The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1901-06-20
CHANGING THE WEATHER.
What Some Scientists HAZE Accom-
pIished in This Direc-
tion.

Involuntary influence exists with
out doubt; it is exercised, for in
stance, by deforestation and by the
resulting alteration of conditions of
soil, which modifies the flowing of
streams and increases foundations;
and also by the development of in
dustrial activity, as Russell has shown
in the case of London fogs, which
augment considerably with increased
consumption of coal. The consider
able increase of the number of thun-
derstorms, which has doubled since
1870, leads 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 in
crease so considerable to the sole
action of sun spots, says Cosmos, of
Paris. An attempt has been made
to explain the increase in the num-
Der of storms by the abundant pro-
duction of steam by industrial en-
gines. DIR. 1rabert cannot accept
this explanation, for he calculates
that the quantity of steam thus pro-
scarcely represent an evaporation of
0.0025 millimeter of water to the
square kilometer 1-4O0O inch to the
square mile). But it is quite differ
ent with particles of dust scattered
in great abundance throughout the
air by the incomplete combustion of
quantity of coal equal to 200 kilo-
grams to the square kilometer Q,l40
pounds to a square mile). This con-
siderable increase of atmospheric
dust should exercise an action on the
production of rain. When moist air
passes the state of saturation, con-
densation takes place on particles of
dust. The more there are of these,
the more drops are formed; thus,
for a given quantity of vapor con-
densed, the drops are necessarily
smaller. Now the tension of satura-
ton on a convex surface increases
with the curvature of the surface,
that is to say, with the smallness
of the drops. An increase of the
quantity of dust in the air will there
fore tend to favor the supernatural
ton of the air, and consequently to
produce thunderstorms and abundant
rains.
1t is much more interesting, how
ever, to know whether we may vol
UNFAIRLY act upon the weather. To
this kind of action belong the at
tempts made successfully in France,
on large scale, to prevent nocturnal
frosts by the production of artificial
clouds. But when we come to the
artificial production of rain, success
is much more doubtful, as all at
tempts, so far, have proved. In the
production of any phenomenon it is
always a question of the equivalent
Transformation of one kind of en-
ergy into another, and we must in
quire whether the necessary amount
of energy is at our disposal. Now
Trabert calculates that to bring to
saturation a cubic kilometer Zone
quarter cubic mile) of air at 40 per
cent. relative humidity requires no
less than 1,400 kilogrammeters of
work 10000 foot pounds. This
scarcely allows us to think of the
possibility of artificial condensation.
Such thing would appear to be pos
sible only if the conditions necessary
to condensation already existed, and
if we had only to put latent forces
into action. Finally, to this volun-
tary action on the weather belongs
the method, used in the Austrian
Alps since the time of Emperor Jo-
seph H., of making numerous eXPlo-
sions to ward off a hailstorT,
process that, as is well known, has
been developed and systematized by
NJ. Steger at Misunderstanding, i'll
southern Syria, with great success.
uredoane tions( tprEei- (gofsi typvci