The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-02-15
SHOOTING AT HAILsrORMS
Crops In Said to BE Sue.
cess In Europe.


including tornadoes, by firing cannon
at them, has been laughed at :n this
country and experiments in this line
have not been successful; but the
scheme is taken more Seriously in some
parts of Europe. and even some of the
scientific journals assert that it is prac-
ticable, and cite impressive instances to
prove it. The following statements, for
example, are taken from Globus, one
of the hest known geographical publ
cations of Germany.
ION May so last the minister of agri
culture in Italy suggested that the ex.
pertinent be tried of destroying hail
clouds by means of cannon discharges.
He fortified his suggestion by copious
quotations from Prof. Eduard Ottavi's
book on Destroying Hailstorms in
Syria by Means of Cannon Discharges
the third edition of which has just ap-
peared. The Italian government there
upon placed at the disposal of land
owners the powder in one of the govern
Eaent magazines at low price, until
the end of October, this year. The re-
suit was that many firing stations were
established in regions where vineyards
were peculiarly liable to damage and
the results have been most gratifying"
This seems to prove that the theory
Of destroying hailstorms by means OF
cannon is not humbug. Furthermore,
the theory and the demonstration of its
value are by no means new. Arago tells
of feet anchored in the seventeenth
century in Cartagena, South America.
which, by bombarding storms repeat
edly, prevented them. In the eighteenth
century French sailor also destroyed
storm clouds in this manner at his coun.
try place in the neighborhood of Macon,
In Germany experiments were made in
1865. In Italy the theory has been test
ed on much larger scale and the ex-
periments there extend as far back as
the sixteenth century.
Prof. Mombicci, of Bologna, was one
of the first to discuss the matter scien-
tiically. In recent times, however, the
decisive tests have unquestionably been
made in Syria, Austria.
The burgomaster of Windisch-Feis-
tritz, has very large and fine vineyard
on the south slope of the Bachen noun
tains. He sustained enormous losses
every year from hailstorms. In 1896 he
erected IL shooting stations on the
property, distributed over about two
square kilometers. They were placed
on the highest elevations. Each sta
ton had ten heavy cannon, handled by
six men. Each charge consisted of 100
grams of powder. As soon as hail
cloud approached shots were heard
from all the station& The Vienna I'm
perial Meteorological society thus de-
scribed the procedure: Heavy black
clouds move, forward from above the
Bachen mountains. At a signal shoot.
ing begins at all the stations, and after
few minutes the forward movement
of the clouds ceases. Then the clouds
open as if canal divided them, and
gradually disappear. Not one stone
falls. The experiment was tried six
times in 1896. always with the same re.
suit. Since then Sc stations have been
erected around Windisch- Feistritz, and
it has paid well to support Them"
The question is of great Importance
to Italy, where certain districts are reg.
ularly visited by hailstorms. This sum.
mer 20 stations were erected in the
province of Treviso, 80 in Padua, 260 in
Vicenza, 20 in Verona, 135 in Bergamo
and in other provinces stations are con
structing under the supervision of Prof
Ottavi. The cannon used were brought
from Syria, where special industry il
the manufacture of this article has de
veloped. In Italy, also, some firms have
begun to make the so-calied Hun.
garian cannon."-N. Y. Sun.