
subject it to our service, there Is no
good reason to doubt that we
shall some time be able to
bring about the proper COM
bination of gases to produce water. 1t
Is not probable that rain enough to do
any good can be produced by mere
concussioD, unless the conditions az g
already ripe for it, but when we dis
cover how and when to obtain suffi-
Client supply of hydrogen, and how 10
release 1t in such manner as to cause it
to com bine with the oxygen of the air,
then to ''turn on the RAIN will become
IS simple matter as turning en- the
electric light, or the water from the
nydr6nt. There are great many
.hings known 10 us which were up-
known to our ancestors, and great
nsny things which are still deep mys-
:eries to US will be very simple affairs
20 those who come after us.-Las Vegas
Optic.