The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1901-06-07
INFLUENCING THE WEATHER.
SOME SUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS THAT
HAVE RECENTLY BEEN RECORDED.
From Paris Comos.

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From Paris Comos.
Involuntary influence exists without
doubt; 1t Is exercised, for instance, by
deforestation and by the resulting al.
teration OF conditions OF soil, which
modifes the flowing OF streams and
Increases inundations, and also by the
development Of industrial activity, as
Russell has shown in case Of London
fogs, which argument c0nsidera bly,
with increased consumption Of coal.
The considerable increase OF the mum.
Der OF thunder storms, which has
doubled since 1870, lead us to believe
that In this case also there IS an effect
due, in part, at least, to industrial
activity; for 1t is difficult to attribute
an increase so considerable to the sole
action OF sun spots. An attempt has
been made to explain the increase in
the number of storms by the abundant
production OF steam by industrial en-
gines. DR.. Trabert cannot accept this
explanation, for he calculates that the
quantity OF steam thus produced in
the whole OF Germany would scarcely
represent an evaporation OF OOO25
millinleter OF water tn tile square xii.
ometer (l.4O00 inch to the square mile).
But it is quite different with particles
OF dust scattered in great abundance
throughout the air by the incomplete
combustion Of a quantity of coal eQua
to 200 Kilograms to the square kilOme
ter (l,l4O pounds to the sqaure mile)
This considerable increase OF atmOs
pheric dust should exercise an actor
on the production Of rain. Wher
moist air passes the state OF satura
tion, condensation takes place on par
ticles of dust. The mure there are Of
these, the more drops are formed
thus for a given quantity Of vapol
condensed, the drops are necessarily
smaller. Now the tension OF satura.
ti0n on a convex surface increases
with the curvature OF the surface, that
is to say, with the snallness of the
drops. An increase Of the quantity
Of dust in the air will therefore tend
to favor the approximation Of the
air, and consequently produce thunder
storms and abundant rains.
1t Is much more interesting, how.
ever, to know whether we may volun.
tarily act upon the weather. 10 this
kind Of action belong the attempts
made successful in France, on q large
scale, to prevent nocturnal frosts by
the production artificial clouds. But
when we come to the artificial produc.
tiOn Of rain. success is much more
doubtful, as all attempts, so far have
proved. ...|
In the production of any phenome.
non it is always question OF the
equivalent transformation OF one
kind Of energy into another, and we
must inquire wether the necessary
amount of energy is at our disposal.
Now Trabert calculates that to bring
to saturatiOD cubic kilometer lone
quarter cubic mile) Of air at 40 per
cent. relative humidity requires no
less than l,400 kilgrammeters OF work
(l0,O 900 foot pounds) This scarcely al.
lows US to think Of the possibility OF
artificial condensation. Such q thing
would appear to be possible only II the
conditions necessary to condensation
already existed, and we had only to
put latent forces into action. Finally
to this voluntary action on the
weather belongs the method, used in
the Austrian Alps since the time of
Emperor Joseph II, Of making numer.
Gus explosions to ward of a hail
storm, a process that, as Is well known
has been developed and systematized
by NJ. Steger at Wandiscl- Feistritz,
in southern Syria, with great sue.
cSsS. -.....